Local industries reliant on the railway running south to the US from Grand Forks, BC, Canada, are calling on the local government representatives to support their efforts to keep the line open. Kettle Falls International Railway announced, by letter to local governments in November, its intention to abandon the rail line that runs north of Kettle Falls to Laurier, Cascade, Grand Forks, and Danville effective October 31, 2009. The railway notified the city of Grand Forks and the Regional District of Kootenay Boundary as a part of their legal requirements under the Canadian Transportation Agency regulations. Industries such as Pacific Abrasives and Supply, International Forest Products, and, in the past, Canpar Industries have used the rail line extensively for shipping of products for many years. Mike Ogborn,manager for the Kettle Falls International Railway, says that the lower volumes and the overall cost of running the line do not match so the company has decided to abandon the line. The first step is to file the notice, and after the notice date they can either proceed with abandonment, or sell the line. "It is not economic for Kettle FallsInternational to operate the line at this time," said Ogborn. "Overthe last three years the volume has gone down dramatically. We don't see (the decline) as cyclical, we see it as an overall trend." The city of Grand Forks agreed at their last council meeting Dec. 15 to provide staff and council support by requesting that the Ministers of Transportation for Canada and BC deny the application for abandonment. "There's a chance that we can put some pressure on the situation from this side (Canada)," said Brian Taylor, mayor of the city. "I think it's important that we get the message out to them (the railway) that this would really have a devastating effect on our community." Taylor says that the change would impact all the industries in the city and could lead to the loss of jobs across the Boundary.
