CN made 'flat out false' remarks about Thunder Bay, city says

CN is "flat out false" in its allegations the City of Thunder Bay was not prepared to negotiate with the railway for repairs to the James Street swing bridge, according to one city official.

City manager Tim Commisso is responding to a news release issued Friday by CN stating the railway is going to court "following months of intransigence by the City of Thunder Bay and the Fort William First Nation and an absolute refusal to enter into any productive negotiation."

The CN-owned bridge that connects Thunder Bay to Fort William First Nation has been closed to vehicular traffic after a fire more than a year ago. Both the railway and the city now say they'll go to court to determine what obligations CN has to repair the bridge under the 1906 agreement that allowed it to be built.

"Bottom line is they own the James Street swing bridge and they want out of their 1906 agreement with the city," Commisso told CBC News.

'Take it or leave it' offer

Earlier this month Thunder Bay city councillors rejected CN's final offer to restore vehicular traffic to one lane, alternating directions, on the rail bed of the bridge.

As part of that deal, CN sought to replace the 1906 agreement; make the city legally responsible for the shared traffic corridor on the bridge and release all existing and future rights of Fort William First Nation, Commisso said.

CN's offer was "take-it-or-leave-it," the city manager said.

"To suggest that the city was not prepared to negotiate is flat-out false," he said.

But CN's news release also makes allegations of falsehoods, saying the railway is going to court to "stop the false and unjust attacks on its reputation."

Thunder Bay city council announced on Feb. 9 that it is taking CN to court to test the validity of the 1906 agreement.