CALGARY, Alta. – Calgary Mayor, Dave Bronconnier, affectionately dubbed Mayor Bronco by the locals delivered a stirring message as the keynote speaker at Reality Check 2002.

Bronconnier addressed the audience over lunch about the challenges facing Calgary’s transportation network. He was quick to acknowledge the city has fallen behind in recent years.

“Over the past 10 years, development of transportation infrastructure in Calgary has not kept pace with our growth,” admits Bronconnier. “We are now facing an infrastructure deficit that we must act upon and we must act upon quickly.”

With more than 17 million consumers within a 24-hour drive of Calgary, Bronconnier says it’s evident the city can’t afford to lose its status as Western Canada’s distribution hub.

“Every link in the supply chain must operate to the utmost efficiency,” says Mayor Bronco. “When links fail, delivery schedules are missed and corporate bottom lines suffer.”

While the city has committed to shelling out $750 million this year towards infrastructure and will construct three new interchanges in the busiest areas of the city, Bronconnier blamed the province for limiting progress. He explained a fuel tax agreement with the province inked two years ago has been broken, and the end result may cost Calgarians $100 million over the next five years.

“The fuel tax agreement took four years to negotiate and it took only 18 months for the province to change their minds,” he says.