The Green Line Will Help Bring University Students Back to Calgary
Source: City of Calgary
I am a university student, born and raised in Calgary. I’m currently attending Dalhousie University in Halifax, but am already looking forward to starting my career in Calgary once I have my degree. Investing in transit and other public services is essential for Calgary to attract recent graduates and young professionals to live and work here.
Four generations of my family have lived in Calgary, and it’s a great city to live In. The public services Calgary has to offer are a big part of what makes it great. I learned how to swim in our public pools, picked up my love of reading from our public libraries, and used our transit services to get to school every day from grade eight on. Good public services make the city a friendly and accessible place.
I was very lucky to be able to afford to travel before I began university, taking a gap year to work and visit cities such as Hong Kong and Madrid. And a common element of my trip was amazing transit systems. They made the huge cities run smoothly and quietly, removing the need to drive. To have a similar experience in Calgary would be something to talk about.
The Green Line Will Make it Easier to Get Around the City
The Green Line will be a massive improvement to the transit system that exists now.
Transit is an important part of any city; it is critical in a large city like Calgary, which is difficult to navigate without a car. One of the reasons that I chose to go to university in Halifax is because it is a smaller city with a walkable downtown, and even without a car I can access most of the city in under an hour of travel time. Some of my friends from university chose to study in Halifax for these reasons. Getting around the city can be more difficult in Calgary. . The LRT lines are vital to keeping the city connected--the Green Line will ultimately connect the city from the deep south to the far north. We need to start building the Green Line now.
As a student, work is the main priority of mine in the summer. Right now that has been interrupted by COVID-19, but as our economy reopens my friends and I have begun to seek out jobs. Accessibility is extremely important for us. The Green Line would help a lot of people get to work! Those without enough money to own and operate a car, new Calgarians, and people who prefer transit or want to reduce their environmental impact. I can’t understand why a few more affluent Calgarians want to stall or delay the Green Line, which will make life better for thousands of people.
The Green Line is Climate Action
Source: CBC
We are in a climate crisis. For my generation, tackling the climate crisis is THE priority of our times. Improving public transit makes our city more sustainable and adds to the quality of life of all Calgarians. Investments in public services, like the Green Line, would help Calgary to attract and retain young people--including my generation who are a shrinking age group in Calgary.
It would be a huge step backwards for Calgary to delay or gut the Green Line. Expanding transit is essential for Calgary to demonstrate that it is taking action on climate change.
About the author
Emma Severson-Baker is a student at Dalhousie University in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Currently pursuing a degree in sustainability and economics.
For more info on the Green Line visit the City of Calgary's Green Line engagement page>>.