Frankly Speaking

Frank Bucholtz photo No matter what happens in today's provincial election, one result of the campaign will likely be an end to trains hauling thermal coal for export to Asia travelling through White Rock, Surrey and Delta. An export ban or $70 per tonne carbon tax will probably end shipments through Westshore Terminals in Delta.   No matter what the result of today's provincial election is, there will be significant changes on one important local issue – the export of thermal coal. This issue has got a lot of attention in the past few years, due to concerns about coal train traffic through White Rock and South Surrey, and the growing emphasis on climate change. An even bigger issue was the proposal for a coal export terminal at Fraser Surrey Docks, which almost certainly will not go ahead now. Curiously, it was not environmental concerns that pushed export coal to the forefront in the election campaign. It was the long-anticipated U.S. government decision ...

Photo from Fraser Surrey Docks website It seems unlikely that a coal export facility will ever be built at Fraser Surrey Docks, given the recent global agreement on how to reduce carbon emissions and China`s stated objective of reducing the amount of coal it burns to provide electricity. Canada is among the 195 countries signing on to a worldwide plan to reduce carbon emissions, and attempt to keep global temperatures from rising. The accord, reached in Paris after two weeks of intensive talks, calls for significant reductions in emissions from coal, natural gas and oil. It also calls for preservation and replanting of forests, transparency and regular five-year reviews of how countries are progressing, and an unspecified but significant subsidy from richer countries to poorer ones. The new federal Liberal government wants to move forward and have an implementation plan in place, together with the provinces, in 90 days. Thus this accord will have a very significant eff...

Frank Bucholtz photo The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway hosts a wide variety of trains on its line through White Rock, including this special passenger train operated for Dennis and Phyllis Washington and their guests, which travelled through in July 2014. The Washingtons' company, The Washington Group, owns Montana Rail Link, Southern Railway of B.C. and Seaspan International, among other companies. A proposed $700,000 technical study to look into moving the Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks from the White Rock and South Surrey waterfront to a new alignment is an early indicator of how costly this idea is. Municipal politicians are already trying to shift the cost onto their neighbours. Surrey Mayor Linda Hepner says that White Rock should foot a significant portion of the cost, while beleaguered White Rock taxpayers likely think Surrey should pay for all but the consultant’s last cup of coffee. A move could benefit the waterfront residents of both communit...

Two significant infrastructure improvements opened in the past two weeks, and unlike the usual changes to transportation corridors, these ones directly benefit pedestrians and cyclists. Cyclists and pedestrians can now use a multi-use pathway over the new Port Mann Bridge. It opened on Wednesday, July 1. This pathway was promised way back when the BC Liberal government, under then-premier Gordon Campbell and then-transportation minister Kevin Falcon, announced plans for the new bridge and Highway 1 improvements, under what was called the Gateway program. That announcement was made in January 2005, prior to the provincial election. The three-metre wide barrier-separated path connects to United Boulevard and Lougheed Highway on the Coquitlam side, and to 112 Avenue in Surrey via a new path along the top of Johnston Hill on the north side of Highway 1. The path has been much-delayed, largely due to the complicated overpass and access structure on the Coquitlam si...