Kourtney's Statement on the Green Line

The Green Line is one of Calgary’s most significant public infrastructure investments in a decade. It will shape new communities and elevate existing communities by providing a consistent, low cost, low carbon transportation option. Moreover, its creation supports an important vision for increased housing along the route, a crucial pathway as our city grows towards two million people in the next 15 to twenty years.

Calgarians agree, and still see Green Line LRT as important for the city's future, transportation network, and connectivity.

From the results of the 2024 Spring Survey of Calgarians; nearly nine-in-ten believing the Green Line is key for Calgary's future and support the full vision. 88% believe the Green Line LRT is important for Calgary; 89% say the completion of the full Green Line LRT vision is important to Calgary's future.
From the results of the 2023 City of Calgary Spring Pulse Survey, over 90% of Calgarians believe the Green Line LRT is important, that it will enable citizens to better connect with people, places and services, and will be an important addition to Calgary’s transportation network.
 
Since the announcement of the planned route, there have been thousands of new residential units planned along with updated and new commercial and office spaces. At the eastern edge of Ward 11, the City is releasing land for non-market housing and the private sector is converting commercial land to residential uses. This is all happening in anticipation of the Green Line and to align timing as close as possible to the start of its operation.

The project aligns with the priorities of all government levels – more housing, an expanded and connected transit system, and downtown revitalization. It remains critical to seize on this opportunity, to continue building on the nearly completed enabling works downtown, and to secure additional funding to complete the entire route from Eau Claire to Shepard.

When the GL was initially planned in 2013, a very rough cost and budget was created to secure provincial and federal funding partners. It is no surprise that a project costed with little detail almost 10 years ago has experienced the same inflationary pressures as all major projects. Prudent efforts by the Green Line team have led to scope revisions including station design, alignment, and materials to maximize cost reductions where possible while maintaining the integrity of the project. However, a gap still exists. Council is faced with difficult decisions on the project in order to build the core portion (Eau Claire to Millican/Ogden) while looking for funding to advance the entire line to Shepard, which would include stations supporting residents in Quarry Park, Riverbend, Douglas Dale, and Douglas Glen.

The City is prepared and able to fund a major portion of these inflationary overruns in order to deliver on commitments to Calgarians, to the provincial and federal governments as funding partners, and to the private sector with their respective investments along the route. We continue to seek funding from the federal and provincial governments as their commitment is both jurisdictional and displays a strong commitment to ensuring the City of Calgary continues to offer residents services which meet their expectations.

Ward 11 residents, current and future, will benefit greatly from a full-length completion of Phase 1 of the Green Line, which I remain committed to advancing while balancing the benefits with costs. I am proud to be here at this moment to be part of these hard decisions, and I am proud of the investments we are making for Calgarians.
​
​
- Kourtney

---

2024 Spring Survey of Calgarians

• The Green Line LRT and Calgary’s environment emerge as bright spots. Nearly nine-in-ten believe the Green Line is key for Calgary's future and support the full vision.
• Calgarians still see Green Line LRT as important for the city's future, transportation network, and connectivity, even as enthusiasm tempers.
•  Nearly nine-in-ten (88%) believe the Green Line LRT is important for Calgary, although perceived importance of the Green Line LRT has declined compared to spring 2023 (92%). The intensity of ratings also shift significantly with a drop in those saying it is 'very important' (66% vs. 76% in spring 2023). Wording changes to this question may account for the reduction in those saying the Green Line is important, although scores are still notably favourable.
•  Further, 89% say the completion of the full Green Line LRT vision is important to Calgary's future.
•  For the remaining two measures about the Green Line LRT, agreement has lowered although perceptions remain notably high. Agreement that the Green Line LRT will be an important addition to Calgary's transportation network has declined to 89% from 91% in spring 2023, as has agreement that the Green Line LRT will enable Calgarians to better connect with people, places and services at 86% currently, down from 92% in spring 2023.​

From the results of the 2023 City of Calgary Spring Pulse Survey, over 90% of Calgarians believe the Green Line LRT is important, that it will enable citizens to better connect with people, places and services, and will be an important addition to Calgary’s transportation network.

---