B.C. sets aside $18 million for Island Rail future as consultations continue – BC | 24CA News
The B.C. provincial authorities is committing $18 million in funding to additional the dialog over what to do with the defunct Vancouver Island Rail hall.
It has been greater than a decade for the reason that trains had been used to haul freight and carry passengers up and down Vancouver Island, however the hope is for the railway to finally be restored.
The funding can even permit First Nations to evaluate issues like flooding, entry, noise or security the place the hall crosses their land.
“We have to get it right and get on the right footing, which means working very closely through a lens of reconciliation with our First Nations partners,” mentioned Transportation Minister Rob Fleming.
“Given the frailty of our highway infrastructure during a extreme climate related event. So, to have alternates — to have some redundancy built into your transportation — is smart,” he mentioned.
Fuelled by a March 14 deadline, set by the B.C. Court of Appeal in 2021, the federal authorities didn’t affirm whether or not it might help a brand new rail system alongside the hall, which runs from Victoria to Courtenay.
Instead, greater than 10 acres taken from the Snaw-naw-as First Nation for the aim of the railway can be returned, and the $18 million in provincial funding has been dedicated for future planning.
“I think while they were clearly not in a position to respond to the courts today about investments, it is pleasing to me to see that they have made some significant steps in their statements about why the Island Rail Corridor is important for the future,” mentioned Fleming.
But critics warn the transfer solely provides to the multitude of research and consultations already carried out on the destiny of the tracks.
“This has been ongoing for a number of years, and I think the provinces’ lack of leadership and transparency on this, and to put out a new release that is very not clear, shows that even they’re confused on where they’re going next,” mentioned B.C. Transportation Critic Trevor Halford.
The Snaw-naw-as First Nation is celebrating the return of the the land within the precedent-setting win.
“We are going to get to work immediately to ensure that the railway no longer impedes our community’s safety, development and access,” mentioned Chief Gordon Edwards in a press release.
The Island Corridor Foundation, a charity managing the rails, mentioned it needs to take time to overview the choices earlier than commenting.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
