Stanley Park Train Back on Track

The train's route is decorated with numerous lights

Christmas has finally arrived at Stanley Park as corporate donors stepped up to help pay for parts and repairs to the miniature train.

Up until 2019 it was run as a fundraiser for the BC Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund, but then Covid-19 hit, then there were concerns of coyote attacks in the park, and then numerous repairs needed to be made on the train.

Sim (left) made the announcement today

But this year, with Mayor Ken Sim onboard in City Hall, donors like Beedie Foundation, the Peter and Joanne Brown Foundation, the Diamond Foundation, the Lyall Family, Jeff Stibbard, and The 625 Powell Street Foundation were called and stepped up to chip in.

Sim said the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Park Board were facing "financial constraints" and so the city was "thinking outside the box" when it reached out to these donors to help cover the costs.

"But when we asked they gave us a resounding, 'Hell yeah,'" said Sim, who didn't disclose how much money was raised to repair the train.

So while the money was rolling in, it was a challenge to find parts for the locomotives and track. But with this announcement, things are starting to move again.

The annual fire fighter fundraiser is back this year

This will be not only exciting news for kids who love riding the train and seeing the Christmas lights in Stanley Park, but also for the BC Professional Fire Fighters Burn Fund, who raised most of their funds during this period. One wonders how they survived these past three years.

Now Sim can cross this off his to-do list...