The Ashcroft Terminal and the Ashcroft Slough

Patty Kinvig joins Civic Journalist Gareth Smart in the studio. The topic of discussion is the Ashcroft Terminal. The terminal was bought and started up in the early 2000's. It was a small outfit that only had five employee. It took in a few rail cars passing through and has since its conception grew to a large company that now has enough space to store shipping containers, rail cars and transfer good from train to truck. With its eye on a bigger shipping container yard that is currently being constructed.

The Terminal is in a unique position to work with both CN rail and CP rail due to the fact that it is one of the only places in Canada where both railways cross, creating a special circumstance for business.

One of the main stays of Ashcroft is the nearby Ashcroft Slough, a natural area which provides access to the Thompson River.  The Slough is a favourite spot for fishing, swimming, birdwatching and other recreational pursuits. It is accessible only by driving onto a un-monitored part of the terminal land, illegally crossing the CN rail tracks and walking down to the water. During the recent expansion of the terminal and the aforementioned construction, that area was deemed more dangerous. A gate was put up and a security guard was posted at the terminal property line, cutting off easy access to the slough.

After some public outcry, the Terminal invited a group of people from all of the nearby communities to be part of a  working group to discuss alternative things for the public instead of the Slough access. A couple of suggestions included a new walking path, or upgrades to the near by boat launch.

Some people from the working group advocated for a safe access to a path that connected to the Slough. Some options that were floated included a footbridge overpass that goes up and over the CN rail tracks, or a tunnel and culvert for people to walk through. These proposed options would be built at CN's and the Terminals cost. CN Rail has said that they are not building anything over or under their rail tracks. The Terminal was not inclined to do these options either.

The working group has since ended and the approved suggestions have been sent up the chain of command. The people that were advocating for the tunnel and overpass have split off and created the "Ashcroft Slough Society." The Slough Society and had taken Gareth on the walk that they currently use to access the Slough. In this interview Patty said that since the video was created, the path taken has been deemed trespassing by CN Rail, and inaccessible to the general public, with fines that will be handed out, by CN transit Police and the RCMP as needed.