Big cities summit: Naheed Nenshi says it's time for Ottawa to invest
'What do we do with their poop?' Nenshi asks as he calls for more federal cash to manage growth
Calgary's mayor says he thinks the federal government should look at the current troubles as the perfect time to invest in city infrastructure.
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Naheed Nenshi was taking part in the Big City Mayor's meeting in Toronto on Thursday, a summit attended by 19 mayors from across Canada.
“They learned in 2008 that that stimulus works and they learned that municipalities are great partners for stimulus,” Nenshi said.
“And what's the interest rate today? Money is essentially free, it's a low as it's been in history. If you’re going to work counter-cyclically and you're going to create jobs and you're going to create stimulus in the economy, this is exactly the time to invest.”
The mayors say all of Canada’s big cities have major transit, affordable housing and infrastructure requirements — but don't have any way to raise the money on their own.
The most urgent problem facing Calgary remains handling the city’s growth, Nenshi said.
“How do we manage the people who are coming there, who want to live there, how do we make sure we can reduce congestion and can get people to work and school and where they need to go on time, how can we make sure they’ve got a place to live, a safe and decent place to live, and — the thing that is so sexy — what do we do with their poop.”