Latest news with #TransportationandEconomicCorridors
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
22-05-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Springbank Off-stream Reservoir now operational, says province
After three years of construction, the controversial Springbank Off-Stream Reservoir (SR1) is now operational, says the Alberta government. Article content Article content The reservoir, located about 15 kilometres west of Calgary, was built to prevent another flood like the one Calgary and southern Alberta experienced during the June 2013 floods. Five people died in the catastrophic floods, which caused more than $5 billion in damages. Article content Article content The SR1 will only hold water during a flood, when it will divert water from the Elbow River and release it back into the river once there's no longer a flood risk. Article content Article content When the Elbow's water level rises, SR1's 4.7-kilometre long, 24-metre wide diversion channel will move water to the off-stream storage reservoir, which can store more than 70 million cubic metres of water about 28,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Article content 'With flood season now upon us, Calgary and southern Alberta can rest assured that they will be protected from future large-scale floods like that of 2013,' said Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen in a Wednesday statement. 'SR1's innovative design will ensure people, communities and businesses are buffered from the most devastating physical and economic impacts of major floods.' Article content Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said Calgarians remember 'all too well' the devastation caused by the 2013 floods, but added the SR1's completion 'marks a turning point.' Article content Article content 'The completion of SR1 means we are better prepared, more resilient and actively protecting people, property and prosperity,' said Gondek in a Wednesday statement. Article content Last week, the city's river engineering leader said the SR1 will work in tandem with the Glenmore Reservoir, which doubled its own water storage capacity in 2020, and its added capacity has drastically reduced the chances of flooding along the Elbow River. Article content The SR1 cost an estimated $849.4 million, a figure that includes land purchases, the province says. Article content The Alberta government is footing $680.9 million of that bill, and the federal government is contributing $168.5 million. Article content The province's share has jumped over $100 million from the estimate provided by former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney three years ago. In 2022, Kenney said the province would pay $576 million for the SR1 which itself was a 25 per cent increase over the highest estimate at the time of $432 million.
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.
CBC
31-01-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Calgary councillor not seeking re-election due to provincial intervention and partisan politics
Social Sharing As uncertainty continues to cloud the Green Line LRT project, even as construction could begin this year, Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian worries Calgary is becoming a city that can't get things done. That's partly why she's signalled she won't be returning for another term on council. During Tuesday's city council meeting, Mian announced she wouldn't seek re-election this fall. The primary factor behind her decision, she explained, is how the provincial government has backed city council into a corner on the Green Line, removing much of the city's control on a project it has ultimate accountability for. Now, Mian worries the project is unlikely to connect to the city's downtown, as debate rages on about whether the train will arrive there on elevated tracks — and unlikely to reach the north side of the city. "We're staring down the barrel of a gun, being told to do what the provincial government says and to pay for it as well," Mian told CBC News on Wednesday. "No one wants to let the project collapse, but I think as a result of that, there were governance decisions that are being made to continue that I don't think are sound, and are not things that I want to continue to represent." Pawns in political game The news came a couple weeks after Ward 12 Coun. Evan Spencer announced he also wouldn't run in the October municipal election. Spencer cited a growing trend of politicians being rewarded for grandstanding and attacking opponents, rather than collaboration. Similarly, Mian believes politics is taking precedence on council over delivering value. On the Green Line, she argues, this took shape after former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi became leader of the Alberta NDP. Since then, she says the provincial government was more interested in making decisions on the project that would criticize Nenshi's past work, resulting in a transit line of lower quality, higher cost and unknown risk. "I think that cities are really a pawn in this larger political game," Mian said. "People who are thoughtful and critical and good governors will quickly get exhausted from the politics. And you end up with people on city council who are really just there to hold a seat and to enable more politicking, which I don't think is good for the future of our city." The result, Mian predicts, will be more councillors experiencing burnout and lasting only one term on council. "I don't think that's a good thing for the long-term governance of the city," Mian said. "You need some people to stay who have had that long-term view." When asked about the possibility that the province's interventions on municipal projects like the Green Line could dissuade some people from serving on city council, Alberta Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen said he doesn't want to weigh in on why anyone may or may not seek election or re-election, but noted he's heard plenty of frustration about council in Calgary. A more partisan city council Ward 3 residents will vote for a new representative this fall, without an incumbent in the race, for the third consecutive election. Jyoti Gondek represented the ward from 2017 to 2021 before running for mayor, following Jim Stevenson's term on council from 2007 to 2017. This fall's municipal election will also be the first in Calgary with political parties — a prospect that is also influencing Mian's decision to step away. She'd rather see councillors accountable as individuals rather than voting along party lines. The result could be a more partisan city council, a problem that was already flagged by former Ward 12 councillor Shane Keating in 2020. Keating, who served on council from 2010 to 2021, announced he wouldn't seek re-election partly due to how partisan and overtly political council had become. Since then, Keating believes the problem has only gotten worse. "You're supposed to be there to do the best job you can for the citizens of Calgary," Keating said. "You can't be there to fight a battle for no reason other than you're fighting a battle with other people, whether it's parties or partisan politics." Keating worries that constant internal bickering will dissuade people from wanting to run for council. During his time on council, Keating chaired the Green Line committee, where he championed the project. He argues that what started out as a great project has ended up a disaster by descending into partisan, nitpicking politics. "You can't run the orders of government in Canadian society if one level is going to hold everyone else hostage," Keating said. Thus far, Mayor Gondek and seven councillors have said they're seeking re-election in Calgary this fall. Mian, Spencer and Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu have previously said they won't run for re-election. Three others — Courtney Walcott, Gian-Carlo Carra and Peter Demong — have not publicly stated whether they will run this fall.
