Green Light for Green Line

On the recommendation of the Green Line Board, Council has revised Phase 1 to now go from Lynwood/Millican southeast to Eau Claire in the downtown. To compensate, we will be extending rapid bus service to connect riders between the southeast neighbourhoods of Lynwood/Millican and Shepherd.

It should not come as a surprise that we are unable to build as much of the Green Line as we thought possible back in 2015, when the city and the provincial and federal governments committed to funding the largest infrastructure investment in Calgary's history.

Ask anyone in finance: if you hold on to cash for a decade, inflation will erode your buying power. Pile on a historic run of inflation over the past four years, and those dollars have even less buying power. That's what we're looking at today.

Thanks to hundreds of millions saved from efforts like value engineering and revised contracting, the city will only contribute an additional $705 million. And those additional funds will not result in any tax increases this year.

As Calgary Chamber of Commerce CEO, Deborah Yedlin, recently wrote, "While no one wants to spend more and get less than was originally envisioned, the business case for the project is still clear."

Building out the core of the Green Line means it will connect to the Red and Blue LRT lines and shifting the 4th Street southeast station to street level means the Green Line will be able to better connect with the province's Passenger Rail Master Plan via a central station.

We still retain a majority of the benefits of the Green Line in terms of ridership, connecting Calgarians to jobs and new housing that will be built in transit-oriented developments. We continue to invest in our commitment to transit as a core municipal responsibility.

Getting this work underway right now makes sense, and it means we are creating the north-south transit spine that Calgarians need.

The provincial and federal governments are still on board to complete this re-scoped LRT line, as shown in the recent letters of support from Minister Dreeshen and Minister Fraser. Their collective vote of confidence in this project means that Calgarians have a future that includes a strong public transit network, and I thank them for their ongoing support.

Why build the core?

The plan that we have approved allows us to strengthen our core, and as any athlete will tell you, a strong core takes your performance to the next level. And that’s what we’re doing with the Green Line.

Building the core of the Green Line will mean extensions south and north will be easier to do. And getting construction going now means we stop losing buying power to inflationary pressures.

This is a responsible way of moving forward with this vital and historic investment in essential city infrastructure while being the fastest growing city in Canada. This is critical because, as a cost-effective and affordable way to get around, transit is the great equalizer in any city.

Picture one of those accordion buses that you see travelling city streets. Imagine one of those articulating buses, full of people, coming to our city every day -- that is how many people moved to our city on average every day last year. And that number is already trending upward.

This means more students will be able to go to school. More parents will be able to run errands without relying on a car. More people getting to work while not adding to traffic. More tourists will be able to connect with more attractions and businesses in the city.

Also consider that the last LRT investment made by the City was back in 2014 when the Red Line extension work was completed and opened to riders. We were a city of 1.2 million people then. Now, we’re past 1.5 million. More than 300,000 people have moved here, and we have not expanded our LRT system by one metre.

I have been advocating for a new LRT line during both of my terms at City Hall. It's a promise that I recommitted to you when I was running for mayor. And I'm pleased to say this foundational part of the Green Line will be delivered.

The need for the Green Line has become more important in the last decade as Calgary's population has grown by one quarter. And as we look ahead to becoming a city of 2 million, we needed to make the investment in the LRT system and the Green Line now.

We've had enough delays. We've had enough handwringing. Cities that believe in themselves invest in themselves. That's what we're doing with the Green Line.