Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi is warning that cuts in city services are inevitable following a reduction in funding for capital projects.
The mayor’s comment came during a break in a city council meeting Monday, as councillors looked at options after the Alberta government cut $73 million in funding for capital projects.
A report from city administration proposed spending cuts that would mean fewer new buses and LRT cars.
“Citizens will see an impact,” Nenshi said.
“There was a $100-million cut to a program that was buying new train cars for the C Train, which means those old U2 cars are going to have to give us even more miles or if they actually have to be pulled out of service because they just don’t work anymore.
“It means there will be three-car trains where there were four-car trains. There’s no way around that.
“And it also means the trains that we did buy cost us more because we had to make a smaller order, and that’s penny wise and pound foolish.”
The administration report suggests delaying construction of a new fire station in the city’s northeast and scrapping the installation of an artificial turf field at Tom Brook Athletic Park.
Debate over the proposed cuts will continue at a council meeting on Feb. 3, with members of public invited to share their views on the subject when council meets on Feb. 4.
Along with the potential impacts on transit service, Nenshi says city infrastructure projects may also be impacted.
“There’s still a fair bit of money that’s going to be in projects deferred, and intersections and interchanges being built later or not at all. And then some projects being cancelled.”
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