News Release — For Immediate Release
March 29, 2011 #3
Green Party candidate Anna Wagner calls for high speed rail development
Calgary – Green Party Calgary West candidate Anna Wagner is challenging candidates in the other parties to work together to create a national priority – the development of high speed rail in Canada.
The Green Party of Canada will make it a top priority to create an integrated high speed rail system to link our major cities and build separate lines for passenger and freight traffic. We will create a national clean freight initiative, and use regulation and incentives to improve efficiency and safety.
High speed rail will provide alternative ways of travelling around your region, for example, Lethbridge – Fort McLeod – Calgary – Red Deer – Edmonton. The #2 highway is fast – some say the fastest highway in Canada, but also treacherous in poor weather. Flights are cheap but have delays and are not the most environmentally friendly solution to local travel. Let’s reduce the number of cars and flights to and from our regional cities and reduce pollution and traffic accidents in the process.
Making the development of regional high speed rail will also create a demand for thousands of highly skilled workers – green workers. In order to be able to compete economically, we need to be able to give our citizens a cost-effective and quick way to move around our country to get business underway. Most developed nations are ahead of us in terms of high speed passenger rail lines within and between regions.
It’s important to invest in our future in this way. Not investing in this will cost us more in the long run, in terms of the costs to our citizens of doing business, the cost of increased pollution, and the cost of not investing in these green job opportunities. “A national clean high speed rail initiative will bring sustainable prosperity to all Canadians in terms of both the economy and the environment” said Wagner.
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Contact Information:
Anna Wagner
Green Party Candidate for Calgary West
E: annawagner@vote4anna.ca
P: 403-457-6932
vote4anna.ca
greenparty.ca
