GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Frequent: Transit that is reliable, accessible and as frequent as every 15 mintes for all Hamiltonians!
Clean (Electric): Power generated by electricity instead of carbon-rich fuels that release carbon dioxide, primary pollutants (examples: carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, VOCs, and particulate matter) and secondary pollutants (examples: ozone and sulphate and nitrate aerosols) into the atmosphere.
Fare-Free: Transit that is fully funded by means other than fare collection, making transit accessible to the Hamiltonians that rely on public transit the most, regardless of socio-economic status.
Check out some funding options HERE.
Hamilton Street Railway - HSR
The primary public transport agency serving the City of Hamilton.
The name pays homage to the company’s early years of running electric streetcars (cite Transit Toronto).
That’s right, the almost 20 km rail network at the time became electric in 1892 by taking advantage of the recent availability of hydroelectric power (cite Skyrise Cities)!
Area Rating
A system for handling taxation and services post-amalgamation by determining different tax costs for different wards within the new City of Hamilton based on service levels like transit, fire, and recreation (cite Terry Whitehead).
Currently, transit is the only remaining area rated service, which results in residents in the old, pre-amalgamation boundary of Hamilton significantly paying higher taxes than surrounding wards for the HSR (cite Environment Hamilton).
Hamilton’s Community Energy and Emissions Plan (CEEP)
A long-term plan to meet Hamilton’s future energy needs that accounts for every aspect of city-wide energy use and GHG emissions, such as housing, transportation, industry, and waste. It lays out a major component of the City’s strategy for responding to the climate emergency (cite CEEP).
Learn more about the CEEP here.
Formally known as the Federal Gas Tax Fund. It’s a permanent source of funding that delivers over $2 billion each year to 3600 communities across Canada. The communities themselves decide where to direct the funds in order to address their local priorities.
These funds can be strategically invested across different project categories like public transit, wastewater infrastructure, local roads, disaster mitigation, tourism, and much more (cite CCBF).
Learn more about the CCBF here.