29 May 2008
CP Wrong Target for Mayor's Ire
Saskatoon Saskatchewan - For those who remember Mayor Don
Atchison's aggressive attacking style when he first campaigned for his job, it's easy to overlook just how gracious a diplomat he can
be.
In the heat of the debates over Saskatoon's condo-conversion policy last month, for example, Atchison waited patiently
while a visibly agitated Shannon Christensen made her way to the podium.
Christensen is passionate about the plight of the poor and homeless - conditions she obviously believes the majority on council
(including the mayor) doesn't take seriously enough. Clearly flustered and uncomfortable at a public confrontation, she had in her hand
a petition with almost 500 signatures demanding an immediate freeze on conversions and was prepared to blast council's inaction.
Atchison smiled kindly at Christensen, advised her to compose her thoughts and take a deep breath, and promised not to start timing her
on her five-minute presentation until she was ready. Considering he knew she had come to criticize him and council, it was
a characteristic but often overlooked example of his tolerance and patience even in the face of adversity.
It is because of this side of Atchison that I was taken aback when I read the strong language the mayor used to criticize CP Rail for
stonewalling on discussions to get out of town.
There is no question that more than a century after the railway converted Saskatoon from a village along the river to a major Prairie
power, the industry continues to play a vital role in the city's economy. Yet, there was Atchison, blaming CP for refusing to
co-operate with a plan by City Hall to extend 25th Street to Idylwyld Drive.
The mayor's frustration is understandable and follows a great Saskatchewan tradition of loving to hate the railways. From its birth,
Saskatchewan's economic survival has depended on the steel ribbons that brought its bounty to the oceans, where it could then head out
to world markets. But the province has always resented the callous and often indifferent treatment it receives at the hands of rail
company head office executives.
It is that disregard for the needs of the city that unquestionably raised Atchison's ire. CP Rail sees little economic advantage for
itself and its shareholders in tearing up its lines and moving out of the city - particularly when there's a considerable cost to
building new yards and rail lines and decommissioning the undoubtedly contaminated property it has in Saskatoon.
For that reason, the company would just as soon build an overpass somewhere along Idylwyld Drive or 25th Street to accommodate the
expansion of the road through the city yards, rather than give up the potentially valuable property where it holds and switches its
railcars.
As logical as it is for Saskatoon to move the trains outside city limits, convert the railway land to more dense residential and
commercial development, and even for an eventual rapid transit corridor that could be used in the interim for low-emission
commuter vehicles and bikes, it makes little economic sense for CP.
But the mayor's frustration is coming from the wrong direction.
While moving the tracks out of Saskatoon might not make any sense for the railway, it makes sense for Canada, which can balance its
books even through the current economic times, based on what it has growing on or sitting under the ground.
For Canada to continue to exploit its rich resources, it needs to the infrastructure to get the products to market as efficiently as
possible. That means moving the rail lines out of not just Saskatoon but all Prairie cities, enabling trains to move quickly and use as
little fuel as possible.
The Western premiers are meeting this week in Prince Albert to discuss ways to further the New West. While it's important for provinces
to find ways to co-operate in attracting immigrants, the need to invest in infrastructure in a co-ordinated
manner must be paramount. And one shouldn't underestimate how expensive this investment will be. Just to move the lines out of
Saskatoon will unquestionably cost $500 million to $1 billion.
Consider how much more it would cost to move lines out of Winnipeg, much less the rest of the West. Also consider how little Canada has
invested in this crucial infrastructure over the past two generations. The investments that have been made typically have been for
political reasons, not logical or economic.
There's ample evidence to suggest money should be spent, for example, to expand the Montreal-to-Windsor corridor in
Central Canada. But among the first projects approved by the Conservative government was to build a commuter link between Durham and
Peterborough to downtown Toronto, through Finance Minister Jim Flaherty's federal riding and adjacent to his wife's provincial riding.
This link may reduce some congestion on the road, but it was so far down the priority list of Ontario's $18-billion rail
plan that officials had trouble even guessing, even in the wake of Flaherty's announcement, how much it would cost or how many people
would use it.
Rather than venting his spleen at the railways, Atchison should use his diplomatic skills to build a prairie-city rail
committee that involves Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Regina, Winnipeg, and Brandon. Not only should this group try to convince
provincial politicians to invest in a Western Canadian fund to make the infrastructure more efficient, but prove to Ottawa that it's
wiser to invest strategically in Canada's future than to mindlessly cut taxes and withdraw from nation building.
Only when governments that traditionally have built vital infrastructure step up to assume their responsibility will the railways be
compelled to do the right thing. The cities are where necessary innovation will come from to rebuild the system most
efficiently.
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