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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2016
Anti-bus campaign costing city TRANSIT
Taxpayer costs mount to battle Ready to Engage Brodie Thomas
Metro | Calgary The private campaign opposed to a new bus rapid transit system in southwest Calgary is costing taxpayers cash, according to the city. Sean Somers, spokesman for the transportation department, said his office has spent between $20,000 and $25,000 on extra costs in an attempt to dispel “misinformation” put out by the Ready to Engage group. “We’ve been doing a fair bit of additional social media after hours,” said Somers. “For lack of a better word — combating misinformation.”
Rick Donkers, Ready to Engage spokesman, said he feels the group is being scapegoated by the city. “If we had real conversation — a give and take of ideas — and not them just telling us that the conversation is closed … then perhaps we wouldn’t be pushing so hard,” said Donkers. He added that the dollar figure concerns him as a taxpayer. Somers said the extra costs include community mail-outs, staff overtime costs to stage pop-up information sessions in the southwest and hiring additional transit staff to hand out information to passengers. It also covers hiring extra security while they’re at public events. He said they’ve had to do that ever since an October altercation between a staff member and a resident of Eagle Ridge. More coverage, page 5
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Jian Ghomeshi leaves court with lawyer Marie Henein. Ghomeshi has pleaded not guilty to four counts of sexual assault and one count of overcoming resistance by choking. FRAN GUNN/THE CANADIAN PRESS
TRIAL BEGINS
All eyes on the case against former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi metroNEWS metroLIFE