CALGARY — Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the city can no longer afford its long-sought Green Line light rail transit project after the Alberta government announced it’s pulling funding from the plan in its current form.

Gondek says the province’s push to change the scope of the project, and the delay that would come with a third-party review ordered by the province, will increase costs.

Her comment comes after Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen sent a letter to Gondek on Tuesday saying the Green Line is becoming a “multi-billion dollar boondoggle” that will serve few Calgarians.

He says the province can’t support the city’s latest, scaled back plan with the $1.53 billion it had pledged.

Council voted in July to shorten the first phase of the line, and its budget has increased by about $700 million to over $6.2 billion.

Dreeshen says even though hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on things like utility work, throwing good money after bad is not an option.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 4, 2024.

The Canadian Press