Public will have say in rail bid

The public will have a chance to comment on any deal that sees CN sell the abandoned Vernon-Kelowna railbed to local governments.

City officials acknowledge there hasn’t been any formal attempt to gauge public support for the possibility of a coalition of local municipalities buying the corridor, for which CN is asking $50 million.

One reason for the lack of consultation, Kelowna city manager Ron Mattiussi says, is that officials simply don’t have the outline of a tentative agreement to present to the public for consideration.

“It’s hard to ask people to comment on something when you don’t have the document to put in front of them,” Mattiussi says.

City, provincial, and federal officials believe there is strong support among the public for efforts to transform the 50-kilometreg rail corridor into a long distance recreation path.

“It’s a personal priority, and I have heard it is a priority from lots of people,” Kelowna-Lake Country Conservative MP Ron Cannan said in mid-July. “This is an opportunity we don’t want to miss.”

But at least one Lake Country man is trying to muster opposition to the project, saying it represents a poor use of public money.

“With little or no public consultation, this $50 million is far too much to be spending on a luxury that only a very small percentage of the population will ever consider using,” says Guy Bissonnette. “How did our city councils get swayed by by a very small group of hiking enthusiasts?”

Any number of projects are more important than acquiring the rail corridor, Bissonnette says, suggesting such things as road improvements, provision of lowcost housing or lower property taxes.

With the municipal election on Nov. 15, Bissonnette says all candidates should be quizzed on whether they support the use of considerable amounts of public money to acquire the railbed.

City officials are working against a deadline of next Monday to try reach an agreement with CN to buy the corridor. Mattiussi has said there is the “essence of a deal” in place, but details remain to be worked out.

If no agreement is reached before Monday, the city will ask the Canadian Transportation Agency to get involved in determining a price that local governments will then be free to accept or reject.

Should any future agreement require municipalities to borrow money for a term of more than five years, provincial law would require the deal be put to voters for approval.

That would be done either through a referendum or, more likely, the holding of an alternate approval process, in which the deal would go forward unless 10 per cent of eligible voters signed petitions within a 30 day window.