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Originally Posted by flatlander
Breaking News
Gerrard backs rapid transit
Updated at 11:27 AM
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Here is the press release in its entirety:
Liberals offer Smarter, Greener, Livable Winnipeg
Gerrard highlights party’s Prescription for Progress for urban centres
WINNIPEG – Dr. Jon Gerrard’s Liberals are ready to do what Gary Doer’s NDP promised in 1999 but have failed to deliver in eight years: build stronger urban communities across Manitoba and treat the City of Winnipeg with the respect it deserves.
Dr. Gerrard showcased a number of his party’s urban renewal and revitalization plans today as part of the Liberal’s Prescription for Progress for Manitoba. Dr. Gerrard made the announcement at the refurbished campaign office of Riel Liberal candidate Grant Woods. Where most people saw a neighbourhood eyesore, the creative Woods and his team of volunteers saw an opportunity to turn a graffiti-ridden abandoned building into a spacious and colourful campaign office.
"It is time to re-imagine the possibilities of what we can achieve in Winnipeg and with Winnipeg," Dr. Gerrard said. "We need to make our cities more attractive, more green, and more livable in every sense. That means following the lead of candidates like Grant Woods and embracing smart and creative planning in all Manitoba communities.”
Smart planning means creating denser neighbourhoods where people and businesses live side-by-side (or one on top of the other) and are well-supported by public transit. It also means locating malodorous industrial operations, such as the proposed OlyWest plant, outside of city limits and committing to biking and hiking trails, urban green spaces, community gardens, and other measures that make urban communities livable cities.
"There are tremendous benefits in moving from NDP dumb growth to Liberal smart growth, not only for taxpayers who will get a bigger bang for their buck when it comes to infrastructure, but also for the environment and physical health because people will drive less and walk more,” Dr. Gerrard said. “But the ultimate goal is creating communities that are exciting and fun places to live and can compete with places like Calgary or Edmonton to attract people and keep them here.”
Dr. Gerrard also said the Doer NDP has failed in its eight years in government to fix a problematic and often tense relationship between the City of Winnipeg and the provincial government left behind by the Filmon Tories. The Liberal leader said that he is committed to restoring a cooperative relationship that will produce real results and less tension between levels of government.
Manitoba Liberals will:
Commit $75 million in immediate provincial funding for high-speed transit, including the option of light rail, based on discussions with the City of Winnipeg in the first 90 days of a Liberal government;
Increase transit ridership, starting in the first year with free transit passes on weekends for seniors and post-secondary students and reduced fares for seniors and post-secondary students on weekdays;
Put priority on provincial incentives for urban ‘infill’ developments, especially multi-family developments and mixed-use developments where appropriate, in city centres and surrounding neighbourhoods
Require large industrial hog plants and other malodorous operations to be located outside of municipal limits as is the case in Brandon and Neepawa
Place a priority on adequate funding for biking and hiking trails, urban green spaces, community gardens, and alternative green space designs that quiet and beautify communities.
“While there is of course no quick fix to decades of neglect on urban issues by past provincial governments, Manitoba Liberals understand that
the decline of urban centres in Manitoba have been the result of 50 years of poor planning and a ‘Megaproject Mindset’ to solving problems,” Dr. Gerrard said. “Liberals will turn to modern smart growth practices to reverse decades of dumb growth under the NDP and Conservatives.”