Building the Green Line the Right Way: Prioritizing Community and Cost

Written By Myke Atkinson

The remains of River Run condos and Eau Claire Market leave a gaping hole in the downtown.
(Photo credit: Aryn Toombs / Livewire Calgary)

Revised Green Line plan gets the final go ahead from the federal government

This month, the federal government signed off on their approval of the Province’s new Green Line plan. The plan starts construction on the southeast leg of the line while revisiting planning for an elevated alignment through the Beltline and downtown Calgary that many construction and planning experts have deemed more expensive, riskier, and more disruptive to the fabric of the city.

Province’s plan prioritizes politics over people

The new plan from the Province tossed away years of public engagement with tens-of-thousands of Calgarians and the planning work of countless engineers and experts for a back of the envelope drawing that seems to have had more to do with politics than building efficient transit. The Province’s elevated Downtown and Beltline alignment is opposed by Ward 7 residents and local businesses, as well as the construction industry, developers, and Calgary Downtown Association.

Meanwhile, the AECOM report commissioned by the Province with the explicit purpose of finding a better downtown alignment had its “Preferred Alignment” section conspicuously redacted from its public release, and City Administration quickly pointed out the Province’s estimate for the proposed elevated plan downtown was missing at least $1.3-billion in costs.

Comparison of the City’s original Green Line plans with the Province’s new plan.
(Image Source: Calgarians for Transit / Project Calgary)

Based on all the information available to date, the Province’s elevated plan from 7th Ave to Shepard is costlier, riskier, more disruptive to downtown, and leaves Eau Claire as a gaping hole in the middle of our downtown.

Ward 7 Councillor has been MIA on defending the Green Line in our communities

In 2019, as Executive Director of the Chinatown BIA, Ward 7 Councillor Terry Wong was clear that an elevated or surface Green Line alignment in the Downtown core would “destroy the downtown fabric, tear Chinatown apart, and harm future economic prosperity of downtown businesses.”

But when the Province sprung their elevated alignment plan on the City, Councillor Terry Wong decided to ignore constituents’ concerns and do a 180 on his previous position, voting with his municipal political party to support the Province’s plan. Meanwhile, a possible elevated alignment puts the fragile recovery of our downtown at risk, the former site of Eau Claire Market could sit as a vacant lot for years or decades in the heart of our City, and Ward 7 communities north of the river have all but lost hope for the Green Line up Centre Street.

The next Ward 7 councillor must stand up for constituents and advocate for an underground Green Line through downtown

With the right leadership, there’s still a chance to revive the underground alignment for the Green Line through downtown and the redevelopment plans for Eau Claire (above). (Image source: CBC News)

The Green Line is the largest infrastructure project in Alberta’s history, and our downtown and public transportation system is too important to the success of our city to risk getting it wrong.

As your Ward 7 councillor, I will advocate alongside residents, local businesses and downtown communities to ensure the Green Line is built properly—underground through downtown to Eau Claire—and work to ensure future project funding is prioritized to extend the line north across the river to the communities of Ward 7 and beyond.

Myke Atkinson
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