Ontario Northland/Northern Ontario Transportation

[crs1026]

Two million was only the federal subsidy. I don't know what other support it received.

It didn't. This was an example of the province hanging tough - because Ottawa had traditionally paid and if QP had reached for the check, then it would set a precedent that would let Ottawa off the hook for the White River train and probably more. Ontario called the bluff and In the end Ottawa didn't blink.

At the time, both QP and Ottawa were Liberal, so one can't blame partisan rub points.

In my humble opinion, the ACR local train to Hearst is a remote service and can't be rationally differentiated from others, but Ottawa is not looking to add to its obligations in this area.

- Paul

 

[micheal_can]

It didn't. This was an example of the province hanging tough - because Ottawa had traditionally paid and if QP had reached for the check, then it would set a precedent that would let Ottawa off the hook for the White River train and probably more. Ontario called the bluff and In the end Ottawa didn't blink.

At the time, both QP and Ottawa were Liberal, so one can't blame partisan rub points.

In my humble opinion, the ACR local train to Hearst is a remote service and can't be rationally differentiated from others, but Ottawa is not looking to add to its obligations in this area.

- Paul

It may have also been the fact that CN saw the ACR as a money losing venture that they wanted it sold off.

 

[dowlingm]

Because ONTC is already serving Ottawa’s rail station, a morning southbound service/evening northbound nominally serving Northlander could also act as a thruway from VIA service to/from Montreal into the Ottawa Valley… if there was the will to create and market that cooperation.

 

[lenaitch]

In my humble opinion, the ACR local train to Hearst is a remote service and can't be rationally differentiated from others, but Ottawa is not looking to add to its obligations in this area.

It absolutely is. Just off the top of my head, once outside The Soo/Searchmont area, I doubt it touches road more that half a dozen times. Although very few actual remote communities were served (and that may be what the feds hung their hat on), the big losers were remote hunting and fishing lodges and private hunting and fishing camos along with simply itinerate sportspersons. Hunting a fishing up there is big tourist dollars, much of it from the US.

In actuality, the line has probably been a money loser since Algoma Ore Division shut down in Wawa in 1998, and was made worse by the Dubreuilville sawmill shutting down in 2008. If I recall, the diamond with CP at Franz was severed fairly recently, so get any service back running will no doubt have some significant cost (CN still owns and operates from OBA to Hearst).

Algoma Central received some fairly significant land grants to open up that part of the province, much like CP did out west, so maybe the line has some inherent value beyond rail operations, but I don't really know how such things work. A friend had a camp north of Wawa, and he leased the land from the ACR.

 

[micheal_can]

Because ONTC is already serving Ottawa’s rail station, a morning southbound service/evening northbound nominally serving Northlander could also act as a thruway from VIA service to/from Montreal into the Ottawa Valley… if there was the will to create and market that cooperation.

It is unfortunate how disconnected things are, even when they look connected. Maybe some sort of 'code share' like air carriers is needed.