Latest news with #KaministiquiaRiver
National Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- National Post
Raymond J. de Souza: Riding the rails of a Canadian triumph
ON BOARD THE CANADIAN — One hundred and fifty years ago, on the left bank of the Kaministiquia River, four miles from Thunder Bay, the first sod was turned for the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway. It was a June afternoon in 1875. Article content 'We have met today for no other purpose than to inaugurate the beginning of the actual construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway,' said Judge Delevan Van Norman to the assembly of some 500 dignitaries. Article content Article content Article content In this sesquicentennial summer of patriotic holidays prompted by the American menace — or more precisely, one menacing American — when better to board The Canadian, Via Rail's four-day trip from Vancouver to Toronto — over the Rockies, across the plains, around the Great Lakes and down the Canadian Shield? Article content Article content It's not exactly elbows-up in a sleeper berth or the dining car, but from each according to his ability, as our prime minister certainly did not say. Yet with George Grant, Pierre Berton and Richard Gwyn in my mobile library, it is a propitious time to think about the Canadian project. My copy of Lament for a Nation belonged to the late Hugh Segal, so memories of eminent Canadians are company along the rails. Article content A century and a half of history asks if we are still capable of great projects. Prime Minister Mark Carney insists that we are, and Parliament recently passed a bill fast-tracking projects of national importance. No project was ever as important as the CPR was to the nation. It made the nation. Article content Article content Judge Van Norman spoke of recent immigrants to Canada, who 'seeking a new home in this new world, but still under the old flag, may with celerity, safety and certainty examine the country from Cape Breton in Nova Scotia to Vancouver's Island in British Columbia, in the meantime passing over a space as vast as the great ocean that divides and separates the old world from the new.' Article content Article content Canada was still new in 1875; less than 10 years had passed since Confederation. This Sunday (July 20) marks the anniversary of British Columbia joining the fledgling Dominion in 1871. Sir John A. Macdonald promised a national railway as a condition of joining. It was an reckless promise to make, impossible to fulfill in any timely manner. Sir John A. kept his promise. Article content It was a national project, not a partisan one. Scandals over CPR contracts drove Sir John A. from office in 1873, but the project was continued by his successor, Alexander Mackenzie, Canada's first Liberal prime minister. How important was the CPR? Mackenzie appointed himself his own minister of public works, directing the railway project himself.
CBC
20-06-2025
- Politics
- CBC
City of Thunder Bay drops Kam River Heritage Park as site for shelter village
Kam River Heritage Park is no longer a "viable location" for Thunder Bay's proposed shelter village, according to a memo from city administration going to city councillors on Monday. Councillors previously approved the site for the location of the village, which will include sleeping cabins. However, the memo from Director of Strategy and Engagement Cynthia Olsen states that the city has determined that it would be cost-prohibitive to ensure the site — which borders on the Kaministiquia River and a Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) rail yard — is safe. "The assessment is nearing completion and it has become clear that although the mitigation measures required to satisfy external partners are technically feasible, their cumulative cost exceeds the project's available budget," the memo states. At-large Coun. Kasey Etreni said Friday that the river and rail yard are concerns when it comes to safety. "With the river there, although we could fence, how far along do you put the fence?" she said. "With security and safety you have to have more than one entrance, and how do you lock an entrance and only use it for emergency purposes?" In a statement to CBC News on Friday, a CPKC spokesperson said the rail company "strongly objects" to the Kam River park site "due to the significant and predictable increased safety risks posed by its proximity to the rail yard." "CPKC Police Service has extensive experience in addressing housing and temporary shelters by railyards and rail lines," the statement reads. "They create significant safety hazards. These can and sometimes sadly do lead to fatalities and railway related incidents. We have already documented high levels of trespassing, vandalism, illegal activities (e.g., substance use, fires) and mischief in the Kam River Park area." The statement goes on to say that having more people walking around and near the proposed site will increase these risks, "especially given the fact that the most direct access to the proposed village is through accessing CPKC property and crossing over railway tracks to do so." The company has requested the city choose a different site for the village. Etreni is tabling a motion to rescind the earlier site approval on Monday. It will require two-thirds of council to vote in favour. The motion also directs administration to review alternate locations for the village. A number of sites have previously been considered by the city and city council, including locations on Miles Street East, a plot of land on Fort William Road owned by the Lakehead Region Conservation Authority, and a spot on Cumberland Street North, next to the Salvation Army's Journey to Life Centre. "I'm hoping by Monday that they will be able to announce another site," Etreni said. The city has said that it has budgeted about $5.5 million for construction of the village, which would include up to 80 cabins, and $1.5 million annually for operating costs. However, if the city meets certain timelines, it will be eligible for $2.8 million in external funding.
