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Regional districts call on feds to fund Vancouver Island rail revival

Federal government has until March 14 to decide fate of Island Rail Corridor
31954102_web1_230221-VNE-CRDIslandRail-FilePhoto_1
The Island Rail Corridor has been left to deteriorate since passenger service ended in 2011. (Black Press Media file photo)

Vancouver Island regional districts are urgently calling on the Canadian government to commit to protecting the historic Island Rail Corridor as the mid-March deadline to decide its fate inches closer.

In a Tuesday (Feb. 21) news release, the Capital Regional District board said it’s working alongside other regional districts on the Island – representing more than 610,000 residents – to encourage the federal government to sit down with the province and regional districts to provide an update of its position on the issue.

“We believe it is in the national, provincial and regional interest to protect this corridor and advance First Nations reconciliation efforts and should be a top priority for the federal government,” said CRD board chair Colin Plant. “It is imperative that we recognize the significance of this crucial transportation infrastructure and work together to ensure its protection for generations to come.”

The federal government has until March 14 to decide whether it will fund infrastructure on a disputed corridor segment that runs through a Nanoose-area First nation. That Court of Appeal-imposed deadline was the result of a lawsuit launched by the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation, which has maintained the land was stolen in 1912 and is no longer being used for railway purposes.

READ MORE: Capital Regional District continues push to get trains moving again on Vancouver Island

The First Nation brought forward the suit after passenger service along the line ended in 2011, leaving it to deteriorate in the decade following.

Two rulings sided with Canada and the Island Corridor Foundation, which committed to restoring the entire 295-kilometre rail corridor if it can manage to secure sufficient funding. The court, however, will allow the First Nation to enforce its right of reversion if the feds don’t put up funding or reach a decision by the deadline.

“Regional district boards across Vancouver Island previously supported the ICF’s request that the federal and provincial governments work together to create a multi-disciplinary team, reflecting all interests, to protect the corridor and advance rail transportation on Vancouver Island,” said a Feb. 17 letter from the CRD to the ministers of transport and Crown-Indigenous relations. “We also request that the federal and provincial government equitably settle Indigenous claims within and along the Island Rail Corridor.”

Transport Canada has said the federal government’s decision-making will be informed by B.C.’s engagement on the corridor’s future and remains under consideration.

– With files from Jake Romphf

READ MORE: ‘Strategically important’: Feds weighing $431M Vancouver Island Rail Corridor future as deadline looms


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Austin Westphal

About the Author: Austin Westphal

Austin Westphal is the newest member to join the Saanich News team.
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