A Saskatchewan village fighting to maintain its elevator and rail siding got a taste of what life would be like without them last week.
On Oct. 12, a CN Rail engineering crew ripped out the railway siding to the only remaining elevator in the village of Stenen. That’s a common occurrence on the Prairies these days, but the village was in the middle of negotiating with CN to lease the siding.
“We made a mistake. It should not have been done,” said Jim Feeny, a CN spokesperson. “That track should not have been removed while those discussions are under way.”
Read Also
Moe says China trip laid ground work
Saskatchewan premier says signals of moving forward on canola tariffs can be seen in moves from Chinese and Canadian governments
He said the crew was working off a demolition list and Stenen was mistakenly placed on that list. It was an administrative error that will be rectified this week when the crew replaces the track. Only the rails have been yanked, the ties and ballast are still there.
Stenen mayor Mervin Secundiak couldn’t believe his eyes when the CN crew started hauling away the rails at around 6 a.m. on Oct. 12.
“I was flabbergasted,” said Secundiak, who has been leading a fight to save the old Saskatchewan Wheat Pool elevator and siding.
“They say it was a mistake. I don’t understand this,” said Secundiak.
“Why would they do it at that time in the morning? That’s kind of fishy.”
But he said he’s willing to give the railway the benefit of the doubt and continue negotiating with CN. The Stenen Elevator Committee has to work out a deal with the railway for the siding and the land on which the elevator sits before anything can be resolved with Sask Pool.
Feeny said CN is awaiting a response to a letter it sent to the committee on Sept. 7 outlining the conditions of the lease. In the past, the railway hasn’t allowed grain companies to transfer leases, but that policy has been relaxed.
“We’re trying to go part way to meet the needs of the communities, but we have to maintain some protection for ourselves as well.”
CN is looking for assurances from the community that the facility will be properly maintained and meet certain safety requirements. They will also require the committee to take out liability insurance and post a bond to cover the costs of demolishing the facility if the group should walk away from it down the road. These are standard requirements in this type of lease agreement, said Feeny.
Secundiak said CN also wants $4,000 a year. He said that’s too much since the old pool lease was about $500 per year. Feeny said CN does not discuss the specifics of particular negotiations, but pointed out that Sask Pool has numerous leases with CN whereas this is just a one-shot deal.
For its part, Sask Pool says it is tired of playing a role in the ongoing saga. The company has offered to give the facility to the group for $1 and set a deadline of Aug. 31 for a response from the village, but hasn’t heard anything.
“This has gone on way, way too long,” said Barry Coulling, the pool’s general manager of the eastern territory.
“We are getting a little bit concerned about this. This has been going on now for about two years and we really do need to move this thing forward.”
Last week the company once again asked the village for a demolition permit and for the third time its request was denied. Coulling said if nothing is resolved by Oct. 28, the pool will insist on a demolition permit. Legal action would be a last resort.
Secundiak said the pool’s offer hinges on the village agreeing not to use the facility to compete with the grain handling company.
