‘A big deal’: Nenshi responds to federal funding for public transit
Posted Feb 10, 2021 11:49 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – As the federal government pitches in to fund transit projects, Calgary’s Mayor hopes this will inspire all levels of government to commit to building more public transportation.
The federal Liberals announced investments of $14.9 billion in new public transit funding on Wednesday, spread over eight years.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the new funds will provide cities with predictable funding to plan for their long-term needs while helping Canadians move around easier and fight climate change.
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In a series of tweets Wednesday morning Mayor Naheed Nenshi said the announcement is “a big deal”, and provides confidence that future projects can be built as the city continues to grow.
“For years, I’ve been asking for a consistent, stable source of funding for building transit,” said Nenshi on Twitter.
“As we plan projects like the Green Line, this provides confidence that we can continue to build to our full vision.”
The Green Line LRT has received funding from the provincial and federal governments although the UCP continues to review the plans which has caused a delay to the start of construction.
Trudeau announced the new funding during a teleconference ahead of a virtual meeting with mayors from Canada’s largest cities.
Many of those mayors and their local governments say they’re struggling to make ends meet as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage economies due to the need for lockdowns.
Most of the nearly $15 billion from the feds won’t flow to many cities until 2026.
-With files from The Canadian Press
