According to the study Calgarians are actually quite well off in comparison to other major urban centres around the world. Here are some of the Calgary stats:

• Calgary drivers spent 15.7 hours in peak hour traffic last year. Calgary ranks 159^th of all cities surveyed for the amount of congestion that driver’s experience.
• Calgary is the 9^th most congested city in Canada behind Montreal, Toronto, St. John’s, Ottawa, Vancouver, Quebec City, Victoria, Edmonton and Hamilton.

View the full scorecard HERE

While this information paints a positive picture on Calgary’s congestion issues, we cannot be complacent on our need to make meaningful investments in our transportation network. A comparative study gives us an idea how we stack up against other cities – it does not suggest we aren’t without problems.

There are a lot of ideas out there on how to tackle congestion issues. Earlier this week I read an interesting article that provided some ideas on how to encourage a more sustainable transportation network: http://driving.ca/auto-news/news/how-it-works-road-congestion-and-design

This article talks about how modern traffic engineering principles can be appropriately applied to address congestion issues. The article states that nearly all experts agree that simply adding new lanes can actually cause more congestion problems. How? It’s called induced demand. Induced demand points to a marked increase in the consumption of a good after supply is increased. If all we do is build roads, all we will likely do is attract more traffic. Adding more capacity on our roadways can be part of a solution, but it cannot be the only action. Adding more lanes to a roadway and expecting congestion to reduce is like buying a larger pair of pants and expecting to lose weight. I’ve tried it – it doesn’t work!

If we really want to see meaningful reductions in congestion we need to establish greater efficiency in our transportation network. This means having robust infrastructure that can stand the test of time, offering diverse transportation options and embracing innovative new approaches to traffic flow management. Calgary is often referred to as an auto-centric city. This characterization is often cited as a negative, but I don’t see it that way. What we need to come to terms with is that providing additional transportation options can enhance the transportation experience for everybody – especially motorists. We must always be mindful that transportation is not about moving trains or buses or vehicles – it’s about moving people. I fundamentally believe that people will choose the path of least resistance to get to where they need to go. That path could be in a vehicle, on a bus, on a bike or even on a train. That diversity of options is critically important.

I talk a lot about the need to improve our public transit infrastructure, but I am also a big proponent of continued investments in our roadways. Let’s look at the current Deerfoot Trail Study as an example. We are looking at some engineering solutions to address some of the pinch points that contribute to some of our congestion issues – that’s great! But that isn’t all we are doing. The study isn’t just about looking for ways to make Deerfoot wider; it’s about finding ways to make Deerfoot better. That means looking into things like real-time digital traffic updates, variable speed limits and high-occupancy vehicle lanes. These are all components that could contribute to ensuring we have a transportation network that is efficient, convenient and safe.

When we think about our congestion issues, we need to look to the future. One of the biggest parts of our future is the Green Line LRT. Green Line LRT offers commuters with a choice. An option like the Green Line could remove significant numbers of vehicles from Deerfoot every day while freeing up road capacity for people still make the decision to drive. That is potential for a significant reduction in congestion without building a single new lane on Deerfoot.

I believe that our existing LRT network has played a big role with how our congestion compares to other major cities. We have one of the highest performing LRT networks in North American and it is certainly the gold standard here in Canada. We designed a network that focused on moving as many as people as possible in a way that was quick, safe and convenient. We made getting the LRT out to where people live a significant priority. The Green Line will double our LRT network and reduce city-wide congestion by 10-15%. That’s a huge win for Calgarians!

Your time is valuable. Time spent stuck in traffic is dead time. It has an economic cost, an environmental cost and it has a cost on your quality of life. As a city we have done a decent job managing our congestion issues, but we still have room to improve. By making strategic investments in our transportation network we can ensure that you get to decide how best to use your time – that’s an idea that I will always support.

I cannot think of a more pressing issue facing southeast Calgary than transportation. Southeast Calgary is home to some of the fastest growing communities in Alberta. Growth has put additional strain on the limited transportation infrastructure that many of these communities have access to. These new communities are expanding rapidly, and I believe that is a good thing. These are areas that make for a more complete city by offering more housing options for all income levels. With the addition of appropriate public investments we can ensure these areas reach their full potential.

Given the budgetary realities facing our Municipal and Provincial governments right now, finding value for money is incredibly important. There is a limited amount of funds available, and we need to ensure they are allocated appropriately. This means finding ways to cut costs and even exploring partnerships with the private sector.

The 212th Avenue/Deerfoot Trail interchange is one project that offers a tremendous amount of value for public dollars. This interchange would connect south Cranston to south Seton with access to Deerfoot Trail. I have outlined the general location of the interchange in the map below:

This project offers a number of benefits:

• Support for existing communities. South Cranston has seen a lot of development in the last number of years. Currently residents in south Cranston need to drive north to the Cranston Ave/Seton Blvd interchange in order to access Deerfoot Trail or Stoney Trail. This creates an undesirable situation where drivers cross through residential streets in order to find an access point. The 212 interchange would provide some much needed traffic calming for Cranston.

• Unlocking Seton. Seton is going to be one of the most exciting areas in Calgary. Very large public and private investments have been made in this area. These investments will make Seton an area of tremendous regional importance. We recently broke ground on the Seton recreation centre (opening in 2018) which is in close proximity to the site of the new Southeast Public High School (opening fall of 2018). Both of these facilities are in the shadow of the biggest public investment in the area; the South Health Campus. As it currently stands there is only a single interchange that services this area. Without the addition of a new interchange at 212^th Avenue, Seton will take much longer to reach full potential.

• Improving Access. Stoney Trail is an asset to southeast Calgary, but due to the area master-plan there are some challenges with the interchanges between Deerfoot Trail and Cranston, specifically headed westbound. Vehicles headed west on Stoney are not able to access Cranston and vehicles attempting to get to the South Health Campus by exiting onto Deerfoot Trail from Stoney Trail need to use a U-Turn Route at the Dunbow Road overpass that tacks on an extra 10.5 km to their trip. In an emergency situation, this could be the difference between life and death. Adding the 212^th Avenue interchange would greatly improve access to these areas.

• Job creation. It is estimated that Alberta lost 19,600 jobs in 2015. The Provincial Government made it clear that they intended to move forward on “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects to help stimulate the economy and get Albertans back to work. The construction of the “shovel-ready” 212^th Avenue interchange and the subsequent development of south Seton could create as many as 28,800 jobs and lead to $465M in total economic impact.

• Cost Sharing. This project has an estimated price tag of $50M. The City of Calgary is willing to commit $10M in funds. A developer group led by Brookfield Residential is willing to contribute an additional $10M. Embracing this partnership would put the Province in a position where they only have to cover 60% of the project costs. It should be noted that the developer has no obligation whatsoever to contribute funding to this project.

Over the last number of months there have been a series of discussions between the developer, The City and the Province on this project. The City made it clear that we would front-end the funding for this project as long as the Province made a commitment to pay back their portion within a reasonable amount of time. This would allow this “shove-ready” project to be delivered without immediately impacting Provincial finances.

After numerous discussions, the City finally received a definitive answer from Alberta Transportation:

“Although the Province understands that this project is a high priority for Calgary, it is not a high priority for the Province at this time. Given the challenging economic environment, the Province is not in a position to provide any funding at this time or make a funding commitment into the future. Should the City wish to move ahead and fully fund the project (along with Brookfield), the Province will allow the project to proceed; further, the Province would be receptive to managing the project (tendering and delivery of the project) on behalf of the City.”

In short, Calgary can do the project if they want, but do not count on support from the Province.

I am very disappointed in this decision by Alberta Transportation. This is a project that connects Albertans to major pieces of public infrastructure and provides a more complete transportation network to the 100,000 residents that live in the area. By deferring on this partnership today, the Province has guaranteed that this project will cost taxpayers more in the future.

The Transportation Minister’s office stated, “the Province is not in a position to provide any funding at this time or make a funding commitment into the future”. This suggests to me that the Province feels that this project is not their responsibility. Deerfoot Trail will be handed back over to The City in the not so distant future. The transfer agreement will impact the area between the north Stoney Trail interchange and the south Stoney Trail interchange. The 212^th Ave interchange would fall outside of this area. This interchange would connect major pieces of regional infrastructure to a provincial highway. From my perspective, this interchange is very clearly a provincial responsibility.

This decision really makes me wonder if Alberta Transportation has the best interests of southeast Calgary in mind. I strongly urge residents in Ward 12 to write into Transportation Minister Mason’s office and ask that he reconsider this decision. He can be reached here:

Honourable Brian Mason
Infrastructure Minister
and Transportation Minister
Room 320 Legislature Building
10800 – 97 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5K 2B6

Phone: 780-427-5041 
Fax: 780-422-2002 
Email: [email protected]

We have Councillors that support every suite application, we have Councillors that oppose every suite application and we have Councillors somewhere in the middle. The only thing Council seems to be able to find any consensus on when it comes to secondary suites is that our process needs to change.

Earlier this week I brought a Notice of Motion before Council. The Motion was a product of numerous meetings with my colleagues and members of the public to try and find some common ground. This was not about finding a perfect solution; this was about working towards a broader compromise that better served Calgarians.

As we moved into debate I heard colleague after colleague thank me for bringing this Motion forward. Despite their congratulations, they all proceeded to tell me that for a number of minor reasons they were not prepared to support my Motion and that Calgarians would have to settle for the status quo.

Despite my best efforts and my continued call for compromise, my Motion ultimately failed 7-8. You can see a copy of my Motion and the supplementary documentation below.

To say that I am frustrated right now would be an understatement. We appear to be stuck in a circular process where progress is impossible. Council candidates that ran in the 2013 election assured Calgarians that the next Council would get this issue right and take a needed step in the right direction. The next election is right around the corner and we hear members of Council singing the same tune again, “certainly the next Council will get this right”.

How many more Councils is this going to take? How many more times are we just going to keep kicking the can down the road? When are we going to accept the responsibility that Calgarians have given us to work together and find solutions to problems facing our city?

Earlier this week we sure heard a lot about how my Motion was flawed and why my colleagues couldn’t support it. While I accept the criticism, I also counter with a challenge to my colleagues. Why don’t we work together to put ideological dogma aside and carve a new path forward for secondary suites? This might mean you won’t get things entirely your way, but that’s life. Solving the secondary suite puzzle is going to mean some give and take.

Unfortunately for Calgarians I have the sense that Council will not be revisiting major changes to our process until after the 2017 Municipal Election. Yet again we seem to have found a way to dodge the responsibility that Calgarians have placed on us and yet again we are hoping that someone else will make this decision.

When it comes to secondary suites, you deserve better than this Calgary.

I believe that Calgarians have a right to feel safe on their residential streets.  Appropriate speed, appropriate signage, better pedestrian, cyclist and motorist infrastructure and user attentiveness are just a few factors that contribute to making our streets safer.

We are making progress towards making our streets safer.  If we look at the data we can see that we have seen a reduction in fatalities on our roads since 2013:

While these trends are certainly positive, I believe there is more that we could be doing.  In January of 2016 I brought a Notice of Motion to Council that I felt would improve residential traffic safety even further.  Below is a copy of my Motion:

My Motion made a request through the Calgary Police Commission that the Calgary Police Service (CPS) consider the development of a residential traffic enforcement strategy.  This strategy will focus on high risk residential areas, utilize citizen feedback and place emphasis on better public awareness.

I believe that addressing this issue is multi-faceted.  Motorists are not the only user of our residential streets that have a responsibility to make roads safer.  Motorists, cyclists and pedestrians must all be willing to do their part.

In order for this plan to successful we need to focus on enforcement, education and the ability for the public to provide feedback.  All of these elements are built into the report that CPS presented to committee this week.

You can find a full copy of the report by clicking on the image below:

Here are a few of the highlights:

• The CPS Traffic Section currently utilizes a model of automated enforcement (red light/speed on green intersection cameras, and mobile photo radar units) and several teams of manned traffic enforcement. The Section will enhance these functions by refocusing resources to form a team that combines automated and manned enforcement dedicated exclusively to residential traffic enforcement.
• The Section will engage with the community in regularly scheduled Traffic Safety Town Halls and collect and analyse the information from these events. The Section will also communicate the results of these meetings and work done to address identified traffic safety issues. Traffic statistics for each Ward as well as data on Traffic Service Requests will be provided online.
• CPS will continue incorporating traffic safety education into the Start Smart Stay Safe program curriculum. This has program has made traffic safety education available to all schools in the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Catholic School District.

I am very pleased with this report and the positive impacts it could have on our communities.  I look forward to seeing this report approved by Council and implemented prior to the start of the next school year.

When I first joined Council in 2010 the population of Ward 12 was just over 67,000.  Today that number is over 103,000 and still growing rapidly.  New communities in southeast Calgary are some of the most dynamic in the entire city, but are still lacking some of the basic amenities the rest of Calgary enjoys.  Southeast Calgary still has plenty of room for new development, and the demand for better public investments will increase.

While there is still a lot of work to be done, we have made some meaningful progress in southeast Calgary.  Over the next month we are going to see the official opening of the Remington YMCA in Quarry Park, the official opening of the New Brighton Regional Athletic Park and construction beginning at the Seton recreation facility.  We will also welcome the opening of the Great Plains twin hockey rink facility to the north of Glenmore Trail.

We are also continuing to see meaningful progress on the Green Line LRT.  When I joined Council in 2010 the most optimistic plans had the Green Line LRT available to southeast Calgary in the late 2030s.  Today we are looking at having a phase of LRT operational by 2024.  The Green Line LRT is Calgary’s most important infrastructure project.  Over the last year Council has made tremendous progress on the Green Line.  Through our efforts we have been able to advance the timeline for this project by better than a decade.  This is great news for folks in southeast Calgary that have had to patiently wait for this important public investment.

Growth doesn’t come without cost.  The City collects property taxes by fixing a mill rate to the assessed value of a property.  Properties that increase in value compared to the rest of the city pay more and properties that decrease in value compared to the rest of the city pay less.  The figure below shows differences in tax increases across the city for 2016:

Many of the new communities in Ward 12 are seeing larger comparative tax increases than the rest of the city.  As more community amenities come on-line in the years to follow, this trend is likely to continue.  Better community amenities and services in southeast Calgary make Ward 12 a better place to live and will likely increase the assessed value of your home.

This is going to lead to some challenges for folks that live in southeast Calgary.  While the value of your home increasing could be a positive thing, it often means you are facing a higher tax burden without directly receiving more income.  Other orders of government are able to generate revenue through income taxes.  Revenues increase as income does without seeing changes in the tax rate.  The same is true with your property taxes.  The changes to the rate may be minor, but the dollar value can change with the assessment of your home.

Today we are hearing from Calgarians that Council needs to explore measures to provide Calgarians with tax relief during these difficult economic times.  This is feedback that Council needs to take very seriously.  Council must be prepared to have an open discussion on how to find savings in the budget that can be passed along to Calgarians.  We need to make decisions that address our current economic realities, but we still need to act in the best interests of Calgary’s future.

I want to have a frank discussion with my colleagues about the key differences between needs and wants.  When it comes to needs, I can’t think of a more glaring need than the Green Line LRT.  There are costs that can be cut and savings that can be passed along to Calgarians, but it must not be at the expense of the Green Line.  How as a Council can we go back to the fastest growing area in the city and tell folks they need to wait another 10-15 years for an LRT line?  That is simply unacceptable.

The Green Line is at a critical juncture.  Administration is currently working with the Government of Canada on an application to secure the federal government’s contribution to the Green Line LRT.  Productive conversations with the province are also ongoing in hopes to secure their funding support.  All of this was made possible with an initial dedication of funding by The City of Calgary.

What message would we be sending if we decided to take City money off the table?  How can we expect to attract funding from Ottawa and Edmonton if we suggest the Green Line isn’t a priority?  The consequences could go well beyond the Green Line.  Council indecision on our infrastructure priorities could have significant impacts on future funding partnerships with the federal and provincial governments.

There are other options that Council can consider to offer Calgarians tax relief in the shorter term.  Our Fiscal Stability Reserve (Calgary’s rainy-day fund) currently has $374M in un-allocated funding.  These are funds that could certainly be used to offset tax increases in the short term for Calgarians.

Think about this from the perspective of a household.  If you were fortunate to have some savings, would you choose to skip a mortgage payment or would you tap into your savings to navigate through a rough patch?

We have an opportunity to respond to Calgarians feedback without mortgaging our future.  I am committed to finding a way to work towards a 0% tax increase for Calgarians in 2017, but I will not do so at the expense of giving southeast Calgary what the public investments they deserve.

The City is looking to find ways to reduce the amount of food and yard waste that ends up in our landfills.  Half of the residential waste collected is compostable material.  A pilot was conducted on the green cart program and it was shown to reduce household garbage by 40%.

Many materials that are going into the black bins will be more appropriately placed in green bins.  The green bin program will allow for materials like bones, bread, meats and pet waste to be composting which is currently not effective through backyard composting.

This video provides some great information on Calgary’s landfills:

As mentioned above, Calgarians will receive their composting kits in 2017.  The composting kit consists of:

• A green bin for curb side pickup (similar to the current blue/black bin)
• In-home green bin to conveniently collect composting materials
• Compostable paper bags that can be moved from the in-home bin to the curb side cart.

There were conversations about a possible opt-out for this program at Council.  Council ultimately decided against an opt-out.  If an opt-out had been available the monthly charge for the program would have been significantly higher, or the program would need to be further subsidized through the tax base.  If the program was more heavily subsidized through the tax base, Calgarians would have ended up paying more for the program.

With the anticipation of less waste ending up in black bins, pickup for the black bins will occur once every other week.  This will save The City $10M a year by 2018.  These savings are being transferred to reduce the fees on the green bin program.

Calgary is beginning to face some serious landfill challenges.  Organic materials are taking up valuable space in our landfills and can cause some serious environmental impacts.  By creating this composting program we will be able to free up more space in our landfills.

At the current rate, we would need to explore purchasing more land for additional Waste Management Facilities in the not so distant future.  This could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.  Composting allows us to remove these items from landfill and find better uses for the organic materials.

The Shepard Waste Management Facility will be collecting the composted materials.  The bio-material component of the Shepard facility is operated by a private contractor.  The private contractor will be able to sell the composted material for a profit and will be able to reduce the operating cost that they charge The City.

Many Calgarians expressed concern when the blue bin recycling program was introduced a number of years ago.  Now Calgarians are recycling much more frequently and the blue bin program has become a normal aspect of our lives.  The same will likely be true of the green bin composting program.  This program has the potential to save The City significant money in the long run and provide a more environmentally responsible approach to waste management.

This program is really about The City keeping the bigger picture in mind.  Currently there are roughly 20% of Calgarians that take forward some kind of household composting.  This program will offer a greater composting capacity to that 20% and also find a way to conveniently engage the other 80% of Calgarians that are not currently composting.  Finding a way to limit our environmental impacts and reducing household waste is a good thing for Calgary.

If you would like more information on this program please visit calgary.ca/greencart

Shortly after Council ended, a representative from Uber sent me this email:

Dear Councillor Keating,

I wanted to forward you the message that was sent to registered Uber users in Calgary following Council’s decision.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments do not hesitate to reach out.

Best regards,

—

Today, City Council forced through regulations on ridesharing that have the taxi industry cheering, but deprive regular Calgarians of more choice. These new rules create too much unnecessary red tape (examples here) and they prevent our ability to offer a reliable service. Given this unfortunate Council decision, Uber will not relaunch its operations in Calgary at this time.

We know Calgarians want new transportation alternatives that are reliable and affordable, and we are humbled by the support we have seen over the past months.

We’ll keep you informed of developments and promise to continue to press for progress.

Uber has sent numerous emails like this to their members over the past few months.  Uber points to regulations that don’t fit with their business model, but don’t seem as interested in talking about what is in the best interests of Calgarians.

Uber is a profitable corporation.  Uber wants rules that maximize profitability.  I totally understand why Uber would want to focus more on regulations that fit a business model instead of placing a priority on public safety.  If Uber is interested in profits, The City needs to take up the role of being interested in safety.

The link in this email brought me to a chart that explained what Calgary did that was unworkable vs what Edmonton did that is the alleged golden standard of ride sharing regulation.  There are a number of aspects of this chart that need to be addressed:

There are basic administrative fees that are required to process registrations and enforce the bylaw in place.  The City needs to create a cost recovery structure that makes sure Calgarians aren’t subsidizing a system so that a private corporation can make more money.  The structure that Edmonton is using does not allow for the cost recovery model to work.

It is estimated that many Uber drivers only stay on the job for a few short months.  If The City were to have a per-ride fee, they would not be able to recoup the administrative costs of registering and enforcing drivers.  High driver turn over would shift the burden of fees from the operator to the taxpayer.

Uber has suggested that an upfront fee for drivers may deter them from signing up as a driver.  In the long run, Uber would actually be saving money with per-driver fees instead of per-ride fees.  There is nothing preventing Uber from subsidizing the registration costs for their drivers and recovering the costs from drivers over time.

Council and administration both promised to consider alternative fee structures that Uber might propose as long as they have a full cost recovery model.  The proposal for Edmonton does not fully recover costs.  The fee structure for Calgary is less expensive than many other jurisdictions.  Uber is claiming the fees would be $600 annually, which is not correct.

The fee breakdown is:
Transportation Network Drivers Licence = $220
Police Check = $30
Vehicle Inspection = $140-$190
This gives a total of roughly $440 which is less than New York City, New Zealand, London and many other jurisdictions.

In comparison, here is the fee structure that taxi drivers must follow:
Licence = $135
Police check = $41
Driver training = $300
Vehicle inspection = $140-$190
Taxi Plate Licence = $877
The total fee for a taxi driver is $1493-$1543

Background checks is one area where Uber has been using some very theatrical language.  It is Uber’s belief that Calgary should allow them to use a third party service that is acceptable by the Girl Guides of Canada and Hockey Alberta.  For reference, here is the background check form that the Girl Guides use: http://www.girlguides.ca/WEB/Documents/AB/Forms/AB-BackCheck-Order-Form-2014.pdf

I’m having difficulty with Uber’s issues on this topic.  Security clearances absolutely need to happen, and local police services are the most appropriate to carry out the background check.  In some cases the service that Uber uses could be as many as two years out of date.  When Uber illegally launched in Calgary last year there was a driver who passed the security clearances that had charges against them for assault.

There isn’t a background check available that eliminates all risk.  With that being said, I would feel much more comfortable having Calgary Police Service carry out the checks.  I suspect the majority of Calgarians would agree.  Uber drivers have comprehensive background checks in most other jurisdictions including Portland, London and New York City.

Uber has concerns about how onerous the vehicle inspection process was.  Twice a year seemed unreasonable, and I entirely agreed.  Council amended the proposal to ask for annual vehicle inspections, or once every 50,000km.  Many Uber drivers are on the road for less than ten hours a week.  Moving the vehicle inspections from biannual to annual only seemed like the fair thing to do.

I have spoken with Uber regarding the quality of the vehicle inspection.  Uber has suggested that the vehicle inspection should not be as onerous because all of these vehicles are already on the road.  I don’t accept that rationale because that assumes that every vehicle on the road is certified as safe.  This is simply not the case.

Uber’s opposition here is questionable at best, and I believe they are grasping at straws to point out flaws that aren’t really there.  In Edmonton drivers will be required to have a Class 4 licence.  In Calgary drivers will be required to have a Class 4 licence.  The only real difference is that Edmonton’s is tied to the provincial requirement and Calgary’s is more explicit.  If the Provincial regulations change, The City of Calgary may have to revisit their bylaw and make needed amendments.

How Does Calgary Compare to Other Cities?

Uber is able to remain profitable in many other jurisdictions that have much more stringent regulations.  The chart below shows how Calgary stacks up to many other cities around the world:

So What Comes Next?

Uber claims that they will not operate in Calgary under the current regulations.  Uber has made this same claim numerous times in numerous other cities.

Uber operates in other jurisdictions that have less competitive fee structures and regulations than what The City of Calgary has proposed.  It is important that we remember that Uber is a profitable corporation.  Less regulation means greater profits, but compromises safety.  We need to find a balance that allows for ride sharing to be profitable, but it cannot be at the expense of public safety.  I believe the bylaw Council approved finds that balance.

Insurance still remains a big question for ride share companies like Uber.  You may recall that Uber suggested that they have an adequate insurance policy to protect riders and drivers.  That tone appears to have changed as Uber is now working with The Government of Alberta to build an insurance product that meets the needs of ride sharing.

The insurance question has given Uber the opportunity to give another regulatory body an ultimatum.  Uber has threatened to leave Alberta (including their operations in Edmonton) if the province doesn’t make a move on insurance.  I find Uber’s continued approach to opposition very concerning.  Governments should be doing what is in the best interests of citizens, not surrendering to corporate bullying tactics.

You can find some more information on exactly what this bylaw entails here: http://newsroom.calgary.ca/private-for-hire-vehicles-will-perate-in-calgary/.  I encourage you to review the regulations that have been approved and honestly ask yourself, which of these are unreasonable?

We have established a framework for ride share companies to thrive in Calgary.  I would remind Calgarians that Uber is not the only ride sharing company in the world.  If Uber doesn’t feel they can operate here in Calgary, perhaps another company can.

Here are some of my earlier blog articles on this topic:

Let’s Make Uber Work for Calgarians

Calgary Takes Steps That Would Allow Uber to Legally Operate 

Last week Mayor Nenshi sent the official letter to the Transportation Minister requesting funding for the Green Line LRT.

Difficult Times in Alberta

Completion of the Green Line will require a funding commitment from the Provincial Government.  The Members of the Legislative Assembly I have spoken with are certainly supportive of this project, but point out that the current economic situation is providing some road blocks.  With low oil prices anticipated to continue for the foreseeable future, there will be significant impacts on government revenues.

Difficult times bring hardships, but they also bring opportunities.  Right now interest rates are among the lowest we have ever seen, the availability of construction labour is high and the cost of construction materials is low.  Investing in the Green Line today will increase the standard of living for hundreds of thousands of Calgarians.  By investing today when costs and interest rates are low, we have an opportunity to save tax payers hundreds of millions of dollars.   In short, now is a great time to build!

Calgarians have been hit hard over the last year and unemployment rates are on the rise.  It is estimated that the Green Line could create upwards of 23,000 construction jobs.  The sooner this project begins to move forward, the faster we can put these folks back to work.

Together We Can Find a Way

In my view there are 4 different funding mechanisms for the Provincial Government to consider:

• Carbon Pricing: In the fall 2015 budget the Provincial Government announced a carbon pricing framework. Carbon pricing will take effect in 2017 and is projected to generate $3B in revenues annually by 2018.  The Premier stated that “carbon pricing revenue will be fully reinvested into measures that reduce pollution – including green infrastructure like public transit”.  The Premier’s comments bode well for the Green Line.
• GreenTRIP funding: GreenTRIP funding has been very successful for small or medium sized projects.  In order to satisfy the funding commitment for a project like the Green Line LRT, GreenTRIP would need greater funding.  GreenTRIP could eventually evolve into the Provincial equivalent of the Public Transit Fund that the Federal Government created in the spring of 2015.
• $4.4B for future infrastructure: The fall 2015 budget set aside $4.4B for future infrastructure investment.  Calgary represents roughly one-third of the Province’s population, and one-third of this fund would satisfy the Provincial Government’s contribution to the Green Line.
• Sharing property tax increases: The City of Calgary collects property taxes on behalf of the Provincial Government.  Typically the Province takes the same % increase that the City takes.  The Provincial Government could dedicate a portion of their annual property tax increases to fund the Green Line.  This would leave existing budgets untouched and would essentially be a Calgary made funding solution for a Calgary-centric project.

I’d like to see the Province make a commitment to the Green Line in the spring 2016 budget.  The City of Calgary does not need a cheque for $1.53B tomorrow (although we would welcome it).  What we do need is clarity from the Province.  The Federal Government committed to funding this project once they received an application from the City of Calgary that fit the criteria established.  The Provincial Government could essentially do the same thing.

The Provincial Government has an opportunity to make an investment that will transform Calgary for decades to come.  I sincerely hope they make the most of this opportunity.

This budget has a number of highlights for the City of Calgary:

• $830M will be dedicated to the Tom Baker Cancer Centre over 5 years
• $2.96B will be dedicated to Calgary and Edmonton ring roads over 5 years
• $43M to the Calgary Board of Education and $21M to the Calgary Separate School Division
• $4.4B of new funding for Alberta infrastructure projects
• $100M of previously dedicated funds for Municipal Sustainability Initiative over 5 years.

For more information on the Provincial budget, please click here.

Cancer Centre

The Provincial Government has made a firm commitment to fund the Calgary Cancer Centre.  This is a huge positive for Calgarians, and I thank the Province for taking the time to properly consult with stakeholders.  Over the summer I received an invitation to discuss plans for the Tom Baker Cancer Centre from Honourable Minister Sarah Hoffman.  I spoke on the merits of considering the South Health Campus for the future facility.  While ultimately the Foothills Campus was selected, I was still very grateful for the opportunity to participate.

Construction for the Calgary Cancer Centre will begin in 2017.  While initially it was planned that this facility could open in 2020, that has now been pushed back to 2023/24 due to a drop in Provincial Government revenues.  When fully operational, this facility will offer world class cancer care for Calgarians and people from across Southern Alberta.

Ring Road

The clock on the completion of the SW leg of the ring road is ticking.  The land transfer agreement with the Tsuu T’ina Nation mandates that the road must be operational by 2022.  The Provincial Government has committed to completing the southwest leg of the ring road by 2022.  Ward 12 has seen the tremendous benefit of the ring road in SE Calgary, and residents in SW Calgary should be very excited.  The completion of this project will be a huge asset to Calgary’s transportation network.

Education

Additional funding to the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Separate School Division means increased resources for our education system.  This funding will allow for 105 new teachers and 78 support staff to be hired in Calgary.  With many new schools being built in Ward 12, additional teachers and staff will be very beneficial.  As a previous educator, I can appreciate the need to invest in more teachers to provide smaller class sizes and better quality education to our children.

Green Line LRT

The Province announced that $4.4B would be dedicated to future infrastructure projects.  It is my belief that Green Line LRT funding would be a leading candidate for this new pot of funding.  With one-third of Alberta’s total population, Calgarians should anticipate that some of that funding will go towards Calgary projects.  It is also worth noting that one-third of this fund would be roughly $1.5B; the dollar figure required for the Provincial contribution to the Green Line LRT is $1.5B.  It will be increasingly important that the City of Calgary position the Green Line LRT at the front of the line for this infrastructure funding.

I was anticipating that Green Line LRT funding would not appear in this budget.  I remain optimistic that the $4.4B set aside for infrastructure projects could be ideal for our Green Line LRT funding needs.  It is my opinion that the Provincial Government must include a funding announcement for the Green Line LRT in the Spring 2016 budget.  There are over 300,000 Calgarians that would immediately benefit from this project that could be operational by 2021.  With construction costs and interest rates low, now is the time to move forward on this project.  It is estimated that the construction phase of the Green Line could create over 23,000 construction jobs.  This does not take into account the additional permanent jobs that would be created to operate our newly expanded LRT network.  If the Provincial Government wants to talk about economic stimulus projects, the Green Line will accomplish exactly that.

Aspects of this budget will be debated by Albertans for months to come.  I can assure Calgarians that I will continue to lobby the Provincial Government to invest in worthwhile infrastructure projects here in Calgary.  The Provincial Government has indicated that they will be releasing an infrastructure sunshine list before the end of the fall legislature session.  I intend to continue my discussions with the Province to ensure that the Green Line LRT is front and centre on that list.

I have strongly advocated for lower taxes and better value for the tax payer dollar.  Recently the Manning Foundation discussed findings from their Calgary Council Tracker.  The chart below shows that I voted to hold the line or make reductions on spending when given the opportunity 60% of the time in 2014.

I believe that Council has an obligation to direct The City to operate like a business, and my record on spending and taxation reflects that.  The Manning Foundation report also showed a comparative analysis of tax restraint from 2014 versus 2013.  The approach that I have taken on taxation and spending has been very consistent and balanced as you can see from the chart below:

This data above is fascinating, but we do need to go deeper than the numbers when we evaluate Council’s performance.  The City must also operate like a service organization.  There are instances where we need to increase spending on projects that contribute to the growth and well being of Calgary.  Many of these projects cannot be quantified by an economic price tag.  It is much more difficult to measure the socioeconomic impact of a project, but considering the social angle is a critical role for The City.  Programs like accessible transit, affordable housing and public programs are not areas that the City makes money, but they are critical services that The City must provide.  Without spending from The City many of these programs would not exist and vulnerable Calgarians would be put into a compromising situation.

The City must be in a position to grow our communities and provide the facilities and services Calgarians deserve.  We must take forward projects to build multi-use recreation centres, improve our transit infrastructure and develop new communities that are well thought out and appropriately planned.  Projects like the Seton Recreation Centre and the Green Line SE Transitway are critical components for the future of Calgary.  We need to move forward on projects like this to create the building blocks for a better connected Calgary that grows stronger communities.

During my time on Council I have prided myself on bringing a very balanced and consistent approach to the issues.  Many of the issues that we deal with are not simple black or white issues.  It is my belief that partisan politics should play no role in municipal government.  I measure every issue and proposal that Council debates on its merits, not on who brings an item forward.  I may not agree with my Council colleagues on every issue, but I value their perspectives and take the time to understand both sides of every issue.  This balanced approach ensures we make responsible decisions while looking out for the interests of all Calgarians.

Calgary is a terrifically governed city with a strong regional economy and a very high quality of life. We have many advantages, but we cannot ignore areas where improvements can be made.  We can work harder to reduce wasteful spending and find efficiency within The City while still providing world class facilities and services.  We can move forward by operating like a business and ensure we leave no Calgarian behind by behaving like a service organization.