2026 Peace Train update and registration information









The 2026 Peace Train is filling up! Thirty people have signed up so far, some taking the train and some flying to Ottawa. There’s still room for more, says organizer Bernie Wyton. 

“We hope for more to make this trip a much bigger event,” she said of this year’s trip, which departs from Vancouver on Oct. 23. 

The goal of Peace Train is to get peace back on track, Wyton said. 

“We are calling on our government to commit to a culture of peace by establishing and funding an integrated, independent Canadian Centre for Peace and Justice. This is not a protest, but an effort to lift up all those who will rise to the current global challenges of resisting polarization, rampant self-interest, and an industrial war machine that is out of control.” 

The train will arrive in Toronto on Oct. 27; participants will take a train to Ottawa on Oct. 28. There will be a reception with Members of Parliament that evening, arranged by Elizabeth May. More info about the trip below, together with contact information. 









VIA RAIL TRAIN #2, “THE CANADIAN” (Vancouver to Toronto) 

The Peace Train is a VIA Rail train called the Canadian. It leaves Vancouver on Friday Oct 23 at 15:00, arriving in Toronto on Tuesday Oct 27 at 14:29. (See below for Toronto to Ottawa leg) 

We will be travelling by Sleeper Class on the Canadian, which includes meals and public showers in each car. There are three options to choose from:

Berths – are upper and lower beds that are converted into two opposing window bench seats during the day. You can book an upper or lower berth. Berths have shared bathrooms in each car. 

Single Cabin – a cubicle with a window including a private toilet and single bunk that can be converted into a bench seat during the day. 

Double Cabin – a cubicle with a window including a private toilet and an upper and lower bunk that can be converted into a bench seat during the day. 

Contact Via Rail directly for current costs and sale options. Current estimate is $1500 for a berth and $3000 per person for a cabin. (Note: Some discounts are available through qualifying organizations including BCAA and CAA.) 

We recommend getting fully refundable tickets in case of any changes.

Book your ticket by phone at 1-888-842-7245. Say you are with Peace Train Canada and ask be placed in Car 12 to 16 to keep us together on the train.

Send us your Car and Booking Number so we can ensure you are on a car with other Trainers. 

VIA RAIL CORRIDOR TRAIN #52 (Toronto to Ottawa) 

As the Canadian is usually late getting into Toronto, we are planning to stay overnight there in nearby hotels or with billets. We will catch the Corridor Train #52 the next morning, October 28, leaving Toronto at 8:32am, arriving in Ottawa around 1 pm. 

Book your ticket by phone at 1-888-842-7245 and select a seat on Car #4 where we can be together. Tickets are about $75.



 






OTTAWA 

We are planning to stay in nearby hotels or with billets. 

A large room is reserved for us at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, 84 Kent Street, near the Parliamentary Precinct, where Peace Trainers can gather to visit, have meetings, and share meals, plans, and information. 

Elizabeth May is arranging an all-party MP reception for Oct 28 from 5-7. A number of Peace Trainers and key speakers will address the group, followed by a time for meeting and mingling. 

We will spend Oct 29 to 31 attending events and meetings with government representatives and other organizations to assert the need for a national peace centre. As this is a very short window, some of us may stay on for meetings during the following week when the house is still sitting. 

Other components to this project include broad publicity, media on the train, vigils, rallies, and initiatives from other Canadian peace organizations. 

Kim Bothen of SkySong Community Choir is joining us on the train as our music master. We will need more musicians, poets, artists, writers, reporters and filmmakers to entertain and document the journey. 

GETTING HOME 

Individuals are responsible for their own way home. 

SUPPORT ALONG THE WAY 

We are hoping that our numbers will swell as the Peace Train picks up supporters at the various train stops across the country. People can travel by other means to catch the train at those stops or to attend rallies or events planned along the route and at the final destination. 

TRAIN TRACKERS 

Those who cannot travel on the train but support us in spirit can stay connected and informed by emailing us to join the list of Train Trackers. There are many ways to contribute from afar (i.e. with funds, various expertise, local media, vigils, petition work, etc. We will symbolically carry train trackers with us on the train and in our presentations to government and the public.

Feel free to contact us with any questions. 

Email: info@peacetraincanada.com    

Webpage: www.peacetraincanada.com   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Anglican Archbishop of New Westminster, B.C. sends message of support to Peace Train

Image
  The Anglican Archbishop of New Westminster, B.C., has sent a letter to Peace Train participants supporting their efforts to ban nuclear weapons by attending the Third Meeting of States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).   The letter from John R. Stephens, who is also the Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of B.C. & Yukon, is below.   Dear Friends,   Canada has often prided itself on being a country of peace that has brought hope to many nations around the globe. This background of peacekeepers and peace-builders has been less evident in the world of today and it is important that we work to change that.   Christians are called to be peacemakers. We are called to turn our swords into  ploughshares. We are called to be people of forgiveness and to love our enemies. These are difficult words to live into, but we take them very seriously. They shape who we are and how we live and walk in this world. They a...
Read more

Peace Train Canada meets with Parliamentarians in Ottawa: building on momentum from 2024

Image
  “It’s good to see you here, building on the momentum from last year.” With those words, Gord Johns, NDP Member of Parliament for Courtenay—Alberni, B.C., welcomed a dozen members of Peace Train Canada to a breakfast with parliamentarians at the Senate of Canada building in Ottawa on Oct. 22.   The meeting, which found 10 Members of Parliament and one Senator, or their representatives, at the event, was a follow up to the 2024 Peace Train Canada reception with Parliamentarians, also in Ottawa.   “We are honoured to join you in building peace and understanding,” Johns said, adding the efforts of the Peace Train “is inspiring."   The need for peacekeeping around the world is more necessary than ever, Johns said, noting that over 120 million people have been forced from their homes by conflict.   “These are not just stats, these are people and families,” he said.   “Peace begins with action,” he went on to say, adding he supported the Peace Train’...
Read more

“You are inspiring in these difficult and uncertain times.” Peace Trainers meet Members of Parliament in Ottawa

Image
“ You are inspiring in these difficult and uncertain times.”   With those words, Gord Johns, NDP Member of Parliament for Courtenay—Alberni, welcomed Peace Train participants to a reception in Ottawa at the Sir John A. MacDonald Building.   Eleven Members of Parliament attended the reception—something Johns noted was exceptional considering how busy Parliamentarians are each day. “This is a tremendous showing,” he said, noting that every political party was represented at the event. Johns praised the Peace Trainers, saying they were bringing an important and hopeful message to Ottawa in calling for a Centre of Excellence for Peace and Justice—something he was glad to support. Following Johns was John McKay, Liberal Member of Parliament for Scarborough—Guildwood and Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defence. McKay said he spends most of his time thinking about the latest threats. “We live in a fraught environment,” he said, adding “I’m glad to see you here...
Read more