It’s clear that the UCP government does not care about the needs of Calgarians. Just 34 days ago, the UCP promised that funding for the Green Line was “100 per cent” secure, even for the new shorter version. Now they've decided to pull their funding. This reckless decision could mean the end of a badly needed transit project and a massive waste of over $1 billion that has already been spent as construction is well underway. The UCP has chosen to give up 20,000 jobs directly associated with this project, including 1,000 people employed today who will be thrown out of work by this decision. Not to mention all the private sector jobs that will come from the redevelopment and densification of lands surrounding the future stations. Let’s be clear. This decision will drive both public and private sector investment out of Calgary and Alberta because there is no certainty. Who will ever bid on projects if the province’s signature is no longer worth anything and they can pull funding at will? They are pretending they are looking at new options, but we’ve seen this movie before. Minister Dreeshen’s proposed alignment has been studied. And studied. And studied. It won’t work. It dumps SE commuters nowhere near where they need to be and expects them to trudge to a red or blue line station to get on a train that is already packed. It’s a dream from someone who has clearly never taken transit in Calgary. The UCP government has chosen to make this a political issue. The UCP wants to make this about me. It’s not about me — it’s about doing the right thing for the tens of thousands of Calgarians that will be hurt by this decision. As always, the UCP would rather pick a fight than win for citizens. The Green Line is a required investment for the future of Calgary. It’s an investment in ending the congestion on Deerfoot and Stoney Trails, and the Centre Street corridor.  It’s an investment in the environment, in quality of life, in getting people to and from work, and kids to and from school. We simply have to look at the congestion nightmare that is Toronto today because that city didn’t invest in transit when they should have. This is untenable and the people of Calgary deserve better than to be used as a political football. The premier needs to intervene directly, take control of this file from her minister and advisors and work with the city to find a way forward.