Transit Hub fits in with province’s goal of reducing emissions: minister
Alberta’s Minister of Transportation Brian Mason stopped by The Herald office Monday afternoon to speak about the Lethbridge Transit Hub, Alberta’s infrastructure deficit and other local highway projects. In part one of a two-part exclusive interview, Mason touched on why his government values local projects like the Transit Hub, and why it believes it has set the right course on infrastructure spending to help Alberta get back on its feet after a rough couple years economically for the province.
In terms of the Transit Hub, Mason said for his government it is all about helping municipalities in the province with their vital transport needs.
“The Government of Alberta has a very strong commitment to helping cities deal with their challenges and opportunities, including making sure they have the support they need to effectively provide transit service for their citizens,” said Mason. “To improve on that, and link it with other modes of transportation. This (Transit Hub project) fits right in with that.”
Mason said partnership, not enforced obedience, is what his government has always sought with communities since being elected.
“It’s been great to work with Mayor Spearman and the members of Lethbridge council on this,” he said. “They are very good partners for us, and we are happy to be able to provide some financial assistance to help them achieve their goals (around transit).”
Mason mentioned the province has contributed over $10 million to the City of Lethbridge this year for transit projects, about half of which has been paid toward the Transit Hub.
“Reducing dependence on singleoccupant vehicles in particular has many advantages, and it’s a more efficient way,” Mason explained of the rationale behind the funding. “It reduces emissions, and so on. It’s a positive way forward for continued urban development. I can see lots is happening in Lethbridge, and in the future they are going to need the kind of transit infrastructure that Mayor Spearman and the council are currently building.”
Mason said his government is also committed to spending on infrastructure projects like the Transit Hub because of their potential to improve the viability of the communities and businesses they serve.
“We had a very significant infrastructure deficit in Alberta (when the NDP came into power),” explained Mason. “A lot of people don’t realize this, but when Premier Klein was in office, and he paid down debt, what he actually did was stop funding infrastructure. So the province paid down the financial debt, but we increased the obligations in the long run for infrastructure. If you are so far behind on your infrastructure that your infrastructure is falling apart, that’s the same as if you owe money to a bank. So we had a lot of catching up to do.”
Mason said catching up with that infrastructure deficit has fortunately coincided with the worst recession Alberta has seen in a generation, adding another dimension to its importance.
“As the economy recovers from the recession, you want a build an economy and a recovery that’s going to be sustained for a long time,” he said. “When we bumped up our infrastructure spending three years ago, we were heading right down into a really deep recession. The advantage of spending during a recession as opposed to what the previous government did, which was to spend during booms, is you are going to get better prices when you tender your projects. We have been saving 10 per cent or more on a number of projects where the tenders have come in lower.
“So it keeps people working, because they would otherwise be unemployed because of the recession, it gets more infrastructure built for the same amount of money, and it’s supports economic recovery. So on all three points, I think it is a very positive and sound policy.”