Minister says province won't be footing the bill for Calgary's $850M Green Line wind-down
CBC
Alberta Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen says the province won't be footing the bill for the wind-down of Calgary's Green Line LRT project after he withdrew funding earlier this month.
"I don't see why Alberta taxpayers should be asked to pay for a decade-long mismanagement and decisions of past mayors and city council," Dreeshen told CBC Radio's Calgary Eyeopener host Loren McGinnis Wednesday.
Dreeshen maintained he didn't kill the Green Line when he pulled the province's share of funding for it Sept. 3, contrary to claims by multiple members of Calgary city council that the LRT project was dead the moment the transportation minister made that move.
Several council members also said that with no provincial funding committed in the future, the project as currently envisioned is not possible to achieve.
Dreeshen again contradicted council, claiming "the funding is still there" for an alignment that is more cost-effective, longer and above ground.
"I was surprised to see council voting to potentially end the Green Line," the minister said, adding he hopes council would change its mind if a new alignment is shown to be feasible.
"I hope that they want to build the Green Line and that they know that our provincial contribution, and federal contribution, remains on the table."
Dreeshen said in an interview with CBC Radio's The Homestretch on Aug. 1 that funding for the Green line in its current form was "100 per cent" secure.
On Wednesday he said the money is still there, provided that the city meets the province's expectations for the project.
"I didn't go back on that. The funding is still there. The $1.53-billion commitment from the province is still there. We did have stipulations. That wasn't a blank cheque that we were going to give the city," he said.
"There were conditions of making sure the Red and Blue lines were tied into the Green Line, the new event centre would be connected, as well as stretching down to the southeast of Calgary."
Dreeshen reiterated that the project isn't viable as it is, and its exorbitant cost would have made it the most expensive LRT project in North America.
Asked whether the province would step in and take leadership of building the Green Line, the transportation minister said the province is still committed to working with the city to get the project back on the rails.
Dreeshen said a third party has been contracted to come up with a new alignment for the Green Line by December that will forgo plans to tunnel through downtown Calgary in favour of laying tracks above ground to extend the line further into the southeast of the city.
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