langleywatchdog…. and more!

In an on-line Langley City All-Candidates Meeting moderated by former Editor of the Langley Times Frank Bucholtz candidates were asked about their position on the question of support for the Reactivation of the Interurban Corridor – Mary Polak’s answer showing her ignorance of the issue was on display in full color. What it shows that many of us have known for some time, is that the B.C. Liberals are in support of CP Rail not having to live up to the signed terms and obligations of their $6.3 Million purchase of freight rights over what is known as the Pratt Livingston Corridor in 1988! This attitude of working against the public’s protected passenger rights is fitting with the title of my last blog post –

Is this deliberate or are they just ignorant of the facts!

“When the B.C. Liberal Party tells you who they are…. Believe Them!

The Master Agreement that represents the freight rights sale and obligations over this corridor was uncovered and its renewal led by me as Mayor of the Township of Langley in 2009. This renewal was supported in writing by the Mayors and Councils of City of Delta, City of Surrey, City of White Rock, City of Langley, Township of Langley, and the City of Abbotsford. It was renewed a short 6 weeks BEFORE we lost it forever. Since that time, the Mayor and Council of the City of Chilliwack are registered in unanimous support! So, let us set the record straight shall we:

Master Agreement Synopsis

Introduction – Press Release: 2:00 PM July 27^th, 1988

B.C. Government names ITEL Rail Corp. as successful bidder in sale of B.C. Hydro’s Rail Freight Division. C.P. Rail acquires operating rights to strategic trackage for Roberts Bank Coal Port.

NOTE: 

Sale of FREIGHT operating rights on entire corridor to Itel of Chicago for a price of approx. $32

Million. (These FREIGHT rights are now owned by Southern Rail)

Sale of FREIGHT operating rights on the joint section (Pratt Livingston corridor) to CP Rail for a

price of $6.3 Million.

The Master Agreement is an agreement made between the British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority and Canadian Pacific Limited on the 29^th day of August 1988 covering what is known as the Pratt-Livingston corridor, or otherwise known as the Joint Section. (This section is roughly from 232^nd Street through the Langleys to Cloverdale). This agreement was for 21 years as well as the renewal clause, both permitting renewal at either party’s option.

What are the key points of interest found within this agreement? Excerpts follow –

Page 2 – E.

“CP Rail has also agreed to grant Hydro running rights over certain tracks owned by C.P. Rail.”

Page 3 Part 1

Pratt Livingstone 1.01 – Sale of Assets on Pratt Livingston Line to C.P. Rail. “Hydro agrees to

sell, and C.P. Rail agrees to purchase the Tracks and Equipment free and clear of all liens,

charges and encumbrances.”

Page 4 1.02    

Grant of Statutory Right of Way over Pratt Livingstone to C.P. Rail.

“Hydro agrees to grant to C.P. Rail on the closing date a statutory right of way over the Railway Operations Easement Area in the form attached hereto as Annexure III.”

Page 4 1.03

Survey of Railway Operating Easement Area

“The Railway Operations Easement Area shall encompass the Tracks and an area sufficient to enable C.P. Rail to double track, construction of such double track to be at the sole cost of C.P. Rail including the cost of removal and relocation of the works of any other party on the lands required to double track.”

Page 5 1.05

Running Rights over Pratt-Livingstone Tracks to Hydro

“Hydro hereby reserves unto itself the right in perpetuity to operate a railway on the Tracks and Equipment and on the double track, when constructed. The reservation shall be in the form of running rights agreement attached hereto as Annexure V.”

Page 5 1.05(b)

“if the railway operations of Hydro are sold to and operated by the Successor Rail Company,

provided it is not owned or controlled by Canadian National Railway Company (“CN”) or

Burlington Northern Inc. (“BN”), on a without charge basis, so long as the use thereof by the

Successor Rail Company does not exceed 33% of the total annual wheelage of all trains

operating trains in the Railway Operations Easement Area.”

Page 12 5.03  

Regulation “C.P. Rail will not take any action intended to bring Hydro or Successor Rail

Company under the jurisdiction of the Railway Act R.S.C. 1970, c. R-2, as amended or the

National Transportation Act, 1987 S.C. 1987, c. 34, as amended.”

P. 21               

Entire Agreement

Section 10.07 “Each of the parties hereto acknowledges that there are no covenants,

representations, warranties, agreements, or conditions expressed or implied, collateral or

otherwise, forming part of or in any way affecting or relating to this agreement save as

expressly set out in this Agreement and this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement

between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof.”

Annexure V     Page 2 Sect. 1.2         

“Hydro shall have the exclusive right to operate upon any Hydro trackage connected with the

Joint Section to serve present or future industry from the Joint Section, to pick up or discharge

passengers, freight, or express business upon the Joint Section or to handle directly any

passenger, freight, or express business originating at or destined to points on the Joint

Section.”

Page 3 Article II Section 2.4  

“CP Rail shall initially at its sole cost and expense, maintain and keep the Joint Section,

including all mainline turnouts, in good condition and repair suitable for use by all parties.”

Section 2.5     

“CP Rail shall make such reasonable rules and regulations as are from time to time customary

among railways for the operation of the Joint Section. All train schedules, rules and

regulations shall be reasonable among all railway companies using the Joint Section and shall

not reasonably discriminate against any of them.”

Section 2.7     

“This agreement does not contemplate the operation of passenger trains upon the Joint

Section by any railway company other than Hydro. Hydro shall have the right to operate

passenger trains over the Joint Section. The cars and engines of such passenger trains shall be

included in the wheelage count made pursuant to Section 4.4.”

Summary:

The Master Agreement lays out in very specific terms the rights and conditions of the sale of the freight rights over the Joint Section (known as the Pratt Livingston Corridor) by all parties concerned. A review of the B.C. Government Press Release spells out the intent of the then B.C. Government to #1 – Continue ownership of the full Interurban Corridor in the right of the people of B.C. and #2 – protect corridor for passenger rights on said corridor. The rights were renewed by B.C. Hydro in June of 2009, two months prior to the 21-year term of expiry.

The Master Agreement and relevant additional pages number 88.

IMPORTANT – A full copy of this Master Agreement is available for review to substantiate its authenticity, but it will not be released from our possession.

RG

I am working on a few posts at present that I believe are of significant concern to Township of Langley Residents, come back often for news of interest to Township residents.

Anti LGBTQ decisions or sexist comments are not acceptable.

Political campaigns have a way of exposing candidates and political parties, good or bad. What we are seeing exposed in this-years provincial campaign are telltale signs of what those involved in the B.C. Liberal Party are really all about. Our elected representatives MUST be held to a much higher standard in public discourse than the general public – tweeting an apology by the leader of the party does not cut it! As I said, when a Political Party or Candidate tells you who they are…. Believe them!

The B.C. Liberal Party has for years sent a message to the people of B.C. about who they are, their 16 year deplorable record has been laid out in spades; from extensive give away land deals on Burke Mountain and Little Mountain; to a promise not to sell B.C. Rail BUT after winning the election they awarded CN with a 999 year lease option deal followed by extensive court proceedings surrounding this debacle that stunk; to robbing ICBC of over $1.2 Billion dollars to balance their budget, the B.C. Liberals have told all of us who they are! The list of lies and corruption are extensive throughout their time in power.

Check out the Tyee feature 117 BC Liberal Falsehoods, Boondoggles and Scandals over 16 years of governance –

https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2017/04/10/BC-Liberal-Falsehoods-Scandals-Whole-List/

So now we are faced with the real social views that underpin the B.C. Liberal Party. In June of this year it was discovered and published that 14 B.C. Liberal MLAs had expensed more than $1,700 (in public constituency funds) to advertise in The Light Magazine. They describe themselves as a “free monthly Christian lifestyle magazine”.

However, the magazine also promotes highly controversial views, including something called the “West Coast Christian Accord” on “gender identity and human sexuality”, which condemns “homosexual, polygamous, or polyamorous” marriages and those who “adopt a homosexual or transgender self-perception.”

According to constituency expense receipts, B.C. Liberal MLAs Laurie Throness (Now resigned!), Rich Coleman, Shirley Bond, Marvin Hunt, John Martin, Joan Isaacs, Todd Stone, Mike deJong, Simon Gibson, Michael Lee, Sam Sullivan and Mary Polak have each disclosed that they have billed taxpayers varying amounts for ads placed with Light Christian Media Inc.

In answer to this revelation, B.C. Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson, when confronted by the media he states that the B.C. Liberal Party are inclusive as are all members and will not be advertising in any of these identified periodicals. This apparently, by his lack of action or comment, did not impress MLA Laurie Thrones, he has refused comment or assurance that he believes in the words and stated position of leader Wilkinson. He resigned today. Why wasn’t he fired?

So now, at virtually the start of the election campaign, the B.C. Liberal candidate for Langley East, Margaret Kunst as a councillor was one of three members of Council who voted against endorsing the installation of a Rainbow crosswalk between the RCMP headquarters and the School Board offices.

During the 30-minute debate on the issue she did not comment once – which stands out as someone who wanted to slide below the surface as far as media is concerned. This was no-cost to the residents of the Township of Langley; it is a show of support for the LGBTQ community and it was supported by the RCMP and school board. She claimed she was only against the process.

Really? That has proven to be incorrect since that vote and that excuse! – The Langley Chapter of the Association of Reformed Political Action Canada which encourages Reformed Christians to get involved in political issues sent out a questionnaire to all candidates prior to the last Municipal Election.

Question – Langley Township has painted a rainbow crosswalk within the last few years. Would you support the painting of such crosswalks – Margaret Kunst Answer WAS NO! She believes our Canadian Flag represents freedom and inclusivity for all in Canada. Fact – The Rainbow Flag is a widely displayed symbol (internationally) of support for the LGBTQ community.

So, this crosswalk is to be between the SD35 headquarters and the RCMP detachment in Murrayville supported by both organizations to signal inclusiveness to all visitors and had been in the works for about a year! Clearly Margaret Kunst, based on the uncovering of her answers to the questionnaire, did not tell the truth when asked for the reasons behind her vote by the media. Therefore the only possible conclusion is this is her personal view, and the leader, Andrew Wilkinson did nothing about it and has shown ZERO leadership in the matter!

So in the face of wide criticism from all corners of British Columbia of support ads in a slanted religious magazine and now of the Langley East candidate which has displayed such bias, we have a Leader in Andrew Wilkinson who has shown demonstrably poor leadership in dealing with these issues.

If all of that was not bad enough, we now have a Zoom MLA retirement / roast of Ralph Sultan that has been posted extensively on-line showing MLA Jane Thornthwaite making sexist and suggestive accusations against NDP MLA Bowinn Ma. In the aftermath of this telling debacle the B.C. Liberal leader Andrew Wilkinson was seen as a party to this retirement function and was seen laughing at the remarks by Jane Thornthwaite. An apology via Twitter from Wilkinson was all that was received until the day of the Leaders Debate. In the view of most, Andrew Wilkinson and the B.C. Liberals have clearly sent a message to the people of B.C., they are out of touch with today’s societal expectations – they are a dinosaur.

As I have said in earlier BLOG Posts, my decision to support the NDP and Megan Dykeman has not been made lightly but is being made in what I believe to be in the best interest of the Township of Langley and our Province. In my view, given the reality of politics in our province, a vote for the Green Party would be a vote for the B.C. Liberals. The reality is, regardless how you cut it, the Green Party cannot reach the numbers required to have any significant impact this time around on the political scene in British Columbia or our community.

A Vote for Megan Dykeman in Langley East is a vote for our community that will serve the Township of Langley well.

RG

I am working on a few posts at present that I believe are of significant concern to Township of Langley Residents, come back often for news of interest to Township residents.

Protect your Democratic Rights – Protect your NEIGHBORS Democratic Rights – stay informed, stay involved and VOTE!!!

Share this BLOG; forward it to your friends, neighbors, and relatives!

To comment on this post – Click on this Post, top left-hand corner under recent posts.

To Respectful and Effective Representation…. For Langley East Vote for Megan Dykeman…. We are!

It is no-secret, over the best part of 45 years I have been actively involved in free enterprise politics. An activist, life member, Constituency Vice-President, President, Candidate and Provincial Convention Plenary Chair, an Alderman in Delta, and Mayor of the Township of Langley. Throughout my political life I thought I had seen everything – the good, the bad and the ugly side of politics – until we moved to Langley. A fantastic and great community, one that our family loves deeply, but a community with a sleazy political underbelly of political control that I have written about earlier on this BLOG. This cadre of power brokers has held us back in so many ways to benefit themselves. It is our time to turn the page, break loose and move forward in a positive way. Let us break free of the past deplorable political representation at the provincial level towards a progressive representative and political party that meets the needs of 2021!

I do not make my decision of support lightly, without very-serious thought and weighing what is in the best interest of our Province and our community! We need the strong visionary leadership of John Horgan as well as that of a very bright and compassionate individual, currently the Chair of our Langley School Board, Megan Dykeman who is proud to be part of Premier John Horgan’s NDP Team! Her background in leadership is extensive, impressive, and very worthy of being our MLA!

Megan is very qualified to represent you – An experienced leader who has served 6 years as Community Chair of the Langley Agricultural and Economic Advisory Committee and Chair of the Blueberry Cannon Taskforce. As a Trustee, she has also served on the Provincial Conflict of Interest Committee and various BCSTA committees, including the Finance and Audit Committee.

Active in her community, Megan is the President of the Langley Farmers Institute and the Parliamentarian’s Association of British Columbia. She is a founding “A” leader of ‘Otter Flying Feathers’ 4-H club, the first 4-H poultry club in the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley in over 25 years.

While raising her two kids and running her business, Megan studied Farm Business Management at the University of Saskatchewan, completed her Bachelor of Professional Arts in Governance, Law and Management from the University of Athabasca, and obtained her Masters in International Relations from Macquarie University. Her thesis focused on food security, an international and local issue that she is passionate about. There is no question, she is very bright and articulate, a Provincial MLA we could all be proud of, someone who will fight for the Township of Langley’s present needs and its future!

While most of us will know and understand our past, with very polarized politics in British Columbia, there comes a time in my view where, regardless of left, right or center, bad government is bad government. Regardless of a particular philosophical bent, sometimes it makes abundant sense to stand against that bad government. A few key things have happened to change my mind in reaching our decision today.

Being very politically involved all of my life I have watched the progression of the B.C. Liberal Party since its inception and growth coming out of the 1991 election. I ran for Social Credit for Delta North in that election and know that transition very well, I will not regurgitate any of that here, possibly in a later Blog Post. My point is, I have been up close and personal with the growth of the B.C. Liberals from Gordon Wilson, to Gordon Campbell, to Christy Clark and now Andrew Wilkinson. Unfortunately, thanks to the likes of Gordon Campbell and then Christy Clark and their collective gang (a number still hanging around), the B.C. Liberal Party began to pull off a number of stunts. Check out the Tyee feature 117 BC Liberal Falsehoods, Boondoggles and Scandals over 16 years of governance.

https://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2017/04/10/BC-Liberal-Falsehoods-Scandals-Whole-List/

I do not like who they are, what they stand for, the decisions they have made and their lack of any ethical standards? They have had a chance to rebuild and renew and they chose the route of “don’t worry the public will forget”. Our old Social Credit Party chose the same course of inaction – they are no longer in existence and rightfully so.

Then something happened, John Horgan was elected leader of the NDP. A group of us had a chance to have a 2-hour meeting with then candidate John Horgan in March of 2017, and I was very-impressed. In my opening introduction I stated – “Well hell has frozen over; Rick Green is in an NDP office”. Based on our meeting and conversation I felt he deserved a chance to form government. I am 74 years old and the 2017 election was the first time our family has ever voted NDP and I have to say we have not regretted that for one minute. Shocking to some, we have also donated to the NDP in each year John has been Premier. We will get into their record of achievement in future posts during this election.

An MLA must represent all of his or her constituents, regardless of who that may be. It should never be based on some kind of hierarchical ranking of citizens within their constituency, based on some kind of perceived inner circle. That is exactly how the Township of Langley has been controlled, for the best part of two decades.

With Megan Dykeman we will have an MLA who is deeply committed to serve all of our residents regardless of their position or who they are within our community. The Township of Langley deserves so much better and we have many needs that can only be delivered from our Provincial Government as lobbied and fought for by our MLA.

We believe Megan Dykeman is the only choice in Langley East to serve ALL of us in the Township of Langley in Victoria!

RG

I am working on a few posts at present that I believe are of significant concern to Township of Langley Residents, come back often for news of interest to Township residents.

Protect your Democratic Rights – Protect your NEIGHBORS Democratic Rights – stay informed, stay involved and VOTE!!!

Share this BLOG; forward it to your friends, neighbors, and relatives!

To comment on this post – Click on this Post, top left-hand corner under recent posts.