Please share the petition to restore and enhance Vancouver Island’s Railway Corridor with a fund up to $1 Billion!
I want to personally thank you for your support! Can you help spread the word by sharing this email with Friends or Family too? Your share can turn into hundreds and even thousands of supporters!
Calling all Canadians, British Columbian’s, and Vancouver Islanders, we need you!
Anyone in Canada, British Columbia or on Vancouver Island can support this treasure on Vancouver Island! Our railway is a Federal and Provincial responsibility! Given there are 40 million Canadians, $1 Billion is only $25 of the tax money the government collects from you. Income taxes, gas taxes, sales taxes, etc.
Only $25 to set up a world-class Passenger and Freight system on the island? Yes Please!
The first milestone has been reached! It’s been less than 24 hours since launch and the Petition has already reached 100 supporters. Let’s get to 1000 now!
Please join the voices of other Canadians, British Columbians, and Vancouver Islanders in signing the Petition
Last year, a petition by the Vancouver Island Transport Corridor Coalition (VITCC) to restore rail on Vancouver Island reached over 10,000 supporters! That was key in getting the Federal and Provincial government to sit at the table with the Island Corridor Foundation and open dialog with First Nations. It was a resounding success! We learned a lot more about what is happening on the 14th of March 2023, the old deadline for the Government to either recognize the Corridor’s importance, or not. They did!
On the 14th of March 2023, the Federal and Provincial government released a joint statement recognizing the strategic significance of the railway, but at the same time returned a piece of the corridor to the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation. That piece of railway is easily shifted to the nearby highway easement only metres away. It’s only 10km long too. Two Snaw-Naw-As leaders were Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) Directors, an organization that is 50% Regional Districts, and 50% First Nations. ICF is a non-profit initially created by an act of the Cowichan Tribes. In their own statement, the Snaw-Naw-As mentioned that they look forward to seeing what else is possible for the corridor as a whole.
This is a long way from being over!
In fact, the British Columbia government distributed $18 million among the Regional Districts and First Nations to figure it out. In the First Nations engagement summary report released in Dec 2022, there was mention of mitigations needed, and those will require funding! This is why I’m petitioning for a $1 Billion dollar fund, to pay for those mitigations.
Please join the voices of other Canadians, British Columbians, and Vancouver Islanders in signing the Petition to save the Vancouver Island Rail Corridor
Warren Skaalrud,
www.RestoreIslandRail.com