Information relating to the history and protection of the old Interurban passenger and freight rail corridor through the Township of Langley and the City of Langley is being released today (Attached). A great deal has been said about what can and cannot be done on this corridor, and the Township recently received a legal opinion reviewing the various existing historical agreements. However, one further agreement - which had gotten lost through time - was recently discovered: a Master Agreement between BC Hydro and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), concerning the sale of the tracks and equipment in the Pratt-Livingstone Corridor from BC Hydro to the CPR. The Master Agreement linked other agreements between BC Hydro and the CPR, one of which reserved certain rights to BC Hydro to operate trains, including passenger trains, over the Pratt-Livingstone Corridor; a joint section which runs through the Township and City of Langley. Our provincial government of the day deserves an abundance of credit in its effort to protect the public’s right to passenger transportation on the Pratt-Livingston Corridor, a right previously thought not to exist. But it is clear that when the Province, through BC Hydro, concluded the agreement with the CPR they did so with the foresight of safeguarding a public asset for generations. However, the agreement between BC Hydro and the CPR reserving BC Hydro’s right to operate passenger trains on the Pratt-Livingstone Corridor is a twenty-one (21) year agreement that was signed August 29, 1988, with a renewal clause for twenty-one (21) years at either party’s option. This agreement expires on August 29, 2009. Township Council agreed on May 4 to send a letter to BC Hydro requesting its immediate response, and the assurance that Hydro will renew the agreement in question prior to August 29, 2009. Letters will also be sent to all municipalities and cities south of the Fraser, requesting support for the renewal. Township Council will also send a letter to the City of Surrey and the Board of Directors of the Fraser Valley Heritage Railway Society, asking for their consideration for inclusion of the Township of Langley in their plans for the 2010 Heritage Rail Demonstration Project. This project is currently planned to run from Sullivan Station to Cloverdale. Township of Langley Mayor Rick Green is suggesting it run into Milner, as there is much interest in building a heritage rail replica station at the Milner site. -30- Full Text of NDP Release:
For Immediate Release:
May 6, 2009
NDP WILL PRESERVE RAIL AGREEMENT
Langley – Yesterday Mayor Rick Green and his council released a memorandum referring to the ‘long lost’ Master Agreement, which not only defines some land use arrangements between the Province, Municipality and the Railway, but also ensured 33% of the traffic on the line for crown use. In exchange, the CPR is allowed to build rails and use 66% of the rail capacity on the provincially owned land.
“Gordon Campbell has made a mess of transit in the Lower Mainland,” said Stephany. “The BC Liberal plan is an unfunded wish list. It won’t get more people out of their cars, won’t make transit more convenient and it won’t make transit more affordable.”
The NDP will stand behind planning for a comprehensive light rail transit system serving the South Fraser region. It will be closely integrated with the bus and SkyTrain systems. The plan will review options including the interurban passenger rail route.
“Because we stand for a comprehensive light rail transit system for the South Fraser region, we will be very interested in any options that become available to us, including crown use of the interurban corridor and the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) rails through Langley,” said Stephany.
In a letter to Kathleen Stephany, Mayor Rick Green asks for the support of the NDP for the renewal of the Master Agreement, set to expire this August. He also requests Stephany's commitment to light passenger rail.
In fact, the only thing that has ever held back the West Coast Express is the fact that the wheelage must be leased from the railway. The Master Agreement allows the province to run of a huge amount of trains on the CPR line at no cost.
“We already own the rails through the remainder of the interurban corridor. This is the first step to establishing an effective, reliable, and cost-efficient community rail service,” added Stephany. “The NDP will definitely extend the agreement with CP.”
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11 comments:
Maybe that's the "legal opinion" that Boogeyman Bob mentioned yesterday on LFP? Or is this just coincidence?
In the interest of fairness and lack of a current investigation, we have deleted a comment that somewhat identified a person of interest with regards to this release of in-camera information.
We always welcome your comment, but please refrain from pointing the finger at anyone, until this leak is properly investigated. We don't need any cheap suit lawyers to tell us what is common sense.
IF THIS RAIL AGREEMENT IS FOR REAL . WHY SHOULD IT BE ASECRET FROM THE CITIZENS OF LANGLEY? IF THIS AGREEMENT WAS SIGNED FOR THE CITIZENS BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DAY WHY SHOULD IT BE KEPT A SECRET ? I HAD THE DISTINCT IMPRESSION THAT ELECTED OFFICIALS WORK FOR AND SIGN AGREEMENTS ON BEHALF OF THE CITIZENS. OPEN GOVERMENT??????????
According to the Community Charter legislation, municipalities are required to discuss matters of land, labour or litigation (the three "L's" in-camera and can disclose some, all or none of that information at a later date, depending on the circumstances. You don't want to ever put negotiations in jeopardy by an early release.
But in this case, this lease has been around for 21 years (or so??) and should therefore be no secret. But apparently Mayor Green was playing secret squirrel again. As if the good mayor met some "sources" of his in a dark alley somewhere and they passed him a manila envelope. So he had to be very careful about this and place it all on the in-camera agenda?
Green then did the press release thing (he loves to ham it up) with a headline that reads, "COMMUNITY RAIL - A PIECE OF THE PUZZLE UNCOVERED". Green is always looking for a smoking gun and as he served a few years on the Delta Police Board, he thinks he went to an academy and became a cop. LEO's would call the good mayor a wannabe. So, you will have to ask Mayor Green why all the secret squirrel stuff on this one. Expect more of it as this mayor and his slate side-kick love smoking guns and playing while wearing a toy badge.
I think the only "puzzle" in the Township is how this guy ever got elected and the bigger puzzle is how he thinks and conducts himself. Thanks for reporting what our local papers won't. At least Al Irwin put the numbers in there and now you provided the additional "piece of the puzzle" - an actual NDP press release that doesn't align with the info released by the ToL. Will the RCMP be called in now? If not, then something is rigged in the Township.
Here we go again, partisan politics played by the mayor and possibly some of his Council. I guess that is the Milner way, the folks that live there seem to be married to the NDP and secrecy and dirty politics is their way of doing business. Disgusting.
I see you deleted one comment, too risky but possibly this whole issue is risky for the mayor. I hope an investigation by legal staff is forthcoming, the heat needs to be allied to those who leak documents and use these underhanded tactics.
Well stated Trevor. Unfortunatley integrity flew out the door on Nov. 15th as far as the mayor's chair is concerned.
Dancing Bear: Sorry for the delay! Well, every time Cllr. Richter gets hot under the collar about something we post the result is that a certain ogre starts talking about lawyers and legal action. With the usual NDP impunity they claim we are posting "slander".
These are the same folks that viciously attack Councillor Jordan Bateman, his young children and other council members without ceasing and then when a blog appears that confronts them, they get VERY thin skin and issue threats constantly. They don't like their feet held to the fire.
This clan would rather have Willy Sour Puss and Horny Bullcrap write their never-ending diatribes of praise and worship to Ricky & Kimmy. That is where it is at. We know we are doing our job when they call us names, talk about lawyers and write craps without ceasing. They have NO clue what legal action costs, what must be proven, or what "damages" are and how they are calculated. They also fail to understand the Charter and challenges to it. So their mouths run it over with their attacking, vomitus lips. But then again, there are idle hands at work their...woops, "work" is a bad word to use.
Township has no legal standing in this issue. The agreement does not belong to them it belongs to CPR-BC Hydro.
My friend in 1 of the train groups knew about this on the weekend as the mayor was talking to anyone who would listen about it.
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