Mayoral candidates square off over LRT

Dave Bronconnier is promising to spend a billion dollars to build the west leg of the LRT if he is re-elected as Calgary's mayor, but several other mayoral candidates question the plan.

"If implemented by city council, we'll double the size of the LRT in less than a decade," Bronconnier said Thursday, unveiling the first major policy of his re-election platform.

The two-term mayor proposes extending the northwest leg of the rail line to Tuscany and Rocky Ridge, while the northeast leg would expand with two new stations into Martindale and Saddle Ridge.

All of the money would come from Calgary's share of the $10-billion provincial infrastructure program announced last week.

But Bronconnier's opponents say the plan is flawed.

Alnoor Kassam says the growing communities in the northeast and northwest could be better served by bringing four-car trains online instead of building more track.

As mayor, Kassam says he would focus on a southeast line.

"And I can't understand why he's ignoring those 150,000 Calgarians. What happens to all the Calgarians in Douglasdale and McKenzie and Ogden. That's where we need to get the train."

Mayoral candidate Jonathan Joseph Sunstrum prefers to fix the current transit system before adding more LRT lines.

"I question why you would expand a west LRT when you already have existing problems running on the facility right now," Sunstrum said.

Candidate Sandy Jenkins said he would spend the money on building the LRT underground along 8th Avenue and rerouting the west leg.

Nine people are vying to be Calgary's mayor in the Oct. 15 civic election.