Nenshi takes issue with Calgary MP over infrastructure funding
Calgary’s mayor and one of its Conservative MPs verbally sparred Friday over infrastructure funding, with Naheed Nenshi saying Joan Crockatt’s comment on the issue “doesn’t make any sense.”
Crockatt, the MP for Calgary Centre, issued a news release Friday urging the new NDP government and Nenshi to access federal infrastructure dollars for the city and province that “are sitting unused.”
She said that while other provinces “have shovels in the ground” for projects funded from Ottawa’s Building Canada fund, Alberta has not given a list of priorities to the federal government.
But Nenshi, who is in Edmonton for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities annual conference, said he asked a room of big-city mayors whether their municipalities had received any funding from the program and none had but Edmonton.
He said Calgary had in fact put in three applications to the Building Canada fund. Two of those, for flood mitigation and a set of interchanges, were rejected, while a third, for the Green Line transit project, is under evaluation.
“It doesn’t make any sense. Perhaps she should get a fact-checker in place,” said Nenshi of Crockatt’s release, which highlighted a statement she made in the House of Commons Thursday.
“She seems to be implying that we’re just sitting on our thumbs, waiting for someone to ask us, which is not the case at all.”
The renewed Building Canada fund, unveiled in the 2014 federal budget, is intended to deliver $53 billion over 10 years to provinces to fund federally approved projects. Alberta is eligible for $3.2 billion of that amount.
In an interview Friday, Crockatt said the city’s rejected projects had been submitted under a national funding envelope that didn’t meet the appropriate criteria, while the Green Line project is currently being second-guessed by city council.
As well, the city needs to work through the provincial government to put projects forward in any case, she said.
“They need to figure out what they want, get a clear list of priorities ahead, get them moving forward with the province and get them on to us,” said Crockatt.
Crockatt said the primary purpose of making the statement on infrastructure is to reach out to the newly elected NDP government, which was sworn in last week after ending four decades of Progressive Conservative rule.
She said the previous PC government, for whatever reason, had not brought projects to the federal government for funding.
“I’m not in any way suggesting the government of Rachel Notley is to blame, but I would love her to be aware that there is $3.2 billion available to Alberta,” said Crockatt.
Crockatt said she has been in contact with the office of Brian Mason, minister for infrastructure and transportation.
Mason was not made available for an interview Friday.
His office instead simply issued a statement saying, “the Alberta government is looking forward to working with the federal government and municipalities on addressing infrastructure priorities.”