“CP Rail lied” says Golden whitewater rafting rep—to hold protest

The rally will be attended by a wide range of community representatives including Mayor of Golden Ron Oszust.

A group enjoys whitewater rafting on the Kicking Horse RIver near Golden. — Photo courtesy Glacier Rafting Company/Ryan Johannesen

Negotiations between CP Rail and the Province of British Columbia to ensure promised access to the Lower Canyon of the Kicking Horse River have now reached an impasse, and this has raised the ire of local rafting companies, as well as community members, who feel that CP Rail lied to them when they said on April 22nd that a solution had been found, says Kicking Horse River Outfitters Association representative Ryan Johannesen.

“CP Rail Chief of Staff  E. Hunter Harrison & Vice President Mark Wallace came to our community on April 22nd and guaranteed that there will be rafting on the Lower Canyon on the May long weekend,” said Johannesen.

“He called it a ‘great day… that shows what can happen when community and a railway come together and work jointly’, but it now seems that CP Rail had no intention of allowing access, and they proved that when they locked us out of the Lower Canyon the day before the season opening.”

CP Rail has flatly rejected what is considered by most to be a very reasonable offer from the Province of British Columbia, and now it seems the only option is to ramp up public opposition to CP Rail’s actions in this matter.

“We’ve planned a protest rally for Monday, June 13th,” said Johannesen. “Community members and river users will be gathering at 6 PM to show CP Rail that the community is not backing down.”

DATE: Monday, June 13
TIME: 6 PM Mountain Time
LOCATION: Town Parking Lot – located across from the 7-11 in downtown Golden

“The community of Golden has been entirely supportive of our efforts to save the Lower Canyon. They understand not only the importance of retaining access for the rafting industry and the financial benefit that these tourists bring to our community, but they also understand the necessity to protect access to our public lands. If CP Rail can cut off access to this recreation asset they can cut off access to another recreation asset, and that is something that we simply won’t accept. This isn’t just about access for commercial operators, but also for recreational paddlers who have the Lower Canyon on their must-do list.”

The rally will be attended by a wide range of community representatives including Mayor of Golden Ron Oszust and Columbia River Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald.