Deal will allow rafting in Kicking Horse River Lower Canyon this season

Stakeholders who emerging from a meeting with CP Rail today say a deal has been reached that will allow rafting companies to cross the rail tracks to access the Lower Canyon of the Kicking Horse River this season, and that negotiations over a longer-term solution will happen.

Earlier this year, CP Rail announced that they would prohibit rafting companies from crossing their tracks at a key location that allows for rafting in the famous lower section of the river. The companies had crossed at the location for decades, but CP Rail said a recent Transport Canada inspection forced their hand, and required them to ban the practice.

This kicked off a major protest by the rafting industry, who said the change would devastate an important summertime tourism attraction to Golden, and that a solution that respected safety could be found. It soon drew in local, regional, provincial, and federal politicians to lobby for the continuation of the status quo for this season.

An online petition has gathered nearly 6,500 signatures in support of the lobby to keep the access open to rafting. A protest was planned for April 24 in Golden, but now that’s being turned into a celebration scheduled for April 30.

Stakeholders emerged from a meeting with CP Rail on Friday, April 22, claiming a win, saying a short-term solution has been arranged for this season, and that stakeholders would work with CP on a longer-term solution.

Golden Mayor Ron Oszust was happy with the result: “We are very pleased that, starting this May Long Weekend, we will have rafters floating through the heart of our community, the Kicking Horse River, following a thrilling ride through this incredible stretch of whitewater, and that we are now looking towards a long-term solution to address the access to the Lower Canyon for river users. We all agree, at the heart of all of this is safety. CP Rail is committed to safety along its rail corridor.”

Andy Brown is a communications and social media coordinator for Tourism Golden. He said the exact details of the short-term solution are still being worked out, but rafting operations will go on as usual, and that he even hoped for a busier than average season.

“The solution is to cross the tracks for this year, and the main focus is there will continue to be rafting on the lower Kicking Horse,” Brown said there is an agreement in place, but the fine details are “something that has to be fully worked out.”

Kootenay–Columbia MP Wayne Stetski raised the issue in the House of Commons earlier this week. He said the resolution came as a result of cooperation. “All levels of government came together to work on this issue. We all met to try to find a solution. We reached out to our contacts, and approached anyone we thought might be able to help. It was an easy story to tell, and people immediately agreed with the community of Golden that losing access to the Lower Canyon was simply not an option.”

Ryan Johannesen is the owner of Glacier Rafting, one of six rafting companies that operate on the river.

“It’s time to get busy for our season opening on May 21,” he said. “This has been a long and tiring battle, but we are grateful to have a resolution.

“We are very grateful to our community and to people from around the world who showed their interest in this incredible stretch of the river. This was always about more than just protecting a portion of our business; it was about ensuring access for all river users to a wonderful recreational opportunity.”

Organizers say the community celebration on April 30 will begin at 11 a.m. with a float down the Kicking Horse River. Rafts will be put in at the Golden Municipal Campground and the float will end at the Spirit Square after passing under Golden’s most famous landmark, the timberframe covered bridge. There will be a barbecue and music in the Spirit Square will begin at noon.

CP Rail spokesperson Salem Woodrow said the “formal details” of the arrangement for the coming season would be worked out in the coming days.

“Safety is a responsibility all of us share and that was recognized by the stakeholders involved in today’s meeting,” Woodrow said in an email to the Mountaineer. “Working closely and collaboratively with our community partners, we have arrived at an agreement in principle for the 2016 rafting season, formal details of which will be worked out in the days ahead.”