1/This is a thread with facts on how the Green Line project was terminated by the Govt of Alberta on Sept 3. No attempt at a negotiation, just a letter pulling their support & funding. The impact is devastating. I’ll lay out how they are ignoring the facts & what it will cost us.
2/After many meetings with Minister Dreeshen & Premier’s Office in July, Minister sent a support letter for the amended Green Line alignment on July 29. He stated his support on air after Council’s July 30 decision. Then his tune changed, while nothing about the project changed.
3/Minister Dreeshen killed the Green Line project on September 3 by claiming he has a better solution to go from City Hall to Seton, with the same budget. A “solution” that we examined carefully - with the Province - in 2020/21. We both rejected it for good reasons.
4/The idea of connecting Green Line to Red & Blue Lines at City Hall was explored in early days. There aren’t enough trains to accommodate the riders from the south. Adding trains means gridlocked traffic. You would have to move Red Line off 7th & put it on 8th Ave.
5/Red Line moving to 8th/Stephen Ave can’t be at grade - too many businesses would be impacted. Can’t elevate it - Plus 15 network is in the way. You’d have to tunnel, which is exactly what the Province says they don’t want to do. So how is the GoA going to manage this?
6/Next, the solution for the north is one of two bad ideas. Idea 1: don’t connect north-south. Idea 2: use the Nose Creek corridor beside Deerfoot to run commuter rail beside CPKC tracks. So, either forget the north or offer a train where no one lives. Studied before & rejected.
7/No consultant is going to fix those issues with the Province’s dream alignment, and it won’t be cheaper. But we have been told clearly: the existing Green Line is over & no parts of it will be considered until consultant’s report is in by end of December.
8/We have tried repeatedly to have the provincial government reconsider , to understand that we can access further federal funds to keep building the Green Line out. We have to get the most difficult part done first, which is what the July amended alignment offered.
9/Members of the construction industry have expressed grave concerns about their ability to operate in an environment where projects can be cancelled on a whim. Downtown businesses are alarmed by impacts of at grade or elevated LRT. No one has been consulted.
10/Neither the Minister nor the Premier have any interest in working with partners. They want control & they have exerted their power to kill a project that had independent third party oversight of the Green Line Board. For their new LRT project, oversight is all political.
11/For their new LRT project, the Province will need funding partners. Which means reviews by both the federal government and the City. Then you need Treasury Board approvals at the federal and provincial levels. Council will also need to weigh in.
12/All of that takes time, and time = more money. Let’s also remember that the funding source presently in place for Green Line - ICIP - runs out on March 31, 2025. There is no certainty that anyone will be at the table to pay for this.
13/A critical public transit investment has been crushed by a government only interested in power and political stunting. It’s shameful. We exist in a time when we have no hope of partnership & trust. Instead, we are left to watch as the UCP compromises Calgary’s future.
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1/This morning, I was pleased to receive a message from the Government of Alberta in response to the letter I sent them yesterday. That letter was a Hail Mary pass, a final effort, to see if it is possible to salvage some of the work that has been done on the Green Line to date.
2/We had a productive meeting between Premier Smith, Minister Dreeshen and I – together with our Administration teams. We discussed the value that remains in existing contracts, and how work that’s already been done may align with the new vision the Province wishes to bring forward.
3/My goal was to offer Premier Smith and Minister Dreeshen a more cost-effective solution to developing their vision. Today, with the City’s experts on the Green Line project, I was able to explain how we might be able to save money, get to construction and delivery quicker, and save jobs.
1/The proposed gender identity legislation announced by the provincial government today is an infringement on human rights, including the rights of trans kids and supportive parents who are navigating a difficult journey.
2/For the Government of Alberta to create a false narrative, set to soft music, that focuses mainly on biological sex, surgeries and sports is irresponsible.
3/This proposed legislation, plus the vitriolic debate that will follow, have placed the trans community in harm’s way once again. It has taken no time for the misinformation campaigns and threats to ramp up on social media.
1/I’ll be unpacking all the “reasons” why enforcement teams & the Crown feel the street harassment bylaw & other existing bylaws/legislation are not strong enough to charge demonstrators who spread vile lies & hatred in public. And then I’ll be pushing for more. No more excuses.
2/Asking me to be patient & saying “we got this” didn’t work. We have performers being targeted for weeks & now vitriol in front of children at the library. These are not peaceful protests. This is hate. The kind of hate we rallied against for so long. It’s back, and it’s worse.
3/Why is this worse? Because we are pretending we can’t take action against it. Consider those who marched in real protests & died in the mission for real freedom - freedom for people to be who they are. Did they fight for us to now be complacent? Action must be taken.
1/4 Saddened & frustrated @chinookblast had to cancel a much anticipated show with talented performers this weekend. Why? Because of planned protests rooted in hate & fear-mongering. I respect the decision & the need to prioritize public & performer safety. But this cannot go on.
2/4 At Council on January 17, I pushed for a better way to address protests rooted in hatred. I have received confirmation that @cityofcalgary will leverage our street harassment bylaw to fine those who openly communicate hateful messaging, to stop them in the act.
3/4 We are also thankful to @CalgaryPolice for examining a different method to deal with a new era of protests that are a departure from peaceful assemblies of the past that required crowd management. The new reality is that some protests are designed to perpetuate fear & hate.
1/I have been asked by some people why I haven’t made a public statement about the assault on our Deputy Prime Minister. To be blunt, I had to sit with my thoughts for a couple of days. Because this incident is not isolated & it brings up too much pain. And fear. Yes, fear.
2/Why on earth would I openly state that I feel fear after seeing that horrible video? Because you need to hear what actually happens to women after something like this. We have been conditioned to never show fear, but I think it’s high time we talk about it.
3/I’ll explain what I mean with some experiences I have had as a candidate & political figure. During the 2017 civic election, I had a man call to tell me he knew where I lived & I should watch out. He then confronted me in person at a public debate. He was about 6’2”, 200 lbs.
1/They will tell you to grow a thick skin as a politician. It is the worst advice. Never grow a skin so thick that you can no longer feel. It is the inability to feel, to have compassion, to be a human being that is resulting in government apathy. Do not tolerate it.
2/Did you shed tears & feel horrified at the news of children being gunned down, a faith community being targeted by a gunman & Black people dying at the hands of an armed racist? Now ask if your elected officials felt the same way.
3/You may believe that these are far away issues that do not affect you. You may believe it is not the business of people like me to intervene in such matters. You may believe such things could never happen here. Stop and check your assumptions.