Re: your recent stories about the Island Corridor Foundation, which included comments on the costs of bringing the railway into a usable state.
Unfortunately, your stories did not include any comments on the viability of the railway once it has been made safe to use. How will sufficient income be generated to sustain the operating costs including ongoing maintenance? This is really the issue which I believe is holding up funding at all government levels and rightly so. No funds should be advanced until it has clearly been shown how this can be achieved.
When was the last time this railway generated enough money to cover operating and maintenance expenses? Is it reasonable to believe that changes could now be made that would place this business in a profitable position? The costs of restoring the railway are really secondary until financial viability has been proven.
As an aside, I strongly believe this project would be defeated if put to a public vote in Parksville and Qualicum Beach. The financial position of the federal government has also changed significantly since the grant was initially approved.
Huge annual deficits projected for the next five years including the 2016/2017 projected deficit of $29 billion suggest this is one project where funding should be withdrawn.
Ron CravenQualicum Beach