Whitewater rafting derailed in lower canyon of Kicking Horse River

Whitewater rafting companies in Golden, B.C., are struggling to salvage their summer season as a David versus Goliath battle continues to simmer.

Canadian Pacific Railway has blocked access for rafters to cross the railway tracks that lead to the iconic lower canyon area of Kicking Horse River. It's so popular, it's widely seen as the jewel of the area's whitewater rafting industry.

The MLA  for Columbia River-Revelstoke, Norm Macdonald, says the community of Golden is feeling betrayed, "I mean Canadian Pacific crosses this country and if you can't cross the track, you're dividing this country in a way that's really unreasonable."   

If you can't cross the track, you're dividing this country- Norm Macdonald, MLA for Columbia River-Revelstoke

The battle was set off just under a year ago, when Transport Canada noticed a group of rafters crossing the tracks.

It told CP to deal with the safety issue. 

The railway's response was initially clear cut;  no one would be allowed to cross the tracks, cutting off all access for rafters or anyone who wanted to access the river's lower canyon.

"We obviously made a big fuss about it," Ryan Johannesen, co-owner of the Glacier Raft Company said, adding that all levels of government came together with most of the town of Golden to protest CP's decision. "We got the whole town involved, worldwide river enthusiasts from all over were signing petitions, writing letters. It was really noisy."

By April, it appeared the noise had worked. CP agreed to allow pedestrians to cross the tracks this season with the addition of a flagger to ensure safety. 

The province promised to kick in $250,000 to cover costs, including the salaries of flaggers. 

Golden's protests turned to celebration.

But, just days before the opening weekend of the rafting season, all the air came out of their balloons when they discovered CP had installed a locked gate at the access point. "It was a bunch of lies at that meeting." Johannesen said.

CP refused CBC's request for an interview, instead directing us to an open letter to the residents of Golden. The outstanding issue, it insists, is about assuming liability for a "risky pedestrian access." It says, "...the province has stated it is unwilling to assume full liability."

Liability coverage now an issue

Macdonald, says there was no discussion of provincial liability at the public meeting where CP agreed to continued access, let alone a half billion dollars of liability coverage he says the railway is asking the province to assume. "It feels more like it's an inconvenience to CP, they don't want to do it, so they're not going to do it." Macdonald says.

Six weeks into the rafting season, the effects on Golden are stark. About 15,000 people come specifically to raft on the lower canyon of the Kicking Horse River each year. 

The end of the challenging rapids flows lazily through Golden's downtown core. 

Normally, the town would be bustling with rafters and spectators watching them end their adventure in town.

Tourism in town has dried up

Now, the river is empty and Spirit Square in the middle of town is no longer teeming with tourists.

Mike Pecora produces a live music concert in the square every Wednesday, "It's pretty quiet during the daytime. We don't have the bus tours and the groups." Pecora says there are noticeably fewer customers at local  businesses that rely on tourism dollars. "The pub next door and the pub right behind us, those are actually a lot quieter in the afternoon."

We don't have the bus tours and the groups- Mike Pecora, Entertainment Producer 

Of course, the six rafting companies that operate in Golden and their guides, who are paid by distance, are taking the biggest hit.

Johannesen says even though they're still rafting on the upper and middle canyons, there has been a lot of cancellations and refunds for customers expecting to experience whitewater rafting on the "jewel" of the Kicking Horse River, the lower canyon.

Xavier Rabasso rafted on all three canyons on his last trip to Kicking Horse River. He was disappointed that this season's trip was cut short.

"It's kind of sad. I was hoping we were going to go all the way," he said.

Two local rafting companies have taken the attitude that if they can't bring their customers across the railway tracks, they'll simply fly over them.

Helicopter transport available, for now

Beginning the July 1 long weekend, they're adding an optional helicopter leg that will drop rafters and rafts, for an extra fee at the entrance of the lower canyon.   

"Once we kind of came to terms with the fact that CP is going to stand there with their arms crossed, we realized we had to look outside the box a little bit," Johannesen said.

But, the heli-tours to the lower canyon are likely a stop-gap measure for a season or two. 

Acknowledging the importance of whitewater rafting to the area economy, the province has committed $45,000 to conduct a study on the feasibility of creating a new access point that doesn't cross the tracks at all.

Macdonald, an Opposition NDP MLA, is crediting B.C.'s Liberal government with stepping in to help solve the problem. But, he says he can't help but think this could have been avoided if the railway wanted.

"CP is denying access to our river, to areas we should be entitled to," he said. "If they're treating us this way, if that's how they're going to treat all communities across Canada then there's a bigger problem."