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A project that has veered off the rails, failing to deliver the promised vision to Calgarians.

After almost a decade with the Green Line, the most significant infrastructure investment in Calgary’s history, and little to show for our efforts, are you comfortable with “Getting Less for More?” I will tell you upfront: I am not. That is why I voted NO to approve ANOTHER revised project scope, delivery model, and budget.

When does enough become enough? I understand it is trendy for today’s politicians to use buzzwords like “create bold visions” and “push the limits of what is feasible,” but frankly, that is easy to do with other people’s money. We need a reality check. It is not 2010 anymore; those easy-to-throw-around “pie in the sky” proclamations that sound good in theory are coming home to roost. Instead, we need to embrace the reality of today’s economic environment, put our egos aside, and focus on what Calgarians need. We must start valuing taxpayer dollars like our own and utilize logical stewardship to build effective and efficient projects that work. Calgarians don’t want “world-class” this and that; they want a train line that gets them to work safely and affordably. That’s it. And that is not too much to ask for.

As a past supporter of the Green Line, I was hopeful that Calgarians were getting a project with a positive return on investment, where job creation and future ridership outweighed the cost. However, as I witnessed this project transform over time, it became painfully clear that we could not deliver what Calgarians were promised: a transit line that serviced 55,000 Calgarians per day from Ward 4 in the north to Seton in the south for under 5 billion dollars. Instead, for almost 7 billion dollars, we are getting a line from Eau Claire (downtown) to Millican/Lynwood, with a 42% decrease in ridership. A bitter realization that we either didn’t know or chose to ignore.

At this point, I can no longer support this project. I will persist in advocating for a return to a planning model that serves more commuters or finding alternative procurement and funding solutions. Continuously increasing taxes for “feathers in our caps” is not sustainable. With so many other pressing priorities, such as ensuring our waterlines remain functional, it’s time to admit that we must reset and stop pouring good taxpayer money into a failing project.

Sean Chu

Sean Chu arrived in Calgary from Taiwan in 1985 speaking not a word of English, and within 7 years he was a sworn officer with the Calgary Police Service. From that point on Sean worked with the Calgary Police Service as on Officer for 21 years in a number of roles until 2013.

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