Government of Canada joins Alberta and Calgary in investment for public transit for the city of Calgary

May 19, 2009

CALGARY — The Honourable Jim Prentice, Canada’s Minister of Environment, and the Honourable Alison Redford, Minister of Justice and Attorney General and MLA for Calgary Elbow,  today announced that the Governments of Canada and Alberta have identified public transit in Calgary as a priority for infrastructure funding and are each setting aside up to $90 million for transit improvements in Calgary.

“Investments in public transit will not only create jobs and stimulate the economy, but will also leave the lasting links that will pave the way for Calgary’s growth and prosperity in the future,” said Minister Prentice. “By attracting more commuters to transit, we will help minimize overall emissions, reduce congestion and help to improve the quality of life and the environment for the residents of this region.”

The total cost of the priority project identified in the Calgary package is approximately $270 million. The federal government would contribute up to one-third of total eligible costs, to a maximum federal contribution of $90 million.  The province is providing $90 million toward the project. The balance of the funding will be provided by the City of Calgary.

“By encouraging Calgarians to use the C-Train, this major investment will help increase traffic safety for both motorists and pedestrians and reduce the province’s carbon footprint,” said Minister Redford. “It will also help create and maintain jobs in Alberta.”

“This is an important partnership by all three orders of government. We're adding an immediate stimulus for job creation, and investing to improve mobility which has lasting benefits for our economic competitiveness for the future.  Expanding our transit network and upgrading our system is vital for the environment and our quality of life,” said Mayor of Calgary, David Bronconnier.

The priority project identified in the Calgary package includes a number of improvements:

• Electronic Fare Collection
• Transit Signal Priority Projects
• Upgrade Light Rail Transit Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Security System
• Calgary Transit Advanced Passenger Information System
• Light Rail Transit Traction Power Upgrades
• Southeast Bus Rapid Transit “Park n Ride” Lots
• 7th Avenue Rehabilitation - Four Car Stations and Trackwork
• Four-Car Light Rail Transit Station Platforms
• West Light Rail Transit 11th Street Station

The total cost of the priority project identified in the Calgary package is approximately $270 million. The federal government would contribute up to one-third of total eligible costs, to a maximum federal contribution of $90 million.  The province is providing $90 million toward the project. The balance of the funding will be provided by the City of Calgary.

Construction of all of these improvements, except for the West Light Rail Transit 11th Street Station, will likely begin later this year.  The West Light Rail Station project is expected to be started in 2010 and finished by the end of 2012.

Beyond this announcement, the Government of Canada is taking important steps to support economic growth. Canada’s Economic Action Plan (www.actionplan.gc.ca), announced in Budget 2009, is a balanced stimulus plan that includes massive investments in infrastructure, tax relief and transfers. This plan will provide close to $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding over two years, which will address needs in communities across Canada, as well as contributing to long-term economic growth through investments in public infrastructure, such as roads, water treatment, green energy and transit.

Central to Alberta’s Budget 2009 is Alberta’s Capital Plan, which supports $7.2 billion in 2009-10 and a record $23.2 billion over three years to build roads, health care facilities, schools and other public infrastructure. This year’s investment alone will support over 80,000 jobs across the economy directly benefitting Albertans and Alberta communities. This capital investment complements the government’s four-point plan for economic recovery, which calls for keeping an eye on spending, using savings to protect programs and services for Albertans while keeping taxes low, continuing to invest in infrastructure, and promoting the province on the world stage.

A backgrounder with more information on the project is attached.

Click here to view photos from this announcement.

Backgrounder

The Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta are setting aside up to $90 million each to support a number of transit improvements identified as priorities in the City of Calgary. These include:

• Electronic Fare Collection
• Transit Signal Priority Projects
• Upgrade Light Rail Transit Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Security System
• Calgary Transit Advanced Passenger Information System
• Light Rail Transit Traction Power Upgrades
• Southeast Bus Rapid Transit “Park n Ride” Lots
• 7th Avenue Rehabilitation - Four Car Stations and Trackwork
• Four-Car Light Rail Transit Station Platforms
• West Light Rail Transit 11th Street Station

The total cost of the project is approximately $270 million.  The federal government will consider an investment of up to one-third (33%) of total eligible costs of the nine transit-related improvements, to a maximum federal contribution of $90 million. The Government of Alberta is also committing up to $90 million, and the balance of the funding will be provided by the City of Calgary.

Construction of all of these improvements, except for the West Light Rail Transit 11th Street Station, could begin later this year.  The West Light Rail Station could be started in 2010 and finished by the end of 2012.

This investment in transit will provide community-wide benefits, such as:

• contributing to improving overall mobility;
• mitigating congestion;
• ensuring that the region can accommodate future growth;
• generating direct and indirect employment opportunities; and,
• helping to mitigate greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions. 
  

In addition, this investment provides immediate economic stimulus and long-term sustainability, for a greener infrastructure system in Canada.

Federal financial support for Calgary’s transit infrastructure improvements is conditional on meeting applicable federal eligibility requirements for infrastructure funding and on the signature of appropriate contribution agreements.