VOLUNTEERS WANTED!
I am hoping that some of the more enthusiastic members of the forum will be willing to volunteer some of their time to become involved in a citizen driven transit initiative for the upcoming 2013 municipal election. The level of discussions that are frequently held on this forum show the level of passion that members have for making Calgary one of the best cities in the world to call home. I think that the majority of members would agree that in order for that to happen, our goal should be creating an environmentally, socially and fiscally sustainable community built around a solid primary transit network. With that in mind, I have become a founding member of an organization that has started to lay the foundation for an initiative that I hope will drive real change in Calgary.
Alternative funding for civic projects has become a widely discussed topic over the last few months. Our organization feels that lack of funding is the largest barrier currently standing between the Calgary of today and the city we all hope to see in the future. The funding issue will have the greatest impact on large rapid transit projects and the associated benefits to the surrounding communities that they are capable of bringing. To address this issue, the smarterCity.ca initiative was created and has authored a report entitled "Paying Our Own Way: The Case for a Fuel Surcharge in the City of Calgary". The conclusion reached in the report is that the addition of a $0.10/L fuel surcharge with-in Calgary will be able to provide funding for the immediate construction of the South East LRT to Seton as well as the North Central LRT to North Pointe in a way that should be cost neutral to the average Calgarian.
Any new tax is a risky proposal for a politician and requires the expenditure of a large amount of political capital to promote. We do not foresee this happening in an election year. However we do feel that the current Calgary City Council, would be receptive to the idea if it was brought forward by an independent group and framed as a request for a plebiscite. That way any candidate would not have to campaign in support of the surcharge and could instead simply agree to implement it should that be the decision of Calgarians.
Today marks the launch of the smarterCity.ca website and the beginning of the second phase of our initiative. Over the next month, we will proceed with a grass-roots campaign to promote the idea of a plebiscite. We plan on approaching various community organizations and business groups to solicit feedback and support prior to bringing the matter to the attention of council and the media in mid-May.
We are hoping to add to our volunteer base by looking for individuals who would be interested in helping take our message out into the community.
Please check out our website at http://www.smartercity.ca and become informed.
Contact information is available on the website for anyone who may be interested or you can also feel free to PM me on the forum.
With any luck, by the end of the decade a LRT line that stretches from the far north to the deep south-east will be more than something that is just discussed on a forum and instead will be a reality that will serve to benefit generations of Calgarians.
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