Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said that the province’s recent handling of the Green Line project announcement has put them in a tight spot in terms of transparency and concern over risk sharing.

The mayor, along with Green Line working group members and Couns. Andre Chabot and Peter Demong, said it would be irresponsible to move forward with the province’s revised plan, without putting a full analysis into the 165-page AECOM report they just received in full Friday night.

The Alberta government announced Friday morning that it had received recommendations back from AECOM, and that it would pursue a tie into downtown Calgary along 10 Avenue S, with a turn north around 2 Street SW to the Red and Blue Lines on 7 Avenue.

Mayor Gondek said they’d partnered with the provincial government through the working group but had no knowledge of their pending announcement Friday. When they received the report, it was marked confidential.

“This puts the city in a difficult position where we wish to be as transparent as possible with Calgarians about what has been proposed in terms of a new alignment, as well as the financial summary, but we’re not sure what we can share publicly, and we continue to engage with the province to find out what we can make public,” she said.

“Further the alignment is only one part of the overall puzzle. We’re still waiting on the provincial government to state that they will take on the financial risk for this new project. We also do not have an understanding of how impacted parties were engaged on this new alignment.”

Last week, the province told LWC via email that due to the commercial sensitivity of the report’s information, and that they would need to use the report as the basis for further project development and eventual bidding, they did not want to make the information public.

In the past, the City of Calgary has also kept confidential detailed aspects of the Green Line design as it was headed into a potential RFP, citing the same commercial bidding reasons.

Council, public review is needed

Back in September, Calgary city council drafted a set of guidelines the new plan would have to meet before it would sign off on a new deal.

That included the feds still helping fund, a commitment to a north-south spine from 160 Avenue N to Seton, a station immediately south of the Bow River to accommodate the spine, a bridge design, connections in the Beltline, use of low-floor cars and responsibility for delivery and risk for the province.

Mayor Gondek said they would rely heavily on those guidelines as they decide on this new path.

“Just as we were patient for three months with the provincial government while they took their time to come back to the table, and they took over the new alignment for the replacement of the green line, we need them to give us time to understand the costs, the risks and the proposed alignment,” she said.

Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot said there were a lot of financial implications included in the overall Green Line picture, not just related to this specific decision on the alignment.

“At this point, it would be irresponsible for us to make a yes, no decision without having the opportunity to review and assess what has been presented to us, and having the opportunity to go back to the provincial government and saying, ‘here’s our findings, here are the cost implications of decommissioning the previous alignment, as well as what we see as future financial requirements to make this alignment happen,” he said.

Chabot said quality public engagement is also needed, especially with downtown business and building owners. The proposed elevated line will significantly impact those property owners.

“We want to bring Calgarians on board. We want to engage them. We don’t do things. We don’t ram things through. We We consult with our citizens before we we we approve anything.

Transit, neighbourhood groups need more details

Jakob Fushtey, chair of the Calgary Transit Riders Association, said that they’ve reviewed the plan and said are encouraged to see that it resembles what would have been achieved with tunneling. Eliminating tunneling hopefully reduces constructions timelines and risk, he said.

The potential reintroduction of a Beltline station is welcome, but it does come at the disappointing expense of the Eau Claire station at this point, Fushtey said.

“Regarding the projected $1B+ cost savings, we share others’ skepticism,” wrote Fushtey, in a direct message response. 

“Once we factor in delays, additional utility work, and potential Plus 15 integration costs (beyond simply going over them), the actual savings may be less substantial.”

Since this is the option that’s been presented, Fushtey hopes that Calgary city council will unite to support the alignment.

“We can’t let perfect be the enemy of progress – Calgary has already waited too long for the Green Line,” Fushtey said.

“Our hope is that in a decade, we’ll have completed the north extension rather than still debating the initial alignment.”

Peter Oliver with the Beltline Neighbourhood Association (BNA) said they’re calling for a detailed comparison of the old project and new one, including costs and the impact on the area. Oliver also said that city council needs to meet with community residents and area businesses and hold a public hearing on the matter.

In the absence of specific plans from the province, the BNA has produced renderings of what an elevated line could look like in downtown Calgary.

“We invite City Council members to join us for a tour of the West LRT adjacent the CPKC tracks in Sunalta to see first-hand what the Alberta Government’s proposal for Beltline and Downtown would look like,” Oliver said.