Red light or green light for bus rapid transit

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This article was published 14/06/2016 (3434 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The future of rapid transit will be determined by a key vote at city council today.

Councillors are being asked to approve the controversial purchase of a strip of Manitoba Hydro land that runs along the Parker lands and through the Fort Garry Industrial Park.

If the sale is approved, construction will begin shortly afterward on the completion of the southwest transitway, linking Jubilee Avenue to the University of Manitoba.

If the sale is rejected, and there is no land for the corridor, the transitway project will be at a standstill.

“If we were to say no to this deal… it would essentially be derailing rapid transit,” said Coun. Jenny Gerbasi, who intends to support the Hydro purchase.

City administrators thought they had a deal to buy 16 acres of Hydro land for $4.6 million. They say they were forced to agree to a price of $20.4 million.

Councillors were shocked at the difference and some wonder if the project is worth pursuing.

City administrators concede the price is more than what they expected to pay, but they argue it won’t affect the $587.3-million budget of the combined transitway and Pembina Highway underpass. They say the project was going to come in under budget, leaving room to handle the additional expense from the Hydro deal and still stay within the original budget.

Councillors are aware approving the Hydro deal may affect negotiations with developer Andrew Marquess. The city has expropriated 20.5 acres of Marquess’s property, north of the Hydro corridor in the Parker lands, for a massive storm water retention basin. There’s concern approval of the Hydro deal will set the price for Marquess’s holdings: the city offered Marquess $80,000 an acre, but the Hydro deal puts the value of the land at $1.275 million an acre.

It takes nine of 16 councillors to pass a motion, and it’s uncertain how councillors will vote on the Hydro deal.

Few councillors appear to support the deal. Only Gerbasi, John Orlikow and Brian Mayes have said they favour it. Ross Eadie said he’s “leaning” toward supporting the deal.

Mayor Brian Bowman is sending mixed signals, saying he supports rapid transit “but not at any cost.” He will not say if the Hydro deal is too much.

Couns. Jeff Browaty, Shawn Dobson, Jason Schreyer, Scott Gillingham and most likely Russ Wyatt will oppose the deal. Wyatt said he hopes to get the vote postponed on the off chance Hydro will reopen negotiations and accept a lower price. Otherwise, he said he’ll vote against it.

Others said they won’t disclose how they will vote until they hear the debate at the council meeting.

“I think it’s still too close to call,” Coun. Matt Allard said.

The administration held two briefings with councillors to answer questions about the deal. Allard attended both sessions and said it appears the $20.4-million deal is the best the city will get.

He said the administration answered most of his questions but was vague about the effect the Hydro deal would have on negotiations with Marquess.

“There wasn’t much detail,” Allard said. “I think that’s something we need to consider.”

Wyatt attended both sessions and he said he wasn’t pleased with how the administration described Hydro’s announcement on Tuesday that its board had approved the sale.

“When the meeting started, the opening lines from the public service were, ‘We got good news today; the Hydro board voted in favour of our proposal.’”

He said it’s clear the administration wants council to approve the project.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca