The Honourable Mike Currie, Minister of Transportation and Public Works, praised today's court of appeal decision confirming the province's title over former railway corridors.
Today's court decision means an injunction has been granted preventing residents adjacent to the railway corridors from blocking the trail. "The provincial government is very pleased with this court decision," says Minister Currie. "We opted for the legal route to resolve this dispute after all other options had been exhausted and to provide land owners the opportunity to present their arguments in court. The government felt, regrettably, that a decision from a judge was the only option left to resolve this dispute. The legal decision benefits communities and trail users, and clarifies ownership of the railway corridors."
The Minister stated his belief that land owners will remove the obstacles and will fully comply with the court's decision.
Minister Currie emphasized the government has been very patient throughout the dispute. "Efforts were made to negotiate an agreement that would have permitted some changes to the trail route - these efforts were rejected by the adjacent land owners. We asked that they remove the barriers - they refused. In the end, the province sought a court injunction against the blockages and was successful. It is now time for owners of land adjacent to the railway corridors to accept the court's decision and remove all impediments preventing access to the trail."
Quoting from the decision, Minister Currie noted the court's decision is clear and concise, "Overall, these lands are lands over which the Government of Prince Edward Island has the right to assert ownership. Anyone on this former railway corridor without government permission is therefore a trespasser."
A court order to remove the barricades is now being prepared and it is expected that the barricades will be removed within seven days.