Efforts by the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce to restore VIA rail passenger service to North Battleford seem to have new momentum after recent meetings in Lloydminster.
A number of Chamber directors including president/chair Terry Caldwell, executive director Linda Machniak, and others attended the Gerry Ritz tribute dinner in the Border City Oct. 10. That event provided the Chamber representatives an opportunity to meet with members of the Conservative caucus.
One of those meetings was with Lisa Raitt, the Conservative deputy leader and the former minister of transport. Chamber past president Warren Williams reported at Tuesday’s monthly directors’ meeting that Raitt sat down with the Chamber delegation from the Battlefords, along with Chamber representatives from Lloydminster and that city’s mayor Gerald Aalbers.
The meeting covered several issues, including pipelines and infrastructure as well as North Battleford’s crime and reputation problems.
But Williams noted it ended with “a surprisingly encouraging and good discussion about rail service, particularly the VIA rail service which is also an issue in the Lloydminster area with a track primarily used for oil and large delays in where it came from.”
The Chamber’s interest stems from a presentation by local lawyer Richard Gibbons to the Chamber in November last year. He proposed relocating the VIA main “Canadian” line through North Battleford. The rail service currently runs on a line through Biggar and Unity south of the city.
Williams noted Raitt had “great connections and contacts with CN and VIA” from her time as minister of transport.
“I thought it was very positive,” he said of the discussion.
As for next steps, the indication from Caldwell is that the Chamber is looking at possibly facilitating some sort of meeting in Ottawa that would include Gibbons and other local representatives, and make a further push for VIA passenger line relocation.
