CP Rail promises not to bulldoze more Arbutus Corridor gardens until December
Looks like the remaining Arbutus Corridor community gardens will be spared the bulldozer this autumn.
The City of Vancouver issued this "information bulletin" today (November 4):
The City of Vancouver has reached an agreement with CP Rail obtaining a commitment from the Railway to cease all work on the Arbutus Corridor until the City’s injunction application gets heard in court in December.
In the agreement only two areas of activity will proceed over the next few weeks: BC Hydro has identified trees that will require pruning along a stretch of the corridor between King Edward Avenue and Marpole to protect hydro lines on the corridor and Metro Vancouver has had water main work at the West 60th crossing, requiring a small span of tracks at West 60th to be replaced. No gardens or trees will be removed.
On October 3, 2014, the City of Vancouver filed a notice of civil claim in BC Supreme Court in a direct constitutional challenge to action taken by Canadian Pacific (CP) to clear the Arbutus corridor and to reactivate it as a railway. The case will be heard December 9, 2014.
Back in August, CP Rail demolished gardens in Marpole, after giving gardeners a deadline of July 31 to remove any "unauthorized encroachments" along its tracks.
Comments
4 Comments
Tommy Khang
Nov 4, 2014 at 11:06am
Well ain't that convenient - Day One of Advance Polls too.
Harley
Nov 4, 2014 at 12:29pm
How does this fall under a constitutional challenge? The land is owned by CP and the people trespassing were illegally squatting for lack of a better more politically correct way of putting it.
Harley
Nov 4, 2014 at 12:33pm
How is this a constitutial challenge? The land is owned by CP Rail and for lack of a more politically correct way of putting it the people were trespassing and illegally squatting.
So Vancouver and ALL of it's tax payers have to foot the bill for the legal fight for these residents on Arbutus to have their garden's on land that they are not currently paying taxes on nor have any legal right to and someone in Marpole or Collingwood has to help pay for this?
I have found this ridiculous from the start and I can't believe that I would be the only one.
Neighbour
Nov 4, 2014 at 2:07pm
CP has been able to clear the bushes and trees that have overgrown the rail line the entire time, even now after this announcement. They haven't touched a one.
This business of issuing statements and press releases for attention is all fluff.
At this point it looks like the pointless lawsuit and CP's reaction is just a gift to Robertson allowing him to look tough, parsimonious, and considerate. Look out for the pickpocket's reveal moments after the election I guess