Transport committee  Again, intercity service really isn't transit, per se. Intercity service is more service by rail or by airlines. I appreciate that in Saskatchewan and in some other areas the distances between communities are smaller, because they have more communities per square foot or per ki

Transport committee  No, I'm saying that public transit is something that is within cities. If you're going from Toronto to Montreal, that's not public transit. That's intercity movement, and intercity movement is more airplanes, buses, trains. It's generally not considered public transit.

Transport committee  No. Obviously within a geographic catchment area, where people live and work in the same kind of metropolitan area, it's public transit. But if you're talking about visiting a city as opposed to working in a city, it's largely not considered to be public transit.

Transport committee  Mr. Chair, I know you have some time pressures, so given that I was here two months ago, if you'd like, I could dispense with the opening remarks and just table them. But that's up to you.

Transport committee  Something like that.

Transport committee  I'd like to thank the committee for having me back to speak with you today. As noted, I have with me Michael Rutherford, who's the director of economic and community initiatives, and Stephanie Tanton, who's the principal adviser on transportation projects in that group. I'll be

Transport committee  Yes. Anything we can do to encourage the use of public transit is a positive activity from the perspective of trade. As you know, many of our international trade flows go through very large cities, so Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver often suffer the effects of this congestion. T

Transport committee  I do, and again, the relativity also depends, because there are different types of transit. A subway line could cost you $200 million, $300 million, or $400 million per kilometre. A light-rail line will cost you much less. A cut-and-cover will cost you much less. You have to deag

Transport committee  Exclusively on public transit? There wasn't one. We have meetings that are broader in scope, that deal with infrastructure. Obviously, those discussions include public transit, but as for a special conference....

Transport committee  Yes, absolutely. We will have another opportunity to examine that issue as part of the consultations that will be held soon.

Transport committee  Yes, absolutely. Obviously per kilometre per passenger, public transit is far more efficient than the private automobile is by a factor of many times. But again, that assumes that you have the density. In Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, it is far more efficient per passenger pe

Transport committee  According to CAA's latest figures, to operate a private vehicle, I believe, it costs anywhere from $7,000 to $9,000 per year when you look at maintenance, your operating costs, your insurance, etc. Obviously a bus pass doesn't cost anywhere near that much.

Transport committee  Again, it depends on which government. Some governments invest very heavily in highways. For instance, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick per capita invest very highly in highways. Ontario would be less so per capita. So it depends on the part of the country.

Transport committee  There is, except it varies according to the topography of where you're doing it. A rule of thumb is that a kilometre of highway generally costs you $1 million, but if you're doing it in the Rockies you throw that out, because it will cost you $30 million to $40 million a kilometr

Transport committee  Right.