Alberta NDP lashes out at UCP over Calgary Green Line project
Posted Jul 13, 2023 6:27 pm.
Last Updated Jul 13, 2023 8:03 pm.
As the 2023 Calgary Stampede winds down, the Alberta NDP is calling on the United Conservative Party to get to work on Calgary’s Green Line.
The Green Line project, expected to cost around $5.5 billion, is noted as “the largest infrastructure investment” in the city’s history and includes commitments from the federal government, the province, and the city.
It is currently in phase one, which consists of constructing 13 new LRT stations between Shepard and Eau Claire, connecting to the red and blue lines and adding four MAX rapid bus routes. Construction is set to begin in 2024 and will take five to six years.
The Beltline Downtown Utility Relocation project meant to prepare for the Green Line was set to begin in early 2021 but was delayed to April 2022 after the UCP failed to fund the province’s promised portion of the line’s funding, also noting the project as a “line to nowhere,” despite the city doing research and planning for nearly four decades.
The NDP says the Green Line project was not mentioned in a mandate letter from Premier Danielle Smith to Devin Dreeshan, alleging the project will “remain stalled in limbo under the UCP government.”
“Why does the UCP continue to refuse to fund this project? We all know it’s time to get this done. No more excuses,” said Alberta NDP transportation and economic corridors critic Lorne Dach.
“As Calgary continues to grow, we can’t afford another four years of inaction and a lack of progress from the UCP government. The Green Line expansion would not only alleviate traffic congestion but also reduce emissions, promote economic development, and enhance accessibility for all Calgarians.”
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The party says action is needed as it currently takes over an hour and a half to travel from north Calgary to downtown.
NDP Calgary-Northeast MLA Gurinder Brar said a common theme he has heard during Stampede is the “need to have more people downtown, more often,” adding that this will help small businesses and promote a “safer and more welcoming downtown core.”
“The impact of the Green Line North for small businesses in the downtown core alone will be a game-changer,” Brar said. “The best way to increase business activity in the downtown core is to make sure more people have the option to shop there. It just makes sense,” Brar said.
However, in a statement to CityNews, Dreeshan says the province has included $541 million in funds for the project in its 2023 budget for both Calgary and Edmonton.
Read More: Alberta Budget 2023: $2.4B surplus expected
“Alberta’s Annual Report released on June 29th indicated $457 million in provincial funding was unspent by Calgary and Edmonton on transit projects last year,” his statement reads.
“It’s an interesting tactic by the NDP to openly attack Calgary’s mayor and council on transit construction.”
The development phase for the Green Line began in May, which saw Bow Transit Connectors selected as the project’s development partner.
The city says the new line is expected to serve around 65,000 Calgarians daily.