FAQs
How can I get involved?
Public engagement and consultation with stakeholder groups and the wider community are key components of the project. All partners are committed to ensuring the community is informed in a timely fashion about the study itself, its progress, as well as opportunities for engagement. A range of accessible opportunities for stakeholder and public participation will be developed, including in-person and online events and tools. The first round of engagement is scheduled for September 2024.
What is the Island Rail Corridor?
The Island Rail Corridor is the collection of parcels of land that make up the corridor, including the Victoria Subdivision, the Port Alberni Subdivision and the Wellcox Spur. The portion within the ACRD is the Port Alberni Subdivision.
Who owns the corridor?
The non-profit agency, Island Corridor Foundation (ICF), currently owns and has been responsible for management of railway assets and property on the historic E&N line since 2006. The Island Corridor Foundation is comprised of a 12-person board of directors, of whom five represent First Nations, five represent the regional districts, and two are members-at-large.
In 2015 the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation brought legal action against Canada and ICF, seeking reversion of former Reserve Lands, indicating that the land which the Island Rail Corridor sits on were no longer being used for railway purposes. In its September 2021 decision, the Court of Appeal for British Columbia gave Canada until March 14, 2023 to determine if restoration is in the public interest, and whether it will fund restoration. If funding was not provided, or a decision was not made, Snaw-Naw-As could return to court seeking an order vesting the lands as Reserve lands.
On March 14, 2023, a joint statement from Transport Canada and the Province of British Columbia reverted a portion of the E&N corridor land back to the Snaw-Naw-As First Nation, as the first step in the process of developing a shared vision for the future of the corridor with First Nations.
Based on this precedent and guidance provided by ACRD, this study is being conducted with the understanding that the rail corridor, and planning of the rail corridor within the ACRD, is under the combined jurisdiction/direction of the ACRD, Tseshaht First Nation and Hupacasath First Nation.
How is the study being funded?
The Rail Corridor Study is funded by a planning grant from the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, as part of the Province of British Columbia’s commitment of $18 million to First Nations and regional districts to study their respective portions of the Island Rail Corridor and identify opportunities for corridor use.