9 September 2010

Corridor Plan Proceeds

Vernon British Columbia - A strongly worded letter from Canadian Pacific couldn't derail Spallumcheen council from amending an official community plan bylaw.
 
CP has expressed extreme disappointment with the township's bylaw that designates the CP and Canadian National railway right-of-ways in Spallumcheen as transportation corridors.
 
If the right-of-ways are no longer needed for rail purposes, the township can preserve the corridor for future mobility uses such as cycle routes, trails, and other uses that complement the primary transportation function.
 
CP's contract operation, Okanagan Valley Railway, ceased opertions on 31 Aug 2009, impacting businesses on the CP rail line from Armstrong to Sicamous. Since then, CP has been going through an abandonment process for two sections of the line:  Armstrong to Grindrod and Grindrod to Sicamous.
 
Negotiations for a private sale of the rail line were unsuccessful, so the next step was to offer the line to the federal, provincial, and local goverments.
 
In a one-page letter to Spall council, CP categorically objected to the proposed bylaw, which was presented at a public hearing Monday, passed, and adopted.
 
"CP is a federal undertaking under the exclusive jurisdiction of Parliament," wrote Dave Courville, CP's director of real estate west.
 
"It is CP's position that it is not subject to municipal zoning bylaws."
 
Spallumcheen Mayor Will Hansma wasn't surprised by CP's letter. He believes the rail company feels the value of the rail line would drop if the right-of-way is turned into a transportation corridor.
 
But Hansma said the move is important for the township.
 
"We're very aware the type of economic impact not having rail infrastructure would have," he said. "We feel this is a positive move on our part. We think the value of the corridor as it is today is enhanced by what we've done."
 
Showing support for the amendment at the public hearing was Armstrong-Spallumcheen's Active Communities, represented by Laurie Williams.
 
"We want the railway to continue to operate, but should it cease, then the right-of-way should be maintained as a transportation corridor," said Williams.
 
Roger Knox.