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“I have been hoping for a day like this for a long time,” said Sohi, who left his role as an Edmonton city councillor in part to work for long-term, predictable infrastructure funding for communities.

That contract is government to government, Iveson said. It’s not tied to a specific political party being in office the entire 10 years.

“This is why long-term commitments are so important,” he said. “Once you have an agreement with the Crown, essentially, to fund a given project, even if it’s 10 years to build it, that agreement is binding as governments come and go.”

Photo by Ian Kucerak / Postmedia

“It is important for us to lock in these agreements before next year’s elections, both provincial and federal, and I’m confident we can do it, at least for Valley Line west and maybe for some of our other medium-term priorities.”

Only the transit funding has been allocated to specific cities. Edmonton’s share is $878 million, based on ridership. Calgary gets $1.01 billion. The specific amounts for other smaller centres with public transit will be announced later this week.

Iveson also celebrated the way Ottawa and the province has backed each other’s commitments.

The federal government will fund up to 40 per cent of any new project, up to 50 per cent of renewal projects. Alberta is committed to funding a minimum 33 per cent on these transit projects, said Jansen.

Iveson said the city is still negotiating with the province on that number, hoping for a cost-sharing formula of 40-40-20, to recognize the lower fiscal capacity of cities and the fact they cover all maintenance and operating costs.

Jansen said the money will be allocated to give “maximum benefit for Alberta” rather than being signed over to the first municipalities with a pitch.

“There is no rush,” she said. “This is a 10-year program.”

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