REd FRiday PaRadE a20 JUNE 12, 2013
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yoUTH, adULTS ENTERTaiNEd dURiNG RELay
LocaL aRTiST caRviNG mURaLS B3
Monika Paterson photo
Local youngster Ty Bowen enjoyed climbing around in the ball pit, which was one of the many ongoing activities during the 13th Annual Relay for Life in 100 Mile House’s Centennial Park on June 8. At press time, more than $19,000 has been raised for cancer research, with additional funds still to be counted, co-ordinator Alaina Fryer says, adding she is “over the moon” with gratitude to the community to see the relay enthusiasm return to what it once was.
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Rail service pushed for tourism CCCTA chair Pat Corbett queries CN on barriers carole Rooney Free Press
Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Tourism Association chair Pat Corbett recently asked Canadian National Railways (CN) representatives about the potential for returning regular, affordable passenger service to the South Cariboo. At a recent Rotary Club of 100 Mile House function for local railway service stakeholders, the local tourism leader reminded CN assistant superintendent Mike Peterson, track supervisor Wade Thompkins, and regional manager of public affairs Emily Hamer that passenger trains serviced the community years ago. “I believe we need to get some passenger service back on the rail,” said Corbett, drawing applause from the crowd.
He explained the sole existing pasPeterson said as a federal sersenger train on the line, the Rocky vice provider it might not be in Mountaineer, is a less-affordable CN’s “best interests” from a business “cruise ship on rails.” standpoint. “You’re doing a great job on that, “We are hauling goods for cusbut it’s not a passenger service; it’s tomers, we are hauling commodities, a cruise ship experience. And, they and I would say our capacity that we don’t stop [here].” are using on our trains now Corbett added he is eaten up with those types understands these CN repof services. resentatives can’t make the “I guess what it would decision, but wanted to know come down to is – would it if they had any objection make business sense? We’d from an operational point of have to look at it from a view for a passenger service business standpoint: is it Pat Corbett going to be profitable for to be on CN’s tracks. “Is there any reason why CN to do that?” you guys would object to it, if we ran Corbett explained he knows it is a service from Vancouver going up not a CN opportunity, but wanted a to Prince George, and then possibly direct answer to his query in order to up to Fort Nelson? And, would you understand what barriers might exist. object to somebody like Via Rail “My question is – would you object coming on to these tracks?” ... to a passenger service such as Via
Rail coming onto these tracks? Said Peterson: “I mean, it would be doable, absolutely we could do it. Hamer also responded to Corbett’s questions. “It is just looking at what the opportunities are ... it is [a matter of] your community taking a look with a provider, and then working with CN to see if it would actually work operationally,” she said. Said Corbett: “We’ve had discussions with Via Rail; there is interest. What I want to know is – would you guys allow Via on the tracks?” Hamer explained she could not answer with a “yes or no” without seeing the specific details of the case, such as what kind of frequency is being considered and where the service would run. Continued on A4