Mayor John Tory and a coalition of 17 city councillors are calling on the federal government to introduce new measures to improve rail safety along the busy Canadian Pacific line that cuts through the city.
In an open letter sent to Transportation Minister Marc Garneau, the group says that Toronto
residents are concerned about “the transportation of dangerous goods by rail through the city.”
The letter notes that an estimated 140,000 trains transported crude oil across Canada in 2013 with a “significant number” of them travelling through “some of Toronto’s most densely populated areas.”
Furthermore, the councillors say that recent derailments in Lac-Megantic and Northern Ontario have demonstrated the substantial risks that exist.
To improve safety, the councillors say that the federal government should consider lowering the speed of trains that travel through urban areas and examine alternative routes for the transportation of dangerous goods, so as to avoid high population area.
The letter also urges the federal government to “accelerate” the removal of older-model trains that don’t meet current safety standards as the current timeline of 2025 “is too long to wait for implantation.”
“While we appreciate steps taken by the government to improve rail safety, we request that the Government of Canada take further action to protect Toronto residents,” the letter says.
According to a spokesperson for Mayor Tory’s office, the concerns raised in the open letter are similar to the ones that were listed in an open letter sent to former Transportation Minister Lisa Raitt last year.
Some of the other suggestions made by the councillors include:
- Promoting better communication between the rail industry and local communities.
- Revising the current liability/insurance regime to place the full cost of derailments on shippers and carriers
- Overhauling the Railway Safety Management System Regulations to better protect public interest
