City council is proposing to spend a lot more on infrastructure to help get the economy rolling.
$2.3 billion is earmarked for roads and transit, up from $1.6 billion. It’s not new money, just a moving forward of projects that have already been approved.
The spending boost is just one option to deal with the uncertainty in the current action plan in the wake of the economic downturn. The other option is to shrink the budget, but critics say that would lead to more job losses and even more uncertainty.
Council hopes to take advantage of lower labour costs and create nearly 400 new jobs.
The city has never before spent more than $1.5 billion in a capital year, but Mayor Nenshi says this spending will stimulate the local economy without raising property taxes.
Earlier this week, Calgarians indicated in the 2015 Citizen Satisfaction Survey that they support the idea of investing more in transit and transportation planning.
