the sale of BC Rail?

save money at first, may lose the entire British Columbian train passenger market. “The big problem with
combined economy and tourist classes is that they don’t serve ordinary British Columbians. Tourist rates
make it too expensive for BC residents to use the train over the summer.” At this point, however, BC Rail no
longer has either service, which some credit for some of the alleged financial problems of the company. While
the passenger services were supposedly losing money, strengthening rather than cutting may arguably have
been the better long-term solution.

While the financial situation and provided services of the railroad are central to the BC Rail debate,
there are other areas that concern the people of Prince George, as well as other BC Rail commu-
nities. One of these problems is the Liberal’s lack of consultation with the people of BC
about BC Rail. The sale proposal has been kept primarily behind closed doors, with only :

a handful of mayors and shippers included in the decision making process.. Neither
union or non-union workers at BC Rail have been asked for input into improving
the railway’s service. And since every taxpayer in BC is technically a shareholder
in the railway, many people are calling for public consultation before their shares
are sold: to a private company.

Another major concern is the treatment BC Rail might get once it is sold to a
private rail company. The most controversial so far is a proposal made by CN
that included tearing up the rail line from Vancouver to Whistler, and replacing
it with highway to make it cheaper and easier to get to the 2010
Vanouver/Whistler Olympic Games. To compound matters, the recent CN
purchase of Great Lakes Transportation has resulted in 122 job cuts to that
company, suggesting to some that entrusting BC Rail to a private company in
a similar manner might decrease the number of jobs available in Prince
George. :

Despite this whole debacle, many people believe that there is strong hope
for BC Rail’s future. With an anticipated net operating profit of $120 mil-
lion dollars up to 2005, its manageable debt-to-equity ratio, and expected

-$30 million rise over the projected $60 million 2003 operating profit, rev-
enue is expected to remain constant over the next three years. The rail-
way has recently taken possession of 150 new rail cars to provide better
service to shippers who want access to BC Rail. The company and its
unions have also reached a no-cost collective agreement that will
proved the railway with stability over the next three years, and will
relaunch passenger service. Yes, the future is looking promising for BC Rail.

Unfortunately, the sale of BC Rail has not been stopped yet. The city of Prince George, along
with several other affected communities, passed a motion for a two-year moratorium on the sale of the rail-
way, but this proposal has already been turned down by transportation minister Judith Reid: Despite this
setback, however, the. people of Prince George have not given up on BC Rail. For more information on
how you can speak out against the sale of BC Rail, visit www.bcrailunions.com, or sign the online peti-
tion at http:/ /www.petitiononline.com/BCRAIL/ petition.html. ;

Graphics by Becky Booth
Story by Josh Hammerstedt