The Ontario government announced on Wednesday that it would provide $1.6 billion in funding for municipalities to help support them during the novel coronavirus pandemic, which would include $660 million to support transit systems in communities across the province.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement alongside Associate Transportation Minister Kinga Surma and Finance Minister Rod Phillips.

Surma said transit systems would receive a base amount as well as an allocation based on ridership to immediately “cover losses” created by the pandemic. She said a second phase of funding would help municipalities cover additional costs “based on their actual financial pressures.”

Ford also addressed a recent fiscal update that found the Ontario budget deficit was projected to jump to $38.5 billion in 2020-2021. He admitted to reporters that the government’s plans to balance the budget by 2023 had been dramatically changed by the pandemic.

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