Jim Gray — who has been in the oilpatch since the late 1950s and knows how business works — says he and others who urge city hall to pause the project have never opposed the Green Line, but rather how the city is doing it
This Green Line LRT is truly mind-blowing.
The circus at Calgary city hall really outdid themselves with this whopper.
Other misadventures cooked up in the place where your tax dollars go to die pale in comparison.
Ask Jim Gray about Calgary’s Green Line LRT.
I did on Monday, and boy, am I glad I did.
Gray just turned 91, has been in the oilpatch since the late 1950s, knows how business works and is not a man who minces his words especially when it comes to Calgary, the city he loves.
On Tuesday tight-lipped city hall, once again earning its nickname the Cowtown Kremlin, was expected to tell us the cost of building the first phase of the Green Line going from Eau Claire to Shepard, south of Douglas Glen.
It is just one piece of the total Green Line we were told would go from the far north of the city to the deep southeast in Seton.
But get this.
We are now expected to hear from city hall about a Green Line first phase that’s EVEN SHORTER than the already short phase one and nowhere remotely near reaching where most of the people live and the cost overruns, of course, are well on their way.
The future is not hard to see.
If the whole line were to be built as planned by the city the billions upon billions upon billions spent on it would be staggering.
“This is an unmitigated disaster,” says Gray.
It would never fly in the real world where, unlike city hall, you don’t just fly by the seat of your pants.
“We would never allow this to happen. It’s our money. We can’t afford it. There’s no business case.”
Gray talks about an expert on big project fiascos and what that big brain found out about them.
“They underestimate the costs. This whole Green Line could be $20 billion or $30 billion or $40 billion.
“They overestimate the benefits. They always overestimate the benefits.
“They spend money as fast as possible to get past the point of no return.
“We’re spending $300,000 every day.”
Gray’s finger bangs on the table to make sure I get his point.
How will this Green Line disaster hit people? Taxes. More taxes.
The Green Line was born out of city hall grabbing a yearly provincial tax break intended for Calgarians.
And when it comes to paying off the Green Line what else gets the short end of the stick?
Potholes? Water lines?
“We’re going to compromise what we can do in this wonderful, wonderful city of ours,” says Gray.
The man says he and others who urge city hall to pause the project have never opposed the Green Line.
They are opposed to how the city is doing it. One solution could be to go from city hall to Seton in the deep southeast with no underground stations.
Then there is the secrecy of city hall.
“They want secrecy because there’s too much risk in this. It would get voted down just like the Olympics.”
Then there is what city hall with their non-stop antics has lost.
“They’ve lost the most precious thing you can have, they’ve lost the trust of the people of Calgary.”
Have any of the city hall higher-ups talked to Gray and other business leaders?
Not since former city manager Jeff Fielding.
How about Mayor Jyoti Gondek? Had to ask.
Gray approached the mayor and she felt no need to sit down with him.
“If you oppose them, you’re the enemy,” he says.
Why does Gray think the city is pushing through their version of the Green Line?
“They get a vision. This is going to be wonderful. We’re going to take 500,000 cars off the road. We’re going to be a city the world is going to look at as a leader. And it’s all B.S.
“This is headed for the ditch. We’re a classic example of how to fail. This is a mess.”
Is it too late to do the right thing?
“It’s never too late to do the right thing,” says the veteran oilman in no mood to reach for a white flag.
You have to ask why is this guy, who hails from northern Ontario’s Kirkland Lake, taking on city hall, even when many Calgarians are just so apathetic about the money pit of this biggest project in the history of the city.
“I don’t want this story to be about me. I care about Calgary and I’m just worried to death about my city.”