Kicking Horse River rafting access deal looks like it’s falling apart

It appears the celebrated deal to keep rafting access open to the Lower Canyon of the Kicking Horse River is falling apart a day before the rafting season is set to begin. In fact, CP Rail has installed a new locked gate at the access point.

Signs of trouble surfaced on May 17 when the provincial government issued an opaquely worded media release saying the province “remains committed” to the rafting season. What it didn’t say was that more trouble was brewing under the surface.

B.C.’s transportation minister Todd Stone was quoted in the media release:

“We know how important the summer rafting season is to the community of Golden. Time is of the essence,” Stone said. “We are doing everything we can to work out a solution, while retaining safe access to the tracks. We remain hopeful that the parties can come together to save the 2016 rafting season.”

That’s nice, but didn’t everyone involved — the local MLA, MP, CP Rail, rafting companies, and the Mayor of Golden — announce on April 22 that they’d come to a short-term deal that would allow rafting to continue?

An unattributed image of the April 30 celebration in Golden. Photo: Save The Lower Canyon Facebook page

The backstory, which you can read about here on our dedicated page to the ongoing incident, is that CP Rail announced earlier in the year that they would block an access point to the river that had been used by rafting companies for decades. CP said their hands were tied; a Transport Canada inspection had ordered it. The locals protested, saying it would mean a devastating blow to the summer tourism trade. The Lower Canyon flows into downtown Golden, where all sorts of tourism benefits from the tens of thousands who float down the river on commercial tours.

The community of Golden even held an event on April 30 to celebrate the victory, where locals floated down the river and gathered to celebrate. Too soon, it seems.

A screenshot of a May 20 media release from Columbia River–Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald.

On May 20, media releases started showing up in the Revelstoke Mountaineer’s email inbox.

First up was MLA Norm Macdonald, who accused CP Rail of breaking the faith on the deal.

“Despite the promise to the community on April 22 that raft companies would have access to the Lower Canyon on the Kicking Horse River, negotiations to finalize the agreement have dragged on and a locked gate has been installed barring access to Glacier Raft staff, even though they’d been promised access today to do training in preparation for tomorrow’s season opening,” said Macdonald.

The Columbia River–Revelstoke MLA is a member of the NDP opposition, but he even went on to praise the Liberal government, stating in a media release that, “Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Shirley Bond and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone immediately came to the aid of the community, putting significant resources towards settling the issue with CP Rail.”

Macdonald said he blamed CP Rail for the breakdown. “I hold CP Rail directly responsible for this fiasco,” continued Macdonald. “There may be attempts to cast blame on other parties, but I reject that. CP Rail came to my community and made a clear promise. Today, with the refusal to allow access to the Lower Canyon for training, they have broken that promise, and that is simply unacceptable to this community.”

This May 20 CP Rail media release was distributed through a professional media release agency. Photo: Revelstoke Mountaineer screenshot

Less than an hour later, CP Rail shot back with a media release which said the B.C. government had reversed its position on an agreement-in-principle regarding rafting access. The deal would have allowed the 2016 season to go ahead while longer-term solutions were sought.

The unattributed CP Rail statement said: “Among other key components of the agreement-in-principle, the Province agreed to assume the risks associated with any safety-related incident arising directly from this special access for rafters. CP is disappointed that it was informed by the provincial government Friday afternoon of its reversal in position.”

For now, it appears the rafting season for the Lower Canyon, scheduled for a May long weekend start, is in limbo.

UPDATE: About two hours after this story was published, the B.C. government published a media statement on the situation.

The B.C. Government has issued a statement, and they too blamed CP Rail for the impasse, saying the railway was “unwilling to be a reasonable partner” in the negotiations to hammer out a deal. Here’s the B.C. government media release:

Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour Shirley Bond and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Todd Stone released the following statement today regarding the 2016 rafting season in Golden:

“From the moment the Province heard about the challenges facing the rafting season, staff have worked to find a way rafters can continue to safely cross the CP tracks in Golden.

“Staff have been on the ground and at the table in Golden with suggestions and solutions.

“CP has made it abundantly clear that it is unwilling to be a reasonable partner, despite its earlier commitment to work with the community and rafting companies to find a solution.

“It is important to note that the Province has never agreed to assume full legal liability for the track crossing.

“However, the Province does remain committed to the community of Golden and our offer to facilitate a short-term solution with CP will remain open.

“Thankfully, the rafters can still access the upper portion of the river, and we will continue to seek opportunities to bring CP back to the table so that visitors can also enjoy safe access to the hallmark of this world-renowned rafting experience. We will continue to work toward a long-term solution that allows them full access in the years to come.

“We urge CP Rail to reconsider its position as a result, given the significant economic impacts this closure will ‎have on the community. 

“The Province recognizes the value of tourism to Golden and the region and respectfully requests that‎ CP come back to the table to find a solution.”

This story is still developing, please be in touch: [email protected]

More importantly, please provide your comment on the situation.