Transit Garage and Maintenance Facility Project

The City of Peterborough purchased the former Canadian Canoe Museum property on Monaghan Road, where it will be building a new Peterborough Transit Garage and Maintenance Facility.

Construction of the new Transit Garage and Maintenance Facility has not been scheduled yet; however, at this time, construction is expected to begin in 2027.

When the City took ownership of the property in 2025, it removed unstable portions of the existing industrial buildings on the site through a limited, scoped demolition.  Fencing placed on the north side of the property will be covered with a fabric screen to improve the view from the Romaine Street side of the property.   The installation of the fabric screen is expected to be completed by October 30, 2025.

The full demolition of the former industrial buildings is expected to occur 2025/2026. This project page will be updated as timing and details are confirmed.

Environmental remediation and containment work are expected to start in 2026/2027 and take up to 1.5 years to complete. Timing and details will be shared with the community after the City hires a contractor to do the work. 

Demolition and property remediation will get the site ready for construction, which is expected to start in 2027.

The City is responsible for maintenance of the property. For questions about the property or the Transit Garage and Maintenance Facility project, you can reach the project team at communications@peterborough.ca.  

Background

Through Report IPSTR22-014 in July 2022, Council approved the preferred site for the new Transit Garage at 910 Monaghan Rd./575 Romaine St.

The current Transit Garage at the Townsend Street Yard only has capacity to store 42 buses plus Specialized buses inside. With a current conventional fleet of 61 buses, and 11 Specialized buses, 16 conventional buses are parked in individual garages, the vans are now stored in another area.

Council approved $14,648,000 in the City’s 2025 Budget toward the $62.75-million project.

Early phases of the project will include remediation or containment of contamination from the historical industrial uses on the property and design requirements for the new facility.

In July 2025, the federal government and province announced a combined investment of almost $42.9 million toward the construction of a new 10,500-square-metre transit garage and maintenance facility.

The garage and maintenance facility will house up to 110 buses, offer a range of transit maintenance services, and have amenities and offices for transit employees. Once completed, the facility will support Peterborough Transit into the future and help ensure the community has access to an efficient and affordable transit service that supports economic growth and connects residents to jobs and housing.

Council reports:

• New Transit Garage Site Selection Recommendation, Report IPSTR22-014
• Report USDIR17-007 Award of RFP P-13-17 for the Peterborough Transit Garage Location and Environmental Assessment Study

Q&A

What is happening on the property at 910 Monaghan Rd./575 Romaine St.?

The City purchased the former Canadian Canoe Museum property in 2025 to be used for a new Transit Garage and Maintenance Facility. Before being used by the Canadian Canoe Museum, the property was an Outboard Marine Corporation manufacturing site.

With the Transit Garage and Maintenance Facility project, the City will be able to use federal and provincial funding for environmental remediation and contaminant management to reduce the risk of contaminants moving off site and to ensure the site is safe for the new transit garage.

What are the plans for environmental remediation?

In coordination with the federal government and province, the City is in the process of working through the procurement for the environmental remediation work on the property. The environmental remediation company will work with the City to design a plan that meets all legislated and regulatory requirements under the approval of the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

As the process gets underway, the City will be sharing information with the neighbourhood and community.

Health and safety are a priority. Implementing a Contaminant Management and Remediation Strategy will address a long-standing industrial contaminated site in our community.

What is the timing for the demolition, environmental remediation, and construction of the new transit facility?

The timing is not finalized yet. Once the City hires an environmental remediation company, a plan will be developed on how to address the contamination on the site – and the demolition of the industrial buildings on the property. At this preliminary point, it is expected that the demolition and environmental remediation will take approximately 1.5 years to complete once it is started. 

The City will need to satisfy the requirements of the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (Class EA) to guide the planning of the new facility as well as complete a Site Plan for the new Transit Garage. Both of these processes will involve public consultation. 

After the Class EA and Site Plan are completed, detailed engineering and design of the facility will be started. When that is completed construction will be able to start, which is anticipated to be in 2027.