FORT WILLIAM FIRST NATION – Fort William First Nation Chief Peter Collins believes Canadian National Railway is running out of legal options and will soon be forced to reopen the James Street Swing Bridge to vehicular traffic.
However, Collins on Monday said while encouraged at an Ontario Court of Appeals ruling the denied the company a stay in proceedings while they await a Supreme Court of Canada decision on the matter, there’s still that one last hurdle to jump before a bridge reopening can happen.
“It’s been five-plus years and it’s been frustrating for us here in Fort William,” Collins said. “We continue to work with CN to try to put a solution on the table, in many different aspects, in many different ways. We’re hoping they will consider one of them and move forward and stop the legal fight.
“Because you keep losing those battles and how long can you continue that battle?”
The railway initially closed the bridge completely in the aftermath of an October 2013 fire, but reopened the structure to rail traffic within days. It’s remained closed to vehicles ever since, though pedestrians are still permitted to use the span.
Collins says his community can’t afford to wait another two or three years for a solution. The bridge, which was built more than 100 years ago, is an important transportation link between his community and Thunder Bay, and without it residents in both communities are being placed in unnecessary danger, forced to access Fort William First Nation via a treacherous portion of Highway 61.
In addition to the economic downfall, which the court suggested was easily quantifiable, Collins said students are being bused to Thunder Bay each morning along the highway, putting their lives and education at risk.
“We have seven buses that travel along that route into the urban setting to schools so they can get their education,” Collins said. “That liability factor of putting them on the highway is very concerning to us,” Collins said.
“The health and safety of our community is the most important part of this being resolved.”
The time for talk is long past, Collins said. It’s time for action.
“It’s a frustrating situation. Like I said, it’s been five-plus years now and I’ve battled it for four myself ... trying to put every option, every different solution on the table to try to get it open,” he said. “The good side of this is that it’s going to come to an end, sooner rather than later. I don’t think they can drag this out much further.
Collins is hopeful the Supreme Court ruling, should it go in favour of reopening the bridge to vehicles, will place timelines on the project to speed up any necessary repairs needed to make it happen.
“That’s what I think the Ontario Court of Appeals should have done. Here’s your time frame, get it done,” Collins said.
