Today, the Honourable Ravi Parmar, B.C. Minister of Forests, George Anderson, Parliamentary Secretary for Transit, Marianne Alto, Vice-Chair for the Victoria Regional Transit Commission, and Erinn Pinkerton, President and Chief Executive Officer for BC Transit, announced the opening of the new Victoria handyDART centre in View Royal. A joint investment of more than $83.5 million was made by the Government of Canada, Province of BC and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission.
The new handyDART centre is BC Transit’s first Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) Gold standard building, an internationally recognized benchmark for green, sustainable building performance. The investment in a long-term, fully electrified site will allow handyDART services to expand in Greater Victoria, bringing accessible, door-to-door transit service to commuters with disabilities, while also supporting the transition to a low-carbon battery electric bus fleet and the expansion of conventional bus service in the region.
The 8-acre site was holistically designed in collaboration with streamkeepers and the community to improve the ecological integrity of the degraded site. An existing poor habitat watercourse was reconstructed to reconnect with groundwater and replanted with 8,000 native plants and 350 trees. This created over 1-acre of new, protected habitat for salmon and trout within the Craigflower Creek watershed. Fish returned to the stream the first winter after construction and in two short years nearly 150 fish have returned to the new stream. The LEED Gold building has been recognized with an EcoStar Award for environmental design and was the first “Salmon Safe” urban development project on Vancouver Island.
The new facility positions BC Transit to expand handyDART ridership in Greater Victoria to meet the expected growth in demand as the region’s population ages and grows. It also allows BC Transit to utilize several properties in Saanich, including the former handyDART location, to create a five-acre site for a future Saanich Transit Centre. This third operations and maintenance facility in Saanich will support BC Transit’s future fleet of electric buses that are needed to meet local service demands and allow for the expansion of the Victoria Regional Transit System.
BC Transit is thankful for the many partners that came together to make the handyDART centre a reality. Longstanding relationships between the Government of Canada and Province of British Columbia helped fund the project while many more new relationships were created throughout the project. Collaborating with the Town of View Royal, Capital Regional District, BC Hydro, BD Hall, Bird Construction, Jacob Brothers, New Roads, a neighbourhood working group, local streamkeepers, and many others made this project what it is today.
Transdev Canada, handyDART operators, will soon move in with handyDART service expected to start operating out of the new facility in mid-April. The BC Transit project team will also be hosting an open house that the public is welcome to attend on March 29 from 10am – 12pm.
Quotes
“This new facility is a vital investment in the future of public transit in Greater Victoria. It means more reliable service, better access to handyDART, and a transit system that keeps pace with our growing communities. Our government is committed to making transit more accessible and dependable for the people who rely on it every day.”
George Anderson, Parliamentary Secretary for Transit
“Whether it is helping people with reduced mobility get to work, the grocery store or anywhere else they need to go, this is a major investment in our people and something I’m proud we have delivered. The Westshore is pleased to be the home of this new state of the art handyDART facility.”
Ravi Parmar, B.C. Minister of Forests, MLA for Langford-Highlands
“This new, central location in View Royal will allow BC Transit to not only operate handyDART more efficiently but also expand this important service across the region. The partnerships established while building the handyDART centre represent a collaborative effort that reflect the outcomes and goals of both the community and BC Transit by creating a modern operations facility and an environmental rehabilitation project in one.”
Erinn Pinkerton, President and Chief Executive Officer for BC Transit
“We’re excited that, right here in greater Victoria, BC Transit’s first LEED Gold building in the province achieves a high standard of sustainable design and operations. The Victoria Regional Transit Commission appreciates working alongside our funding partners in all orders of government to support the expansion of transit services in the Capital Regional District.”
Marianne Alto, Vice-Chair for the Victoria Regional Transit Commission
Quick facts
- 8000 native plants and trees have been planted on the site
- The Galloping Goose Trail was realigned and improved to support an All Ages and Abilities design as part of the project
- Land and $150,000 was donated by BC Transit to the Town of View Royal to build a 1.5-acre community park that is expected to open later in 2025
- The annual fish counts in the rehabilitated stream have seen more than 150 return in the past two years
- There are nine rain gardens onsite that cover approximately 1/3 of an acre
- Joint funding for the project was first announced in 2019.
- Total funding of $83.5M for this project includes the Government of Canada’s contribution of $21.8M the Government of British Columbia’s contribution of $40.1M, and the Victoria Regional Transit Commission’s contribution of $21.6M.
- In July 2019 BC Transit announced its Low Carbon Fleet Program which aligns with the Province’s CleanBC initiative and is a core component of the strategic vision for the future of BC Transit.
- The Low Carbon Fleet Program was established to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and includes a 10-year fleet replacement strategy to replace over 1200 buses with electric buses.
- The Government of Canada’s funding comes from the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program.
- This funding stream supports the building, expansion, and upgrading of urban and rural transit networks.
- Investments in public transit help Canadians get where they need to be, create new manufacturing and construction jobs, reduce pollution, and make life more affordable.
- The Government of Canada is investing $14.9 billion over the next eight years in reliable, fast, affordable, and clean public transit. This funding includes $3 billion per year in permanent, predictable federal public transit funding which will be available to support transit solutions beginning in 2026-27.
- Since 2015, the Government of Canada has invested over $24.8 billion in transit projects across the country, providing Canadians with cleaner and more efficient commuting options.
- Under the Investing in Canada Plan, the federal government is investing more than $180 billion over 12 years in public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
- Infrastructure Canada helps address complex challenges that Canadians face every day—ranging from the rapid growth of our cities, to climate change, and environmental threats to our water and land.
Associated Links
Investing in Canada: Canada’s Long-Term Infrastructure Plan
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/icp-publication-pic-eng.html
Public Transit Infrastructure Stream
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/pti-itc-eng.html
Federal infrastructure investments in British Columbia
https://www.infrastructure.gc.ca/plan/prog-proj-bc-eng.html
Strengthened Climate Plan
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/environment/weather/climatechange/climate-plan/climate-plan-overview.html
Contacts
For more information (media only), please contact:
Government Communications and Public Engagement
Ministry of Transportation and Transit
250-356-8241
Media Relations
BC Transit
media@bctransit.com
