Latest news with #Dreeshen
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Alberta enters agreement to reduce inspection stops for oilfield service rigs
The Alberta government has entered into an agreement to cut down on the number of inspection stops for oilfield service rigs. A new memorandum of agreement with the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors, an industry advocacy group, will integrate drivers into a pre-clearance program, Drivewyze, so approved vehicles can bypass stops at select weigh stations, according to a news release the provincial government issued Thursday. But association members who subscribe to Drivewyze and meet certain safety benchmarks will be exempt from routine stops at vehicle inspection stations, the release said. "When [oil rig service providers] load up essentially the same convoy, it's the same trucks with the same weight, with the same equipment that go from location to location," Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen said during a news conference. "This has been a long-standing industry concern of always having to go to the weight stations." Before this agreement, these rig convoys had to stop at every vehicle inspection station on their route, the news release said. But now, transponders on the trucks would allow them to pass by inspection and weigh stations, Dreeshen said, comparing Drivewyze to the federal Nexus program, which was designed to speed up Canada-U.S. border crossings for low-risk, pre-approved travellers. The agreement will make it easier for the rigs "to spend more time in the field and less time dealing with administrative burdens," Dreeshen said. Mark Scholz, president and CEO of the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors, said the agreement "recognizes the unique transportation requirements that this industry needs." The risk level and portfolio of oilfield service rigs are different from other kinds of rigs, because they spend much more time stationary performing well-serving operations, Scholz said, adding that sometimes, the oilfield service rigs drive as little as 500 kilometres a year. The new agreement "serves as a model for potential alignment with Saskatchewan and Manitoba," the news release said. The Opposition NDP was unable to provide CBC News with a comment on the new agreement before publication.
Calgary Herald
29-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Edmonton breaks ground on $1.3B Capital Line South LRT expansion
The latest expansion project for Edmonton's sprawling LRT lines broke ground on Thursday, that will, once completed, connect the current Heritage Valley transit centre on Ellerslie Road to Century Park by way of 111 Street. Article content Article content With plans to construct one underpass, two overpasses, and two additional LRT stations, the project is expected to take about five years to build and cost nearly $1.4 billion, barring any overruns on time or budget. The Capital Line South LRT expansion was prioritized in the city's ongoing transit buildout to accommodate what it expects will be 15,000 daily riders once complete because of the area's ballooning population. Article content Article content 'We are growing as a city. We have had over 140,000 people move here in the last three years. We're going to be a city of 1.25 million people projected by the end of this year. We can't stop building transit. We can't stop building ways for people to move,' said Edmonton's deputy mayor and ward papstew Coun. Michael Janz at the groundbreaking ceremony. Article content 'Alberta's provincial government is pleased to have committed $365 million in provincial funding for this project. Now this total includes a recent approval at the city's request to reallocate $41 million in provincial funding from the Metro Line and the Valley Line West LRT projects to support this Phase One of the Capital Line South LRT project,' Dreeshen said. Article content Article content Phase One of the project will add a high-floor LRT connecting the existing Century Park LRT station and spanning 4.5 km to the Heritage Valley Transit Centre, which is currently a park and ride, but will also get an LRT station as part of the expansion. The expansion includes an underpass under 111 Street and 23 Avenue as well as two new bridges over Blackmud Creek and Anthony Henday Drive. Phase one will also add an operations and maintenance facility on the south side of Anthony Henday Drive and a Twin Brooks LRT station. Article content Article content Dreeshen said the province's support for Edmonton's LRT projects ties into the Alberta government's plans to create an 'optimal passenger rail system' for Alberta. Further, he said the province expects to have a passenger rail master plan completed by the summer, which will outline a 15-year plan to create commuter and regional rail services around the province, including connecting Edmonton and Calgary's mass transit systems.
CBC
20-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Gondek expresses doubt about downtown segment of Green Line LRT plan as province signals full steam ahead
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says the province is jumping the gun in claiming the downtown segment of the Green Line LRT project will move ahead based on the new alignment. It's the latest jab in an ongoing war of words between the city and the provincial government over the future of Calgary's major transit expansion. "The province, without consulting with their federal or municipal partners, issued a news release that suggested we are moving full steam ahead with their downtown alignment, even though significant risks and unanswered questions remain," Gondek told reporters on Wednesday. In a statement released Tuesday, Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen said because the federal government has re-approved its funding for the project, construction on the elevated alignment downtown can start in 2027. "This work will be based on the Government of Alberta's plan and alignment, using 10th Avenue S.W. and Second Street S.W. The design is expected to be completed by 2026, leading to construction on the downtown segment beginning in 2027," Dreeshen said. Gondek says there's no guarantee construction will start in that time frame, and expressed doubt that the design phase would be finished by 2026. She said the AECOM report commissioned by the province clearly acknowledges that the plan lacks the necessary analysis to move forward. "I have no idea how they propose to get this done by 2026. This is a process that will involve stakeholder engagement," the mayor said, adding businesses in the area that will be impacted by the proposed alignment have not yet had any conversations with the province. Asked about the mayor's concerns, Dreeshen said in an interview with CBC on Wednesday that more stakeholder engagement and consultation needs to be done before the downtown section of the Green Line moves forward. According to the city's website, the functional plan for the downtown segment is expected to be completed in 2026. The functional plan includes but is not limited to advancing design work on the downtown segment of the project. Gondek says there's no information yet on how an elevated LRT line will affect businesses and building owners in the area, or if it's even technically feasible. The mayor added there's also no agreement yet with CPKC for the necessary rights to build the CTrain line through the company's rail right of way. Gondek spoke to reporters Wednesday outside of Michael's Restaurant and Pizza on 10th Avenue S.W., one of the streets that could one day be in the shadows of elevated CTrain track. One of the owners of that pizzeria, John Batas, said no one has consulted him about the idea to build the LRT there. "It's just shocking. Like yesterday's [provincial release] saying it sounds like it's a done deal, that was another kind of gut punch we've received," Batas said. "When we first heard about it, I had no idea until a reporter came and asked me what I thought of it." John Batas, one of the owners of Michael's Restaurant and Pizza, says he's concerned about the possibility of the Green Line LRT's elevated track being built on the street where his business is. (Helen Pike/CBC News) He added he's concerned about the accessibility of his business if the LRT is built there. "This is a pretty busy street, the only two-way street in the downtown core. And if you take away this and put an LRT platform, access is going to be terrible," Batas said. "We've tried reaching out to the province. We sent them emails as soon as we heard about this. Come and talk to us, meet with us, hear our concerns. No one's willing to do anything." The city is doing a functional study on the elevated line, which Gondek says will take 18 to 24 months to complete and then council will vote on whether to proceed.
CBC
08-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Calgary police blame drop in photo radar fines for $28M revenue shortfall
The Calgary Police Service's operating budget is facing a $28-million revenue shortfall after a decrease in photo radar fines, according to its chief constable. Following a series of changes to photo radar regulations at the provincial level — such as limiting where officers can deploy, mandating highly visible markings on enforcement vehicles — CPS Chief Mark Neufeld says automated enforcement ticket revenues have declined. "We've seen increased costs for things like fuel, utilities, vehicles, parts, labour, insurance, plus a weakened Canadian dollar. All of these were issues that we were experiencing and that we were monitoring throughout 2024 and things that impacted our budget," Neufeld told reporters during a news conference Friday. "Simultaneously, the photo radar program has been under review at the provincial level. This culminated in a significant policy decision in December regarding the direction of that program going forward. In mid-January, we received a report that identified the anticipated financial impact of approximately $28 million to our operating budget in 2025 and each year thereafter." According to Neufeld, 85 per cent of the CPS budget is dedicated to staffing costs, such as salaries and benefits. Neufeld said that after receiving the January report, CPS began examining strategies to reduce operating expenses to not go over budget, which required "internal discussions" with employees. He says the budget shortfall will have impacts on the organization during a time when demands for police services are at an all-time high. "Over the last number of years, with all of the protests and demonstrations and additional requests for police, and given the fact that we've had staffing issues, we've in effect lived on a credit card," he said. "So we have called members in on overtime to cover some of the challenges and we've balanced that off against vacancy dollars. So now, clearly, we're not going to be able to do that going forward." However, the police chief says they're looking to cut costs internally before resorting to cutting staffing. "It's not as though there's a bunch of fat to cut. We're cutting muscle," he said. Alberta government responds In December, the provincial government announced its plans to slash the number of photo radar sites in Alberta by 70 per cent, with Alberta's Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen calling photo radar measures a "cash cow." In response to Friday's CPS news conference, Dreeshen said he still believes photo radar shouldn't be a tool for balancing municipal police budgets. "Photo radar was never supposed to be about revenue generation," Dreeshen told CBC News on Friday. "It was never supposed to be the main source of funding for policing in Edmonton and Calgary, or any municipality in the province. Photo radar and the revenue from it was always supposed to be about traffic safety." Dreeshen said municipalities shouldn't want to "base any policing budget off of a perfect photo radar system because the revenue that it generates should be zero," considering photo radar fines are designed to change driver behaviour. As part of the province's changes to photo radar, come April 1, photo radar sites on all provincial highways will be banned, except for those in school, playground and construction zones. "I think Albertans should be confident knowing — going forward — if you do get a photo radar ticket in the mail, it's in an area that you obviously shouldn't have been speeding in," he said. The minister added that any funding shortfall for CPS is something that should be addressed through city council.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Calgary police blame drop in photo radar fines for $28M revenue shortfall
The Calgary Police Service's operating budget is facing a $28-million revenue shortfall after a decrease in photo radar fines, according to its chief constable. Following a series of changes to photo radar regulations at the provincial level — such as limiting where officers can deploy, mandating highly visible markings on enforcement vehicles — CPS Chief Mark Neufeld says automated enforcement ticket revenues have declined. "We've seen increased costs for things like fuel, utilities, vehicles, parts, labour, insurance, plus a weakened Canadian dollar. All of these were issues that we were experiencing and that we were monitoring throughout 2024 and things that impacted our budget," Neufeld told reporters during a news conference Friday. "Simultaneously, the photo radar program has been under review at the provincial level. This culminated in a significant policy decision in December regarding the direction of that program going forward. In mid-January, we received a report that identified the anticipated financial impact of approximately $28 million to our operating budget in 2025 and each year thereafter." According to Neufeld, 85 per cent of the CPS budget is dedicated to staffing costs, such as salaries and benefits. Neufeld said that after receiving the January report, CPS began examining strategies to reduce operating expenses to not go over budget, which required "internal discussions" with employees. He says the budget shortfall will have impacts on the organization during a time when demands for police services are at an all-time high. Chief Constable Mark Neufeld spoke to the media about the $28-million operating revenue shortfall on Friday. (James Young/CBC) "Over the last number of years, with all of the protests and demonstrations and additional requests for police, and given the fact that we've had staffing issues, we've in effect lived on a credit card," he said. "So we have called members in on overtime to cover some of the challenges and we've balanced that off against vacancy dollars. So now, clearly, we're not going to be able to do that going forward." However, the police chief says they're looking to cut costs internally before resorting to cutting staffing. "It's not as though there's a bunch of fat to cut. We're cutting muscle," he said. Alberta government responds In December, the provincial government announced its plans to slash the number of photo radar sites in Alberta by 70 per cent, with Alberta's Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen calling photo radar measures a "cash cow." In response to Friday's CPS news conference, Dreeshen said he still believes photo radar shouldn't be a tool for balancing municipal police budgets. "Photo radar was never supposed to be about revenue generation," Dreeshen told CBC News on Friday. Alberta Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen is pictured in this file photo from December 2024. Dreeshen donned an apron with a 'No Cash Cow' logo to announce a cut in photo radar sites starting April 1, 2025. (Manuel Carrillos Avalos/Radio-Canada) "It was never supposed to be the main source of funding for policing in Edmonton and Calgary, or any municipality in the province. Photo radar and the revenue from it was always supposed to be about traffic safety." Dreeshen said municipalities shouldn't want to "base any policing budget off of a perfect photo radar system because the revenue that it generates should be zero," considering photo radar fines are designed to change driver behaviour. As part of the province's changes to photo radar, come April 1, photo radar sites on all provincial highways will be banned, except for those in school, playground and construction zones. "I think Albertans should be confident knowing — going forward — if you do get a photo radar ticket in the mail, it's in an area that you obviously shouldn't have been speeding in," he said. The minister added that any funding shortfall for CPS is something that should be addressed through city council.
