After an oftentimes bitter relationship spanning generations, Squamish and BC Rail Corporation no longer have ties.
On April 1, the last vestige of the Crown corporation including its 19 plots of land in Squamish was placed in the hands of the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI).
That's created a shift within the local peninsula landowners collaborative, which was formed to create a uniform plan for Squamish's oceanfront among its stakeholders the district, Westmana Development and BC Rail.
The change in governance has the potential to change dealings for the better as the Squamish Oceanfront Development Corporation (SODC) completes its sub area plan for that peninsula.
"I believe it's a better relationship," said Mayor Greg Gardner. "BC Rail properties, when it was a standalone Crown corporation, had a specific mandate and a much narrower mandate than government generally.
"To be more specific, they were looking to develop properties for financial return. The mandate of the provincial government is much broader than that so I think it gives us more flexibility in our dealings with respect to those properties."
SODC senior manager David Greenfield said the change wouldn't create problems since so much work has already been done.
"The sub area plan is partly on the table in its draft form, and contemplates the desired uses of the three landowners, so I don't anticipate it being controversial among that group."
A letter from BC Rail properties dated June 8, 2007 was discussed at a committee of the whole meeting on Oct. 27, 2009. The letter outlining BC Rail's issues with the proposed Official Community Plan at that time, but their main problems were with areas that were designated as greenway corridors.
They agreed to all the SODC sub area plan's downtown designations, with one specific request on the proposed Capilano University site (formerly college) known as Lot A.
"We concur with the proposed downtown land use designation on the basis that residential use is considered an appropriate use for the land, as the college will utilize it for residential purposes. If such is not the case, then we request that the land be designated residential neighbourhood."
The OCP was finalized without changing to accommodate BCRC's requests.
In 2004, BC Rail was sold to CN Rail for $1 billion in a controversial deal that resulted in a court case still in progress. The deal also led to the loss of 80 local jobs.
BCRC's presence was still felt in Squamish as the owners of 19 local sites in downtown to the North Yards.
The new structure was done to reduce administrative costs, according to Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Shirley Bond.
"Over the past eight years, BCRC [BC Rail Corporation] has generated close to $1.5 billion for British Columbia and the company has remained debt-free," she said in a press release.
"After an extensive review, our government and the board of directors agree that BCRC's scope of work has evolved to a point where it could be most efficiently managed within the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure."
