Conservative candidate Stephen Hill (inset) says he helped obtain the order-in-council to transfer Nelson's old train station from the CPR to the city last year.

26 April 2011

Tory Candidate Takes Credit for CPR Station Transfer

Nelson British Columbia - The local federal Conservative candidate says he played a role in transferring Nelson's historic railway station from CP Rail to the city, but his New Democrat opponent is skeptical how influential he really was.
 
Stephen Hill says he first heard the city was having trouble securing an order-in-council necessary for the transfer at a Chamber of Mines meeting, where mayor John Dooley approached him.
 
"He said, I'm having a problem. I can't get that order-in-council. I didn't even know what an order-in-council was," Hill says. However, he agreed to visit Conservative MP Colin Mayes in his Okanagan-Shuswap riding.
 
Hill says Mayes in turn introduced him to his assistant, who had never secured an order-in-council before, but she and Hill worked together to navigate the bureaucracy.
 
"She kept me abreast of the project, found the rules and regulations how to do it," he says. He promised the mayor the order would come through in March, but it took until 22 Apr 2010 to be passed under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act.
 
The city then transferred the building to the Nelson and District Chamber of Commerce, which is revitalizing it as a community gateway, visitor centre, and transit hub.
 
"They've invested over $600,000. It's beautiful, and when it's fully functional, it will be a tremendous asset for this community," Hill says.
 
However, incumbent New Democrat Alex Atamanenko says while Hill may have helped secure the order-in-council, he wasn't the only one.
 
"I certainly wrote a letter of support. There were many people involved. This, I think, is indicative of what he's been doing. He's been claiming credit for a lot of things when in fact many people have worked together."
 
Chamber of Commerce manager Tom Thomson says he never spoke to Hill about the order-in-council, but "we tried every angle we could possibly try, including talking to Alex Atamanenko's office and Colin Mayes' office."
 
Thomson says CP Rail was pushing hard to complete the transfer before the property taxes came due.
 
As for Hill's involvement, Thomson says "There's a good possibility he did have discussions with some government officials. I can't give you a definitive answer, but he said to me before that he was instrumental."
 
"Did I ever call Stephen Hill? No. I don't think anybody from the Chamber ever did. But lots of people were working on it, and it could very well have gone through him. No one ever called to say, We've got Stephen Hill working on this."
 
Nor did anyone from Mayes' office call to say they were successful, Thomson says the word ultimately came from the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. But he isn't quibbling over who takes or deserves credit.
 
"We're just happy we finally got it. Whoever was responsible, thank you very much."
 
Neither mayor John Dooley, who is travelling overseas, nor MP Colin Mayes could be reached for comment Monday.
 
Greg Nesteroff.