Canadian Pacific plans to resume work clearing Arbutus Corridor after talks with the city broke down today.
Late last month, CP announced it would stop clearing trespassing garden plots along its rail line for two to three weeks “to discuss the future of the Arbutus Corridor.”
Friday afternoon, CP announced it would resume work to return the corridor to operating standards in coming days. An exact date was not specified. CP released this statement.
“CP and the City of Vancouver met today to discuss the future of the Arbutus Corridor. Despite exploring a number of options to reach a fair market settlement, the parties were unable to arrive at an agreement.
“CP halted all work on the corridor when it agreed to meet the City of Vancouver to negotiate a resolution. However, after meeting today with senior City representatives, CP remains extremely disappointed that the City of Vancouver continues to significantly undervalue this corridor.”
While confirming talks had broken off, the city said it would continue to advocate for citizens' interests along the corridor and that it remains opposed to cargo trains being reactivated.
"It's both frustrating and very disappointing that CP rail is unwilling to reach a fair agreement for the future of the Arbutus Corridor. The city has offered to purchase the land at a fair price, and we came to the table with innovative proposals that would address CP Rail's concerns. We offered to bring in a third party facilitator to reach an agreement and we brought in experienced external professionals to assist with the discussions," Mayor Gregor Robertson said in a press release.
"CP's attempts to clear the corridor are nothing more than a negotiating tactic. The city will not react to this by spending millions of dollars based on flawed appraisals that do not reflect the permitted land use on the corridor. That would be irresponsible for taxpayers and we will not allow that."
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