The lake is for eveybody to enjoy

The Shawnigan Village Rail Trail (SVRT) has been part of the Parks Master Plan since its adoption in 2012. Further community input was gathered during the South Cowichan Official Community Plan (OCP) process and desire for the project was solidified during the ThinkShawnigan Village Plan consultation in 2019. In addition to these large community consultations, there were multiple smaller community engagements via both CVRD Parks and various Director’s Meetings. Phase 1 and 2 were completed in 2020. The SVRT is being built on the Island Corridor Foundation (ICF) right-of-way which is 100ft wide. Phase 3 of the trail will have no impact on our local property taxes as it is fully funded by gas taxes. Currently we are waiting for the final design document and the environmental assessment report for this phase of the trail.

Most common reasons why community members support the project;

• More community access to the lake and the opportunity to enjoy lake views for thousands of people living in and around the village.
  
  
• Provides a safe accessible pedestrian and cycle path away from busy roads
  
  
• The trail will connect three of our major waterfront parks, the village core and the community centre together.
  
  
• Inclusivity and accessibility is important to allow seniors to age in place and to support those with mobility or physical disabilities.
  
  
• A Lakeview walking path that connects to the village will draw tourism and locals to the area to increase support for our local businesses.
  
  

One common question I hear is, ‘Why can’t we just rip up the tracks and put the path on the existing rail bed?’ This sounds like a reasonable and simple solution. However, if the ICF did decide to start decommissioning the railway, our section would probably be one of the last to go, since, light rail south of Nanaimo (or even Duncan) seems like a good option in the absence of an alternative to the Malahat. Furthermore, if the rail was decommissioned, the ownership of the various sections of the right of way would take some time to sort out. All of this could take decades to be resolved. This approach wouldn’t necessarily be less expensive either, since the steel belongs to the ICF and remediating all of that creosote timber would not be cheap.
As your Area Director it is my role to support the vision of the community and address the concerns of the residents. Unfortunately, many of the current concerns can not be properly addressed until the final two reports come forward (The Environmental Report and the Design Reports.) Once these reports are produced, the CVRD should be able to answer the detailed questions of those living near the ICF right-of-way. It is unfortunate that we don’t have all the details yet, however, I am confident that the final outcome will take into account the concerns of all of our community members.
Send me your thoughts at Sierra.Acton@cvrd.bc.ca​

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