I agree. The statement by Mr. Coutts (to The Globe and Mail):

“What we’re saying is let’s not blow our brains out building the biggest, costliest infrastructure known to mankind without the economic justification.”

struck me as a very odd choice of words. Aside from the fact that even in hypothetical terms it is largely exaggerated , the mere exercise of choosing such words seems to convey more the sentiment of the speaker rather than expressing those sentiments of the group which he is aiming to reflect.