We Fought and We Won

Victory for Calgarians from North to South

On a historic day, Calgary City Council has voted to approve the updated Stage 1 Green Line alignment with LRT from 16 Ave North to Shepard in the Southeast following an outpouring of support for the project from Calgarians across the city. The vote marks a triumph for Calgarians, who overwhelmingly support building the Green Line LRT from 16 Avenue North to Shepard in the Southeast, over Green Line opponents who fought to gut the project.

 

Councillors voting for:

  • Councillor Ward Sutherland (Ward 1)
  • Councillor Joe Magliocca (Ward 2)
  • Councillor Jyoti Gondek (Ward 3)
  • Councillor Sean Chu (Ward 4)
  • Councillor George Chahal (Ward 5)
  • Councillor Jeff Davison (Ward 6)
  • Councillor Druh Farrell (Ward 7)
  • Councillor Evan Woolley (Ward 8)
  • Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra (Ward 9)
  • Councillor Ray Jones (Ward 10)
  • Councillor Joe Magliocca (Ward 12)
  • Councillor Diane Colley-Urquhart (Ward 13)
  • Councillor Peter Demong (Ward 14)
  • Mayor Naheed Nenshi



Councillors voting against:

  • Councillor Jeromy Farkas (Ward 11)

 

A Groundswell of Support

Over the last month, over 1,500 Calgarians signed our petition in support of the Green Line, dozens posted Selfies-of-Support using our #YYC4Transit DIY Toolkit, and more than 200 Calgarians flooded the inboxes of City Council with emails of support for the project.



Jeff Davison Couldn’t Convince Anyone, Including Jeff Davison, to Vote for His Plan to Gut the Green Line and Delay LRT to the North

Councillor Jeff Davison, whose ward is already served by LRT, led a group of City Councillors in an 11th hour pitch to kill LRT to the North. (Source: Calgary Herald)

 

After years of thoughtful planning and public engagement involving the input from tens of thousands of Calgarians to arrive at the updated Stage 1 alignment, Councillor Jeff Davison capitulated to the demands of a small, special interest group and announced a surprise 11th hour pitch to gut the Green Line and jeopardize the future of LRT to North Central communities on Centre Street.

 

On June 1st, Councillor Davison, joined by Councillors Gondek, Demong, and Sutherland (and later joined by Councillor Colley-Urqhart) revealed plans to cut LRT to North Central communities and risk the future of LRT ever reaching Centre Street North.

 

Calgarians rejected their half-baked idea to cut the north portion of the Green Line and ultimately, even Councillor Jeff Davison bowed to public pressure and today he voted against his own plan.



Green Line Stage 1 Builds Calgary for the Future

Construction of the Green Line Updated Stage 1 Alignment will create 20,000 jobs, leveraging $3 billion in investment from the federal and provincial governments, build 15 new stations on 20km of track between 16 Avenue North and Shepard in the Southeast of Calgary. This city-shaping project will lay the foundation for lower-cost future extensions to extend the line both further north and south and connect more Calgarians with convenient, rapid transit to the city. 

 

Construction of Stage 1 is planned to start in 2021 and be completed in 2026-2027.

 

 

Thank you!

To all the Calgarians who took the time to advocate for the future of our city, and to see beyond the fear mongering of Green Line opponents. The city holds a brighter, more promising future because of your willingness to speak up and get involved.

 

To all the City Councillors who have stayed focused on the vision and worked to help make the Green Line a success to this day.

 

To all the City Staff who have worked tirelessly to advance the Green Line project over the years and who will see the project through to construction and completion in the years ahead.

 

And thanks to you: the 1,500 Calgarians who signed our petition, to the 200+ emails we generated to council, to our 40+ volunteers. We fought against a well-funded anti-transit group and won.



 

For more info on the Green Line visit the City of Calgary's Green Line engagement page>>.