Premier Gary Doer says he won't stand in the way if Mayor Sam Katz wants to re-negotiate the funding agreement for the controversial rapid transit project, saying the new mayor has the "democratic right" to review it. "There's a new mayor with a new mandate who raised questions about (rapid transit) and he's got a right to do that," Doer told The Sun yesterday.
"We've taken the view that we should have an open mind and the federal government has taken the same view."
And that means the $51 million earmarked for rapid transit could be used for more pressing needs, such as street repair or community club upgrades, if Katz and city council decide to do so.
"He's got a mandate to do it," said Doer. "It's not like he surprised us after the election — he talked about this during the election."
The three levels of government announced funding earlier this year for three major infrastructure projects in Winnipeg, including $51 million for the first half of a proposed bus rapid transit route.
But support for rapid transit began to wane — if it ever existed at all — after it was revealed no cost-benefit analysis had been done to support the project and the price tag did not include the cost of the buses, pegged at an additional $25 million.
Katz raised questions about it during the byelection to replace former mayor Glen Murray. And now the newly-minted mayor wants to examine rapid transit further before making a commitment on it either way.
"When we made the announcement ... I said at the time that the provincial priority was sewage treatment, the federal priority was Kenaston underpass and the city priority was rapid transit," said Doer. "Unbeknownst to me, the mayor would be leaving and a new sheriff would be in town."
Doer's statements shoot down arguments by some city councillors who suggest the money would be lost if the city didn't use the $51 million for rapid transit.
In fact, the mayor and city council could simply re-direct the money to other more important projects.
And Doer has now made it clear the province would not get in the way of that.
He says none of the $51 million has flowed from the province or Ottawa to the city for rapid transit. As a result, Katz is not bound by pledges made on rapid transit by the previous administration.
"You do respect the commitments that have been made by previous governments if the money has begun to flow," said Doer.
But when it hasn't, all bets are off.
And it's now up to Katz to decide whether spending $51 million on a rapid transit system that few seem to want is a priority for city hall.
The truth is, even if you support the concept of a rapid transit system, you'd have to be out of your mind to move ahead on it without a cost-benefit analysis and a business plan — none of which has been done.
Most of the support for rapid transit is based on sentiment rather than rationale. Most of the arguments I've heard in favour of it are emotional ones, fuelled by some psychological need to build something big — even if you don't need it and can't afford it — to make people feel like they're living in a bigger city. It's completely irrational.
I call it the dink-bridge syndrome.
Fortunately it's a minority position.