crs1026
Superstar
^ Seconded...@lenaitch you ask some very thought provoking questions!
My google-rabbit-hole took me into the minutes of various county Councils along the east end of the Havelock Sub. I learned more than I ever knew about who actually maintains and monitors trails in Eastern Ontario.
I did not find any clear documentation about who owns the Havelock East line, unlike for instance the old CP Ottawa Valley line, which is now municipally owned (eg by Lanark County) all the way from Smiths Falls to Mattawa. It is clear that the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance has user agreements with various municipalities, effectively making them the custodian of the lines. EOTA's Board minutes make for interesting reading particularly around the status of various abandoned lines - eg see here re CN and Renfrew County and a tidbit re discussion with VIA (see here) Its Board minutes pop up all over local Council agendas, if anyone cares to hunt for them.
As to HFR, VIA apparently did a consultation of local Councils in the summer of 2017. The Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus expressed support for the proposal, and versions of their resolution appear to have worked its way into local Council discussions.
I'm sure that VIA has the legal leverage to take priority, but it speaks to the reality that acquiring the line isn't as simple as calling CP and agreeing on a figure. There may be multiple negotiations and I'm sure the municipalities and trail interests will look for the best possible deal.... up to and including potentially going to court. That will doubtless add time to the HFR timetable.
As an aside, I find that municipal Council minutes are a wonderful online research tool - it's always interesting what their clerks append to the minutes of their meetings, especially documents that agencies in Ottawa or QP may have delinked in the interest of rewriting past history. Here's a pretty good example from Frontenac Township..... complete with the then-current info page from VIA with its picture of HFR stats as they were being touted in 2017. Notice the comments about decision for the 2019 Federal Budget, and "Deployment in four years".... *sigh*
- Paul
My google-rabbit-hole took me into the minutes of various county Councils along the east end of the Havelock Sub. I learned more than I ever knew about who actually maintains and monitors trails in Eastern Ontario.
I did not find any clear documentation about who owns the Havelock East line, unlike for instance the old CP Ottawa Valley line, which is now municipally owned (eg by Lanark County) all the way from Smiths Falls to Mattawa. It is clear that the Eastern Ontario Trails Alliance has user agreements with various municipalities, effectively making them the custodian of the lines. EOTA's Board minutes make for interesting reading particularly around the status of various abandoned lines - eg see here re CN and Renfrew County and a tidbit re discussion with VIA (see here) Its Board minutes pop up all over local Council agendas, if anyone cares to hunt for them.
As to HFR, VIA apparently did a consultation of local Councils in the summer of 2017. The Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus expressed support for the proposal, and versions of their resolution appear to have worked its way into local Council discussions.
I'm sure that VIA has the legal leverage to take priority, but it speaks to the reality that acquiring the line isn't as simple as calling CP and agreeing on a figure. There may be multiple negotiations and I'm sure the municipalities and trail interests will look for the best possible deal.... up to and including potentially going to court. That will doubtless add time to the HFR timetable.
As an aside, I find that municipal Council minutes are a wonderful online research tool - it's always interesting what their clerks append to the minutes of their meetings, especially documents that agencies in Ottawa or QP may have delinked in the interest of rewriting past history. Here's a pretty good example from Frontenac Township..... complete with the then-current info page from VIA with its picture of HFR stats as they were being touted in 2017. Notice the comments about decision for the 2019 Federal Budget, and "Deployment in four years".... *sigh*
- Paul