NOTE: THIS POST CONTAINS PUBLIC DOCUMENTS AND AS SUCH ANYONE IS FREE TO USE THESE DOCUMENTS – I ONLY ASK THAT YOU NOT MODIFY THEM IN ANY WAY AND NOTIFY ME IF YOU USE THEM – CHRIS – chrisale at gmail.com
The FOI request – A Long Time Coming
On June 28, 2023 I submitted a Request for Information to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure of British Columbia for documents related to the Island Railway on Vancouver Island. It took two years to receive the response.
In multiple areas below you will see me reference BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA)
Here is the original acknowledgement of that request by the Information Access department.
My original request was:
A copy of any email, text, or written correspondence sent to or from the Minister and their staff including any cabinet briefing notes created that mention the E&N railway or the Island Corridor Foundation – ICF within the periods of, November 1, 2021, to January 31, 2022, and May 15, 2023 to June 30, 2023
The original intent of my request was to see to what extent, if any, the Ministry had considered the use of the Island Corridor railway in response to the Atmospheric River flooding events in November/December 2021 and the Cameron Bluffs Wildfire in June 2023, both of which highlighted the resiliency of the railway at a time when the highway systems failed catastrophically.
Obviously, as we are here 2 years later, the IAO requested a 30 day extension multiple times….
This in and of itself is a disturbing mockery of the intent of FOIPPA but I continued to allow it as I knew from past experience that eventually they would produce the documents. As far as I’m concerned, this is a violation of the FOIPPA and I intend on filing a complaint to the Ombudsperson separate from the response itself.
I must say here I do not have any ill will toward the employees at the IAO. They were always extremely helpful, professional and attentive. It is clear that the system they are a part of is created to block and delay, not release and share.
The Request released – June 3, 2025
You can download the request as PDF files below.
I received three PDF documents. None of these documents are posted publicly on the Government of BC Records page as is normally required of FOIPPA requests.
- The acknowledgement of completion of the request.
- A summary, showing which pages were partially or fully redacted or released and referencing the Section in the FOIPPA.
- The actual release comprising over 1700 pages of material. Note: It is a 60MB PDF file so I have turned off the inline-view.
The vast majority of redactions were of personal information from residents and others letters under s.22.
More interesting redactions were under sections:
- s.12 “Cabinet and local public body confidences”
- s.13 “Policy advice or recommendations”
- s.14 “Legal advice”
- s.15 “Disclosure harmful to law enforcement”
- s.16 “Disclosure harmful to intergovernmental relations or negotiations”
- s.17 “Disclosure harmful to the financial or economic interests of a public body”
I am still considering submitting a request to the Information and Privacy Commissioner to review the disclosures and potentially have some of the redactions rescinded. I post an update on this blog if I submit that request.
What did the release show or not show?
I did not anticipate the number of letters from residents and citizens and local governments in support of rail! Given the volume of the document, and my inability and reluctance to waste the paper and ink to print out nearly 2000 pages, I have only had a chance to scan the release over a few hours.
There are many pages are duplicates.
I’ve noted 15 sections in the release that I need to review again. Most of them are redacted. Some of them feature advice to Ministers or Cabinet. Some are reports on the railway. Some are letters to or from or between Federal or Provincial ministers.
I need to go through all of it in a systematic way but I have gathered my initial reaction to the release into a letter that I submitted to the Times Colonist and to many ministers and representatives on June 10, 2025. It was published online on June 14.
First Letter to the Editor related to release.
Dear Editor,
I have the results of a Freedom of Information Act request with 1,717 pages of documents and letters sent to or from the BC Minister of Transport about the Island Railway. They were not released publicly. My overriding impression from this tome spanning from November 2021 to June 2023 is the sheer weight of public want and need for restoration of the railway on Vancouver Island. It is overwhelming, widespread, consistent, and damning.
The form letters sent by the Minister in response to every message may seem sincere when received by well meaning and earnest constituents or local governments. But seen in aggregate, the veneer of sincerity melts away. What is left is condescension from successive dithering, inattentive, and indifferent provincial and federal governments.
It is expected now that Island railway lands through First Nations reserves will revert back to those Nations. That is right and just. However, that does not absolve any level of government from heeding the desperate and well founded cries to resolve these issues and restore and fully utilize the railway and corridor. Billions are spent on Lower Mainland transportation projects, including land purchases to resolve conflicting interests. Meanwhile, nearly one million Islanders get condescending assurances that government is aware, concerned, or producing another business plan. Action, or lack thereof, speak louder than those words. If BC or Canadian politicians wonder why the public seems cynical regardless of the party in power, this mound of dismissed grievance in support of the Island Railway provides a clue.
Sincerely
Chris Alemany
See you soon.
Over the coming days, weeks and months I’ll go through this release and likely post more here or send more letters. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out.
The Island Railway is an incredibly important asset that we cannot allow Government to ignore into oblivion. I’ve been fighting for the restoration of the railway, and inclusion of trails beside it, for 20 years. I still believe it can, and must, happen.
You can also see rail-related content on my VIByRail blog.