🗑️TAKE ACTION: Tell Premier Smith to ditch Dreeshen

🛑 No place for Trump sympathizer and his war on downtown Calgary businesses

Trump sympathizer and fanboy Devin Dreeshen's needlessly imposed war on the economic engine of Alberta in downtown Calgary must be stopped. (Image source: Toronto Star)

While Canadians await the next actions from the unhinged U.S. President Donald Trump as he wages an economic war on Canada with threats of impending tariffs, the local chapter of his fan club (made up of Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshin) has already gone to work on its own war with downtown Calgary businesses and Calgary taxpayers. Like his belligerent idol attempting to bully Canadians, Alberta's Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen has needlessly picked a fight with Calgarians and our democratically elected local government at a time when we should be united. He is thwarting critical infrastructure (the Green Line) by imposing his own whimsical, $1.3-billion more expensive and much riskier elevated alignment through downtown.

💸Disastrous Dreeshen plan risks bankrupting the City of Calgary

The disastrous "Dreeshen Drawing" plan for elevated alignment through the Downtown risks bankrupting the City of Calgary and putting our local government and essential services at greater risk of further provincial interference. City Administration has already identified the "Dreeshen Drawing" plan would cost $7.5-billion, which is an additional $1.3-billion over budget from the combined municipal, provincial and federal Green Line funding available. Dreeshen also wants to make Calgary taxpayers liable for 100% of all cost overruns on his whimsical 5% designed elevated downtown alignment.

Devin Dreeshen is attempting to impose an elevated downtown alignment that will delay downtown Green Line for years, devestate downtown businesses, burden Calgarians with more risk and cost taxpayers upwards $1.3-billion more.

 

💰City of Calgary will be legally liable for $100's of millions in downtown property value impacts

In addition to the extra $1.3-billion to pay for the "Dreeshen Drawing" plan, under the terms of the Municipal Government Act, the City of Calgary and its taxpayers will be liable for the anticipated negative property value impacts to downtown properties caused by the imposing elevated alignment. The City of Calgary estimated the cost of these liabilities to fall in the order of $100's of millions of dollars in liabilities. A substantial drop in downtown property values would also transfer a greater share of the City's tax burden onto all taxpayers outside the downtown.

 

🤠 Calgarians united in opposition to "Dreeshen Drawing" elevated alignment through Beltline and downtown

Calgary's downtown business, real estate and construction industry associations have issued a decisive joint statement to the Alberta Government calling Transportation Minister Dreeshen's proposed elevated Green Line plan through the Beltline and downtown 'reckless'. The letter dated January 24th, 2025 was sent to the Alberta Government from NAIOP Calgary, BOMA Calgary, Calgary Construction Association and the Calgary Downtown Association. It echos the chorus of concerns raised by residents and local businesses.

It's official: nobody supports the disastrous Dreeshen-doodle plan.

 

📣Take Action!

✉️ 1) Email Premier Smith and the Calgary UCP Caucus

📣 2) Help spread the word

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