Support the Green Line

The Green Line is at a critical juncture. You can take action to make sure that it gets built.

The Green Line barely passed the committee vote on June 1. Now it goes to Council on June 15, where they will decide if it goes ahead, or dies from indecision. Currently, there are 6 councilors who are committed to supporting the Green Line, we need to take action to ensure there are at least 8 councilors who vote in support of this project.

If you are a leader in your community we ask that you please forward the email below to all your members and connections no later than June 11th so they can support the Green Line campaign:

The Calgary Alliance for the Common Good, of which we are a member, has voted strongly in favor of supporting the proposed Green Line. The plan proposed by Administration will see the LRT run from Seton in the south to 16^th Ave N.W., and includes a new bridge across the river as well as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) north to 160 Ave N.W. This is an important project which will improve access to transit for under-served communities, benefit the environment, connect communities and will create 20,000 jobs in our city at a time when they are badly needed. Please help us raise our collective voice to ask that the Green Line proceed as proposed.

What you can do:

Before June 15, email all members of council to express your support for the Green Line. If you have already sent an email before the committee voted June 1, thank you! Please send another message to remind council of your support before June 15. You can send a note to all councillors by emailing [email protected], the emails at the bottom of this email or use this
If you live in Ward 3, Ward 4, Ward 5 or Ward 14 your voice is particularly important. Your communities risk losing good long-term transit access if this proposed Green Line doesn't pass. It could be years before the north gets another chance. You can look up your councilor and phone number, or email them directly here or use the list of councilor emails that can be found at the bottom of this email.
On June 15 Tweet using the hashtags #yyccc and #greenlineyyc, use Instagram and Facebook expressing your support. Some key messages are:
- We need transit to connect our city –we need #greenlineyyc to cross the Bow River.
- Don’t say no to 20,000 jobs – support the green line #yyccc
- We need to create a sustainable future – #yyccc we need #greenlineyyc built.
- Calgary can’t afford to say pass up $3.3. billion. #yyccc find a solution to get the green line started.

Below are a few comments and a sample letter that you can alter and use.

20,000 jobs will be produced by this 6-8 year construction project at a time when Calgary needs it the most
$3.3 billion in federal and provincial funding is available NOW and we risk not getting this if we delay. In particular, if we don't use these funds to build the river crossing portion now, we may not be in a position to do this for decades.
The Green Line will connect underserved parts of Calgary with public transit and gets 6000 cars off the road
The Centre Street Bridge already carries more than one bus per minute at peak times. We need another route across the river.
The City has already spent years studying all the options. It’s time to listen to the experts and start building the transit we need to carry us into the future.

Sample email

Dear Councillors,

I am writing to express my support for the proposed Green Line from Seton in the south to 16^th Ave N.W. There has been extensive citizen engagement and engineering and budget revisions to the original plan over the last two years. City staff have presented a well thought out, well researched Green Line project for approval. It is time to stop talking about the Green Line and get it approved and in progress. Here's why:

Of the $4.9 billion cost, $3 billion of this is coming from federal and provincial coffers and to delay further (particularly the river crossing), puts this funding at some risk.

More than ever, during our economic recovery from COVID-19, we need the employment benefit of this major infrastructure project - an estimated 12,000 direct and 8000 indirect jobs.

This line is a key environmental advance - estimated at taking 6,000 cars off the road on opening day for a savings for 30,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases the first year alone.

This line will provide better transportation choices, particularly for the more vulnerable Calgarians and should promote more transit-oriented development. And better transit is a key part of attracting new businesses to Calgary as we seek to diversify our economy.

The Green Line is vital for Calgary's future. Let's get access to this federal and provincial funding as soon as possible and get spades in the ground. Please approve the proposed Seton to 16^th Ave N.W. Green Line.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME