Denise Savoie
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MPS INVITE TRANSPORTATION MINISTER TO RIDE THE ISLAND’S RAILS
OTTAWA – Denise Savoie, MP for Victoria, is joining with two other Island MPs in inviting federal Minister of Transportation Lawrence Cannon to ride the rails on Vancouver Island, and to see for himself the potential of the E&N rail corridor.
Following a meeting with members of the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) in Duncan last week, MPs Savoie, Jean Crowder (Nanaimo-Cowichan) and Catherine Bell (Vancouver Island-North) committed to work together to pressure the federal government to provide more funding for the expansion and improvement of rail service on Vancouver Island.
Yesterday afternoon, they followed through on that commitment by hand-delivering a letter to the Minister, inviting him to meet with themselves and the Island Corridor Foundation either on Vancouver Island, or in Ottawa.
“Local residents obviously want to use the train and want to be able to choose environmentally-friendly transportation options, said Savoie, pointing to the more than 120 people who boarded a test run of commuter rail service between Langford and Victoria Wednesday. “Yesterday’s successful demonstration is just more evidence of that, and yet another reason for the federal government to get more involved in this project.”
“We think if Minister Cannon came here himself, he too would be convinced of the tremendous potential of the rail corridor to be part of sustainable transportation solutions for Vancouver Island. He might also see more clearly how improving rail service on Vancouver Island could assist the government to meet its own greenhouse reduction targets,” Savoie said. “But we’ve let him know that we and the members of the ICF are willing to meet with him wherever he’s willing, either here or in Ottawa. What matters more is that the meeting happens soon, because the extremely poor condition of the track is an obstacle to further progress. The federal government needs to find a way to share the costs of the necessary upgrades and repairs.”
Savoie also noted that earlier this month the Conservative government announced a further investment of $492 million in transportation projects in the Asia-Pacific Gateway Corridor.
“Island communities should be benefiting from the Gateway initiative as well. If the Conservatives would direct just a fraction of this spending to the ICF, they could make a huge contribution to the future of rail on Vancouver Island.”