CALGARY- As we wait to see what Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty hands down in his budget Tuesday afternoon, Calgary’s city council is hoping the budget will include much needed transportation funding.
With infrastructure funding all but tapped out, the city needs provincial and federal money if it’s to go ahead with its transportation plans, which include bus rapid corridors and the Green Line LRT.
The Green Line would go through the city’s southeast and north up Centre Street.
Provincial and federal funding account for about 80 per cent of transportation capital funding.
The city says it would need $4.5 billion over the next 10 years to go ahead with the projects on its wish list.
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The city of Edmonton is also pinning its hopes on transportation funding to expand its LRT system. In particular, it’s hoping to get money from the Building Canada Fund and that some of the money actually goes to Edmonton.
“We want to make sure that federal government insist on the provinces that money allocated for municipalities must go to the municipalities,” says Ward 12 Councillor Amarjeet Sohi. “Not be used by the province for their own priorities.”
Flaherty has promised money for infrastructure projects as spending begins on a 10-year program unveiled in last year’s budget.
He brings down his new budget at 2:00 Tuesday afternoon.
Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi will respond to the budget at 3:30.
-with files from Caley Ramsay
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