Calgary mayor, council left in 'very compromised position' by Green Line calamity

Calgary's Mayor Jyoti Gondek says city council is in "a very compromised position" after the derailing of the Green Line LRT.

City council decided to wind down the long-sought, long-troubled project, following the province's decision to withhold funding.

Councillors cast their votes Tuesday evening after nearly a day of debate and discussion.

The decision comes with a hefty price tag – at least $2.1 billion.

And the hurt on the city doesn't stop there.

In an exclusive interview on CTV News Calgary on Wednesday, Gondek said there is concern about legal ramifications:

"We are in an incredibly exposed position right now because our funding partner terminated the project by ending their funding," she said.

"We are the lead partner on all of the contracts, so we bear all of the risk and responsibility.

"This is the most difficult thing to bear, knowing that the city had its name on every contract and was holding all of the financial, reputational and contractual risk on this project, for the provincial government to pull out their support the way they did was incredibly reckless."

Calgary's Mayor Jyoti Gondek says city council is in "a very compromised position" after the derailing of the Green Line LRT.

In addition, Gondek said there is uncertainty about the impact on tax rates:

"We won't know what the impact of the Green Line wind-down is until about the time we get into budget deliberations," she said.

The province's move came after the city's realignment of the Green Line presented, essentially, a ballooned price tag for less track.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Wednesday a lack of "political oversight" undermined the Green Line:

"What I fear has happened with the Green Line is it didn't have effective, consistent political oversight," Smith said.

"That's part of the reason why it's gone completely out of control."

Smith believes it stems from changeover on city council following the 2021 municipal election.

Gondek won the city's top job in that vote.

"That's where I think the fundamental problem began," Smith said.

"I think decisions were made at that point that left a lot of council members in the dark.

"It's part of the reason why, I think, everything has been centred around a single option (for the Green Line)."

Despite oversight concerns, and calls from members of city council to do so, Smith said the province won't take over the project.

"We want to be partners, but we don't want to take over the transit system," she said.

"There needs to be a rethink on this, and we remain committed."

With files by CTV News Calgary's Camilla Di Giuseppe and The Canadian Press