NORTH BAY — The health and well-being of Ontarians in rural and Northern communities are the top priorities of the Governments of Canada and Ontario. But the COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than Canadians' personal health. It is having a profound effect on the economy. That is why governments have been taking decisive action to support families, businesses and communities, and continue to look ahead to see what more can be done. Ontarians need help getting safely to work and home, getting to appointments, to shop and to conduct business. Strategic investments in sustainable public transit and active transportation, as well as road and bridge infrastructure play a key role. Terry Sheehan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and Member of Parliament for Sault Ste. Marie, on behalf of the Honourable Catherine McKenna, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities and the Honourable Maryam Monsef, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development; the Honourable Vic Fedeli, Ontario's Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, and Member of Provincial Parliament for Nipissing, on behalf of the Honourable Laurie Scott, Ontario's Minister of Infrastructure; and his Worship Al McDonald, Mayor of North Bay, announced funding for 15 projects that will better help residents of North Bay and surrounding communities get to where they need to go.  Improvements to the North Bay Transit terminal, new bicycle storage areas at key cycling destinations, and bicycle racks on buses will make it easy for riders to transition between active transportation and public transit. Improvements to para-transit buses, new bus shelters with solar-powered lighting, and new digital bus stop signs, will improve safety and accessibility. The implementation of "transit-on-demand" will allow North Bay's transit service to shift from a fixed-route schedule to a responsive on-demand scheduling system during evening and Sunday service. In Chisholm, upgrades to Alderdale Road will improve safety for emergency vehicles and commuters. In Mattawa, improvements to Dorion Road will improve winter driving conditions and provide better drainage. For residents of Mattawan, the replacement of Murphy Road Bridge will make the bridge more accessible for school buses and other vehicles. Cyclists in Powassan will benefit from better riding conditions with upgrades to Maple Hill Road.  Together, these investments will make it easier for residents to get around their communities safely, improve the experience of public transit users, and make roadways more accessible for motorists and cyclists.  The Government of Canada is investing more than $13.4 million in these projects through the Public Transit Infrastructure Stream (PTIS) and the Rural and Northern Communities Infrastructure Stream (RNIS) of the Investing in Canada plan. The Government of Ontario is providing over $8.9 million, while the municipalities of North Bay, Chisholm, Mattawa, Mattawan and Powassan are contributing more than $8.7 million for these projects.