The federal government announced $37 million in funding Tuesday to beef up security on public transit systems in Canada's biggest cities.

Montreal and Toronto will get the lion's share of the money, receiving $11.4 million and $11 million respectively, Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon said. 

The rest of the funding goes to Vancouver ($9.8 million), Edmonton ($2.2 million), the Ottawa region ($1.2 million) and Calgary ($800,000).

The funding, part of the $80 million that Prime Minister Stephen Harper pledged in June for transit security, will be used to develop new surveillance networks, including cameras; develop risk assessments and security plans, and hire staff.

"We feel that it's extremely important … to go to where the risk is the highest; that is to say where there are more people on a daily basis commuting and that's what's important in this program," Cannon said in Montreal.

Costs for security measures will be shared

Funding for the security initiatives will be provided on a cost-shared basis, Cannon said, with 75 per cent coming from the federal government and 25 per cent from the transit operator.

Passenger rail and transit operators will be required to apply for the funding.

"I think what we're seeing in this announcement is that it's a kind of wake-up call for commuters that we are not immune [from terrorism], that we live in a global environment now," said Drew Snider, spokesman for Vancouver's Translink.

In the past three years, bombings on transit systems in Madrid, London and Mumbai killed more than 420 people and injured at least 2,500.

Toronto Mayor David Miller said people should know that there is "no real threat" to the transit system in Toronto, but welcomed the money as a means to boost security.

"We have seen very tragic incidents in London, in Spain and elsewhere and what this money will do is allow us to put cameras throughout our system, in the subways … our streetcars and buses and some other measures to help improve security. And that's very important," Miller said.

Dean Sydlowski, security operations co-ordinator for Edmonton Transit, said there is no indication of any terrorist threat in Edmonton, but added the funding is still appreciated.

"I think that although it may be more centred around terrorist-like events, security is security. And no matter what you implement, it's going to protect public safety on our system not only with our customers but our employees as well."

Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier said he was pleased to get money to make transit riders feel more secure, but he said the city only received half the money it asked for.

Bronconnier also said he can't understand why Calgary received half as much as Edmonton.

Measures long overdue

Wesley Wark, president of the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies, said the measures are long overdue.

"We could easily be a target for terrorist attacks," he said. "We've been named by al-Qaeda as a target nation, so while we might like to think we're not a likely target, you just can't gamble with that."

However, he added, no amount of money can make a transit system invulnerable. 

"They're open, they're vulnerable, they're so-called soft targets, in the professional jargon," Wark said.

"You can do some things: you can have closed-circuit TVs that are a help; you can have a bit more visible security measures in terms of armed police and guards and so on."

With files from the Canadian Press