Green light for the Green Line, but opponents remain

Trudeau announces Green Light for the Green Line

On July 7, during a recent visit to Calgary, Prime Minister Trudeau made the announcement alongside Mayor Nenshi and City Councillors that the Green Line project is now fully approved to go ahead. Mysteriously absent was Premier Kenney and Minister of Transportation Ric McIver who have been playing political games, trying to gut and delay the Green Line since City Council approved the updated alignment through the Beltline, Downtown and over the Bow River in June 2020.

Mayor Nenshi and Prime Minister Trudeau announce Green Line LRT project will move ahead, July 7, 2021. [Source: Calgary Herald]

Was Trudeau planning to pick up the Province's $1.5-billion tab for the Green Line?

Even more baffling was the timing behind the Province’s announcement of their official approval for the Green Line, released just minutes before the joint media event for the Green Line with Prime Minister Trudeau and Mayor Nenshi at Calgary Transit’s Oliver Bowen Maintenance Facility after a year of delays. Was Premier Kenney worried the Federal Government was going to announce a plan to pick up the Province's $1.5-billion portion of the Green Line costs in order to get the project moving? Was Kenney afraid of this potential embarrassment and how it would thwart his plans for a municipal referendum on equalization? Perhaps we’ll never know.

Green Line opponents running to be Calgary’s next mayor this October

While news of the approval by all three levels of government should bring a sigh of relief for Calgarians, the Green Line is still under serious threat by the project’s opponents who continue to try to find ways to hack and slash the project as advocated by special interests. 

Councillor Jeff Davison, who attempted to gut the Green Line project to North Calgary in 2020 is now being backed by the Green Line’s opponents in his bid to be Calgary’s next mayor this October.

On July 4, 2021, longtime Green Line opponent Steve Allen and man behind Kenney's bungled anti-Alberta inquiry sent out a fundraising email on behalf of Councillor Davison’s bid for mayor explaining how the Province, with the help of the next City Council, could “right size” the Green Line and build it from City Hall to Seton before going North “someday.”

“...with the Province’s input and a new Council, I am confident this project will be right sized and de-risked. To me, that means a South leg from Seton to a terminus at City Hall, no tunnelling under downtown and someday a North leg also to a central terminus at City Hall.”

-Steve Allan in leaked fundraising email on behalf of Jeff Davison for Mayor (Source: Global News)

Councillor Jeff Davison calls prioritizing building the Green Line to Seton before North Central Calgary the “logical choice”

Councillor Jeff Davison is known for his botched plan to kill the Green Line to North Central Calgary back in June 2020. But in case Calgarians thought he’d moved on from this position since his failure to convince any other Councillors to vote for the ill-conceived plan, as recently as July 2021 Davison recently called prioritizing Seton over North Central Calgary the “logical choice.”

STAY INVOLVED: We need your help to ensure the Calgary elects a City Council this October that will vigorously defend the Green Line

As we’ve seen, special interests are backing candidates for City Council this October that, if elected, could overturn the alignment for the Green Line and gut LRT the North despite years of careful planning and engagement with Calgarians. Councillor Jeff Davison has shown limited interest in engaging Calgarians on large projects like the new Flames arena and the Green Line. We must ensure that the next City Council will vigorously defend the Green Line and the current approved alignment that is vital to the future of this city.

KEEP THOSE LAWN SIGNS UP - THIS ISN'T OVER YET!