The Buzz

April 23, 2015

By Amy Gaglardi

At Beelineweb, we feel blessed every day that we are located in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, and as a community, we have been given the opportunity to create something amazing – The Okanagan Rail Trail! The Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative can allow us to secure this piece of land for public use, instead of having it sold privately—which would mean losing public access to lakes, current trails, etc. This initiative promises multiple benefits, including a potential economic boost from increased visitors, public lake access, environmental well-being, healthy living, and other perks.

Not only are we proud contributors to the Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative, but we will also be voting YES on Saturday, April 25th, 2015. Lake Country, BC needs a positive vote on Saturday’s referendum to borrow the funds to purchase our middle section of the railway.

To give some background, CN Railway announced in Fall 2013 that they would be discontinuing use of the railway between Coldstream and Kelowna, giving the opportunity for Okanagan communities to purchase this picturesque land, and create a trail for the public to enjoy. The Okanagan Rail Trail would connect multiple cities, as well as follow the shoreline of a number of beautiful lakes. The Okanagan currently has nothing that compares to this.

The total cost of the land is $22 million dollars. The provincial government has pledged $7.2 Million to the project, but Lake Country needs to borrow funds in order to purchase their section.

Vote YES on Saturday to ensure that this amazing initiative goes through!

REFERENDUM: General Voting Day
April 25, 2015 @ 8:00 am – 8:00 pm
George Elliot Secondary School - Community Gym
10241 Bottom Wood Lake Road Lake Country, BC V4V Canada