FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TRANSIT SUPPORT IS KEY TO ECONOMIC RECOVERY
Many Calgarians will be familiar with the Guidebook to Great Communities, given the public hearings that kicked off on March 22, 2021 and the attention that it has received over the past few weeks. This transformational policy document, four years in the making, will help guide planning and budgeting for capital investments like transit and major projects. Municipal planning issues don’t often ignite public opinion or make national headlines, so it has been refreshing to hear Calgarians engage in conversation about their best vision for the future of our city.
It’s been even more refreshing to see how our federal Liberal government has focused on municipalities in many of its recent funding announcements. In the past two months alone, the government Liberals have announced $400 million of funding for active modes infrastructure, and another $14.9 billion on public transportation. These funding announcements were well-received by both Edmonton and Calgary mayors. They will kickstart planning for Edmonton’s LRT expansion and help fund the long-awaited Green Line in Calgary. These funding arrangements have bypassed tricky provincial politics, and go directly to the heart of what is important to municipalities, supporting their long term prosperity and resilience.
A recent NYTimes Magazine piece, The Case for the Subway, explains how the history of public transit has always been tied up with the most important struggles in modern history, “When the city is in crisis — financial or emotional — the subway is always a crucial part of the solution.” This applies to Alberta (and Canada) too.
Alberta cities, large and small, are facing a triple threat; the post-covid economy, long-term revenue challenges caused by sprawl and tenuous fiscal relationship with the province, and climate change. Transit, a quintessentially municipal issue, is at the heart of all of these challenges and possibly their solutions too.
Transit is essential to our country’s economic and environmental recovery, but it is in crisis. Both Calgary and Edmonton are facing massive budgetary shortfalls, with $69.1 and $65 Million in lost revenue due to reduced pandemic ridership. In the meantime, the cost of maintaining operations has gone up. In Southern Alberta, the Highway 3 Connector bus route between Medicine Hat and Lethbridge was recently cancelled due to lower pandemic ridership and unstable funding. How can cities provide the vital connectivity needed to support a post-pandemic economic recovery and energy transition when the “back bone of our civilization” is in peril?
Thankfully, $3 billion of the recent federal transit announcement is earmarked for operational funding. This is really good policy; it addresses the real challenges municipalities face and will rely upon consultation and cooperation between the federal government and municipalities.
The transit announcements recognize that getting people around safely, efficiently and sustainably is the means by by which Canada will “build back better.” This mindset will be crucial in helping our country reach its economic and climate targets and prepare for the future.
These announcements reveal that the Liberal government understands the real challenges our country faces — and that the key to addressing them starts at a local level. If we want our cities to become more healthy, equitable, prosperous and climate resilient, the solutions don’t lie in hyperloops or austerity but rather, in the humble bus, the trusty bicycle and good local governance.
Jordan Stein, Calgary
https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/missing-the-bus/
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-transit-fund-1.5908346
