Our Most Important Updates!
Press Release
What is the Island Corridor Foundation’s plan for the $15 million?
E&N Action Group calls for Langford-Victoria commuter rail to be first priority
Wednesday, May 16, 2012: The E&N Railway Action Group, a watchdog organization of railway professionals and advocates, calls upon the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) to reveal its complete plans for the $15 million in federal-provincial funds that it announced in April.
“Without transparency, it will be impossible to prevent the money from being misspent,” says Jack Peake, the Action Group spokesman, and a founder of the ICF. “The ICF has said the $15 million will replace 104,000 ties along the length of the entire railway between Victoria and Courtenay, as well as a limited amount of other track components, for 10 years of renewed railway operation. In our judgment, this will spread the money too thin to bring rail service back to Vancouver Island.”
In a May 1 editorial, the Times Colonist called on the ICF to be more “professional and accountable.” In a May 5 letter to the editor, ICF co-chairs Judith Sayers and Mary Ashley replied that the nonprofit organization would have audited financial statements. However, the only physical work they could identify taking place was renovations to the Nanaimo station, “to provide additional rental income.”
Click here to read the complete press release and post your comments.
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Supporter Dennis Dalla-Vicenza Expresses Concern about the ICF to the Port Alberni Council
Presentation below by Port Alberni resident Dennis Dalla-Vicenza and Chris Alemany to the City of Port Alberni Council on March 26, 2012.
I am Dennis Dalla-Vicenza and my cohort is Chris Alemany and he and I are here this evening representing a group interested in Island rail and its preservation to express concern about the lack of transparency with the ICF. Letters, e-mails and phone calls are not being answered or returned and a growing number of people are wondering why a foundation governing and operating a jointly owned entity is not letting the people of Vancouver Island, the owners of the railroad right-of-way, know what is happening financially, and where the railroad activities or lack thereof are at any moment. We do not expect daily reports, but it would be nice every quarter.
I see the press releases, but they only pose more questions by what they lack in detail. They keep on and on about VIA and commuter rail, but being VIA is not supposed to get involved with commuter rail I think the VIA gambit is an exercise in futility. A couple of two hour phone calls to Mary Ashley resulted in many promises of forthcoming information and that was over a year ago. I spent two hours over coffee with our ex mayor and again nothing of solid information came of that meeting.
Click here to read Dennis Dalla-Vicenza’s complete presentation and post your comments.
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Does The ICF Really Care About Enhancing Our Railway?
Coombs Adventure Railway Tours – Delayed Again
March 2012
By Mark Charland
When it comes to conflict I’m usually one of those “grin and bear it” kind of guys. Last year that all changed, and all because of having to deal with a man who, to a lot of people on Vancouver Island, is probably held in high regard. I’m talking about Graham Bruce, executive director of the Island Corridor Foundation. I approached Mr. Bruce a few years ago about the possibility of starting a small handcar business on the railway tracks at Coombs. Over the years the plan evolved into a much bigger operation to include a light rail shuttle service between Coombs and Cameron Lake, a station at Coombs, and other attractions. Mainly this has become possible because I’ve had the good fortune of meeting and teaming up with an experienced business investor with a solid track record who is interested in investing $250,000 into this venture.
Click here to read Mark Charland’s complete letter and post your comments.
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Press Release
Island Corridor Foundation continues to hold private board meetings
“Island Corridor Foundation board meetings should be public,” says Jack Peake
Thursday, January 19, 2012: After requesting to attend the Island Corridor Foundation’s (ICF’s) reported board meeting on January 19th, the E&N Railway Action Group’s request has been stalled. “Your request to attend a board meeting will be placed on the agenda of the next meeting for consideration by the directors. I will let you know of their decision”; wrote ICF’s Executive Director, Graham Bruce, in a reply via E-mail to Jack Peake on January 17th.
“We are disappointed in their response and question the reason for not allowing our inclusion in their reported January 19th board meeting,” says Jack Peake, a spokesperson for the Action Group and a founder and former Co-chair of the ICF. “While we do feel the delay is unnecessary, we look forward to their decision and expect to hear from them in a timely manner.”
Click here to read the complete press release and post your comments.
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E&N Railway Action Group Replies to ICF’s Response to Our Request to Attend Their Next Board Meeting
Click here to read our reply as well as their response and post your comments.
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E&N Railway Action Group Requests to Attend ICF Board Meeting
We are writing to ask that two members from the E&N Railway Action Group attend and be part of the Island Corridor Foundation’s (ICF) next board meeting which has been reported in the media to be on January 19, 2012.
Click here to read our public letter to the Island Corridor Foundation and post your comments.
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Jack Peake Responds to Mary Ashley’s Comments
Re: “Silence” on E&N future alarms key proponent, Times Colonist, December 18, 2011
We read with great interest the comments from Mary Ashley, Co-Chair of the Island Corridor Foundation, regarding the concerns which we are bringing forward.
We feel there are a number of points which need to be made and some questions asked, as it appears the ICF board might not be aware of some basic facts:
Click here to read the entire response and post your comments.
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Our Press Release!
New E&N Action Group demands better governance and transparency from Island Corridor Foundation
ICF founder expresses concern that Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway is in jeopardy
Thursday, December 15, 2011: Vancouver Island railway professionals and advocates today announced the formation of a new E&N Railway Action Group, which will act as a watchdog to advise the public about challenges to the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway, and governance issues with the Island Corridor Foundation, which oversees the E&N rail corridor.
“I am concerned that the ICF, a public non-profit organization, is not presenting any detailed plan for the future of the E&N, and has closed out important advisory committees from its decision-making,” says Jack Peake, a co-founder and former co-chair of the ICF, and a spokesperson for the new Action Group. “I fear that without input from the public, and professionals who have been involved with the railway for years, the E&N could be lost. With the VIA Rail cars having been removed from the island on November 5, this concern has never been more real.”
Click here to read the entire press release and post your comments.