Advertisement

Calgary cannot afford Green Line project after Alberta says it’s pulling funding: mayor

Click to play video: 'Calgary cannot afford Green Line project after Alberta says it’s pulling funding: mayor'
Calgary cannot afford Green Line project after Alberta says it’s pulling funding: mayor
WATCH: The City of Calgary is exploring ways to transfer deliver of the Green Line LRT project to the provincial government, after funding was pulled for the line earlier this week. Adam MacVicar reports. – Sep 4, 2024

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the city can no longer afford its long-sought Green Line light rail transit project after the Alberta government announced it’s pulling funding from the plan in its current form.

Gondek says the province’s push to change the scope of the project, and the delay that would come with a third-party review ordered by the province, will increase costs.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Her comment comes after Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen sent a letter to Gondek on Tuesday saying the Green Line is becoming a “multi-billion dollar boondoggle” that will serve few Calgarians.

He says the province can’t support the city’s latest, scaled back plan with the $1.53 billion it had pledged.

Council voted in July to shorten the first phase of the line, and its budget has increased by about $700 million to over $6.2 billion.

Story continues below advertisement

Dreeshen says even though hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on things like utility work, throwing good money after bad is not an option.

Sponsored content

AdChoices