The Counter Signal’s Editor-in-Chief Keean Bexte interviewed Alberta NDP leader Naheed Nenshi on Thursday at the Calgary Stampede, asking him about the Green Line debacle that UCP Minister Devin Dreeshen calls “Nenshi’s nightmare.”

The Green Line project has been in planning for several years, with the Calgary City Council approving the project on June 16, 2020 when Nenshi was Calgary’s mayor. But the project still hasn’t begun phase one of its construction, and is expected to take six years.

Full Interview with Nenshi:

“Every single major project that I did [as Calgary mayor] came in on time and on budget” he told Bexte.

Nenshi has argued that the current problems with the Green Line are someone else’s fault, despite the infamous boondoggle being branded the “Nenshi Nightmare” by provincial cabinet officials.

Nenshi says that the province studied the Green Line “to the ends of the earth” when the NDP was in power, and the UCP eventually gave the green light to his plan.

Nenshi further threw shade towards UCP Minister of Transportation, Devin Dreeshen, saying “ask Mr. Dreeshen how that Stony Trail Bridge is going, only a year late and 50% over budget so far.”

In response to the terse statement, Transport Minister Devin Dreeshen said that “Nenshi can lie about his record and blame others all he wants, but the fact remains that his failure to properly plan out and cost the Green Line is what created this headache for Calgarians.”

“Every LRT project in Alberta since Nenshi’s disastrous time as Calgary’s Mayor, has been completed or seen significant progress. Every project was carefully planned and delivered, except Nenshi’s Green Line back in 2010,” he added.

“With regard to the Stony Trail Bridge, this project will be completed this fall and on-budget. I’m not sure if Nenshi is delusional about projects or if he deliberately tries to mislead Albertans.”

In September 2020, the UCP committed $70 million to replacing the southeast section of Stoney Trail bridge, which crosses the Bow River and government estimates show it will be on-budget.

UCP leading Nenshi’s NDP

According to a new Abacus Data poll, the governing UCP still has a 14-point lead over the New Democrats under their new leader, Nenshi.

The poll came just days after Nenshi won Alberta’s NDP leadership race in a landslide, winning 86% of the votes.