Tough decisions coming for Little Prince train

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“We know how much everybody loves the little Prince,” says Alyssa Leier, Executive Director for the Exploration Place. “We love it here at The Exploration Place, and we’ve put all of ourselves into trying to get this operational this year. Unfortunately, we can’t control the weather. We can’t control the erosion of the embankment. So we’ve run into a bit of an issue. And unless we’re 100 per cent confident in the safety and the infrastructure, we’re just not going to operate the Little Prince.”

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At issue is a portion of the track which is shifting from side to side depending on the weather, making it risky to run the train.

The Little Prince is also on the agenda for a special meeting of Council on June 10 as part of a discussion around capital projects – such as a new home for the train – that were initially identified as part of a capital wish list, but not to be funded.

“Just before the pandemic, we had a plan in place for replacing the train shed and it got to the capital plan,” explains Frizzell. But of course, everything changed with the pandemic.”

The park has been identified as an archeological site, meaning any excavation will be requires archaeological assessment, permitting and on-site monitoring before work can begin. And it also means a tough decision ahead for the City.

“You know, for big issues like that, where everything seems to coalesce at the same time into the perfect storm, it’s either the worst thing possible or it’s an opportunity to solve everything at once,” says Frizzell.

“As a not for profit, this could be a huge cost that we just cannot take on,” says Leier. “So these conversations with the city are really important to lay out the process and who’s responsible for what work.”

The Little Prince is also on the agenda for a special meeting of Council on June 10. Part of a discussion around capital projects that were initially identified as part of aa capital wish list, but not to be funded.

So for this summer at least, the Little Prince will stay put in its Quonset hut until such time as some big decisions are made.