Nenshi told to cool it on funding

Every city wants more money from Ottawa, but Calgary gets its fair share of funding despite what Mayor Naheed Nenshi argues, says Calgary cabinet minister Jason Kenney.

“I’ve reminded Mayor Nenshi that we have made huge additional investments in infrastructure in Calgary,” Kenney told reporters in Calgary Monday.

Last month, Nenshi waded into the Calgary Centre byelection and criticized Conservative candidate, and eventual MP, Joan Crockatt for not attending a debate on city issues. In Crockatt’s absence, Nenshi livetweeted the whole forum, including a comment about local Tory MPs not standing up for Calgary. The mayor’s tweet was singled out by a local Tory organizer, who said it does no good to insult Alberta’s MPs.

“Given that Calgary gets so much less attention from the federal government, and so much less funding, what exactly would one be jeopardizing? All that funding for rec centres, ... transit funding, the art museum they’re building in Calgary?” Nenshi later said. “Wait a minute. We don’t have any of those things.”

But Kenney—the regional minister for southern Alberta — said Calgary benefits from federal gas tax transfers. The Harper government also put $80 million toward the 7th Avenue LRT refurbishment project. “Calgary gets exactly its fair share,” Kenney said.

Nenshi said Monday he had praised Ottawa’s investment at the opening of the West-Kerby Station on 7th Avenue S.W. earlier this month. “If Mr. Kenney had wanted to be out there in the freezing cold with me, he certainly was invited,” Nenshi said.