Here’s one of the beautiful community gardens along the Arbutus rail corridor. Many have sheds, green houses, water lines and sitting areas. Owned by Canadian Pacific since 1886, this valuable property consists of a 66-foot wide right of way, 11 kilometres in length, from the Fraser River nearly to False Creek. Currently there is a battle over the price for the sale of this space. The players in this game are: CP, community gardeners and the city of Vancouver.
CP hasn’t operated trains in this area for 13 years. In 1999 it wanted to sell the land for commercial and residential use. The city wanted to keep the zoning as a green space and perhaps future use as light rail transit. A legal battle ensued and in 2006, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in the city’s favour but still allowed CP to use it for train traffic.
Community gardeners have coexisted with the railway on this corridor for decades but development of the gardens rapidly expanded after 2006, many encroaching directly on railway property.
Many comments have focused on these gardens being an expansion of park space for the wealthier parts of the Arbutus corridor, but, to be fair, the city of Vancouver actively encourages community gardens. There are over 75 in all parts of the city, comprising thousands of individual plots. They are located in city parks, schoolyards, and on private property. Many are tenuous and will only exist till the property is developed. Take, for instance, the garden at the corner of Burrard and Davie, which is slated for a 50+ storey tower.
Meanwhile, people put their hearts and souls into their gardens, which promotes healthier food and healthier community relations.
CP, however, has a mandate to maximize shareholder profits and is trying to get the most from unused assets like the Arbutus corridor. It reportably wants to sell it to the city for 100 million but the city has only offered 20 million. The city is partly basing its price on current zoning use whereas CP is basing its price on the area’s property value. To be realistic, Vancouver is no stranger to property speculation and if the city does end up with the property, it has been known to change zoning to suit development purposes.
As the dispute continues, CP has begun to bulldoze the gardens at the south end of the Arbutus corridor. It states if the property cannot be sold for its asking price it will resume operation of its trains and must get its rail corridor up to par. Mayor Robertson has called this a bullying tactic.
In this game of power, profit and politics, the community gardeners have become pawns on the wrong side of the tracks.
