KELOWNA — The provincial government says it’s ready to spend more than $7 million on the Okanagan rail trail project, but there’s a catch.
The Liberals announced Tuesday morning that it’s ready to commit $7.2 million to the project but only if the ‘yes’ side wins the referendum in Lake Country later this month.
Lake Country residents are going to the polls April 25 to determine if the municipality should borrow more than $2.5 million for its share of the recreational corridor, linking Kelowna to Coldstream.
Tuesday’s announcement of provincial funding with conditions attached is the latest in a series of twists as supporters of the rail trail project try to make it a reality.
Okanagan Indian Band (OKIB) members are taking legal action for land they says is rightfully theirs. The OKIB has filed a notice of claim for a portion of the CN rail line that it says runs through the Commonage Indian Reserve IR No.9
Last week it was revealed that a former Kelowna city councillor has the power to derail the project. Colin Day told Global Okanagan that he’s thinking about using his right of first refusal to buy the section of tracks near his property. He says he wants to maintain the privacy and security of his home on Crawford Road in Oyama.
And a former Lake Country councillor has publicily stated that she’s considering voting no in the railway referendum, Barbara Leamont is quoted in Tuesday’s Kelowna Daily Courier as saying she’s concerned about the costs associated with maintaining and building the recreational corridor. However, the Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative says it hopes to raise $5 million in donations for the trail’s construction.
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