22 November 2010

Lunney Takes Rail Battle to
Parliament Hill

Mississippi Mills Ontario - Mayor Al Lunney will be taking the campaign to save the Ottawa Valley Railway line to the front doors of Parliament Hill next week.
 
Lunney, recently appointed as the spokesperson for Lanark County on the railway issue, will be holding a press conference on Parliament Hill on Friday, 26 Nov 2010 at noon.
 
"Can we please put this off for a year so we can get everyone around the table?" said Lunney of his main message to the federal and provincial governments, during the Town of Mississippi Mills council meeting on 15 Nov 2010.
 
"Canadian Pacific (CP), they refuse to talk to us," said Lunney.
 
"Probably on the first of April, the tracks will come up... these guys at CP, they're just taking it (the tracks) out. It appears more and more and more that it is a done deal."
 
Earlier this month, the federal government passed on buying the line.
 
The ball is now in the court of the provincial government.
 
They have until 5 Dec 2010 to announce if they will purchase the line.
 
In Lunney's latest round of his letter writing campaign to cabinet ministers, he has shifted his attention to members of Premier Dalton McGuinty's cabinet, specifically, Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne.
 
Lunney also revealed that the county is considering holding a community meeting on the railway issue at the Almonte Old Town Hall.
 
In earlier press releases and statements, Lunney and the county had estimated the value of the tracks at about $90 million.
 
"No one knew how much it was worth," said Lunney.
 
New information provided to Lunney this week, however, showed that the rails were actually worth about $50 million.
 
Ramsay Ward Coun. Jim Lowry pointed out that 7 Nov 2010 marked the 125th anniversary of the driving of the Last Spike in the national railway line which linked Canada from east to west, and was one of the conditions of British Columbia entering confederation.
 
"Sir John A. MacDonald was the prime minister (then). He happened to be a conservative, and he talked for six hours and 40 minutes to get it," said Lowry.
 
Desmond Devoy.