The following are resources for people concerned about the recent announcement of the cancellation of passenger service in Canada.
National Association of Railroad Passenger (NARP) Vice Chairman John DeLora has been monitoring news about the recently announced cancellation of passenger rail service between Sault Ste. Marie Ontario and Hearse Ontario. NARP had sent the Canadian ambassador a letter protesting the cancellation. Here’s DeLora’s round-up of related Canadian news:
Maritimes could lose all service
http://www.wawa-news.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19722:via-cuts-could-see-quebec-maritimes-lose-all-passenger-rail-service&catid=41:news&Itemid=201
Canada MOT cuts threaten all of VIA. A poll has shown that Canadian passenger train service has shrunk so far that the public no longer supports VIA continuing as a Crown Corporation.
http://www.citynews.ca/2014/01/30/canadians-in-favour-of-privatizing-crown-corporations-poll/
Stakeholders organizing to fight Algoma Central cut
http://www.saultstar.com/2014/01/30/stakeholders-organizing-to-fight-government-cut-to-rail-line
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/via-rail-deliberately-attempted-to-discourage-ridership-1.2517917
http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/details.asp?c=67906
http://www.northernontariobusiness.com/Industry-News/transportation/2014/01/Passenger-rail-service-cut-mobilizes-MP,-tourism-industry.aspx
http://www.wawa-news.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=19739:algoma-central-railway-a-part-of-our-heritage&catid=41:news&Itemid=201
The best source of continuing information on the issue is the Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains
http://captrains.ca/
CAPT and the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce (Ontario) seem to be spearheading the effort to at least stave off the March 30 termination of passenger service. They are asking that letters of support be sent to Bryan Hayes (bryan.hayes@parl.gc.ca) and Carol Hughs (carol.hughes@parl.gc.ca), both Members of Parliament from affected areas along the route.
CAPT will be holding 3 town hall meetings about the ACR passenger service issue on the following dates:
- •Sault Ste Marie: Feb. 19 at 7:30 pm
- •Wawa: Feb. 20 at 10 am
- •Hearst: Feb. 20 at 8:00 pm (those of us travelling from the Sault will drive to Wawa for that meeting and then we’ll take the train from Hawk Junction to Hearst in the afternoon and return that way the next day).
Transport Action Canada has agreed to cover the costs of sending rail expert and founding president of Transport Action Canada Harry Gow to be a guest speaker at all 3 meetings. He is fluently bilingual so will be able to speak in French in Hearst and to the Francophone media.
Here are some pertinent email addresses:
Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation
99 Foster Drive
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, P6A 5X6
Tom Dodds, Chief Executive Officer, SSMEDC
Phone: (705) 759-5432
Toll-Free: 1-866-558-5144
E-mail: info@ssmedc.ca
http://www.sault-canada.com/
Coalition for Algoma Passenger Trains
Send email to: info@captrains.ca
http://captrains.ca/
Governor Rick Snyder
P.O. Box 30013
Lansing, Michigan 48909
PHONE: (517) 373-3400
FAX: (517) 335-6863
Online email form: https://somgovweb.state.mi.us/GovRelations/ShareOpinion.aspx
Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce (Ontario)
489 Bay St
Sault Ste. Marie ON P6A 1X6 Canada
Mark S. Barsanti, President
email: info@ssmcoc
www.ssmcoc.com
Bryan Hayes, Member of Parliament (Sault Ste. Marie)
(bryan.hayes@parl.gc.ca)
Carol Hughes, Member of Parliament (Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing)
(carol.hughes@parl.gc.ca)
The Honourable Lisa Raitt
Minister of Transport
330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N5 Canada
Telephone : 613-991-0700
Online form for contacting Transport Canada: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/contact-us.htm#form