Railway Accountability: Protective Direction

The Town of Kindersley is a member of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, an organization that lobbies on behalf of municipalities. The FCM have successfully the federal government to have the railway companies more accountable to municipalities through the Protective Direction. This is the first step towards holding railways more accountable within municipal lands. The details of the Protective Direction follow.

This morning FCM First Vice-President Brad Woodside and FCM Board Member Jacques Demers joined Minister of Transport Lisa Raitt on Parliament Hill to announce a new measure requiring railways to share dangerous goods information with municipal first responders and emergency planners. FCM issued a statement from FCM President Claude Dauphin following the announcement.

The Protective Direction announced today introduces the following requirements, which respond directly to FCM’s call for action on rail safety:

• All Canadian railway operators will be required to provide municipal emergency planners and first responders with annual information on the nature and volume of dangerous goods being transported through their communities.
• Large Canadian railway companies, such as Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP), will be required to include in their annual reports a quarterly breakdown of the nature and volume of dangerous goods shipped through Canadian communities.
• Smaller railways will be required to notify municipalities of any significant changes to the information provided in their annual reporting.
• Municipalities wishing to receive this information will need to inform Transport Canada and assign a designate to receive the information. It will be possible for municipalities to designate to regional emergency management officials if appropriate.

In addition to today’s announcement, the federal government committed in last month’s Speech From the Throne to increase the insurance requirements for Canadian railways and shippers. These announcements represent important steps forward to improve rail safety in our cities and communities. They also demonstrate how governments can and should work together in partnership to respond to emerging challenges, improve public services and save taxpayer dollars.

In terms of next steps, FCM will be providing further guidance concerning the implementation of the Protective Direction, including the timing of the first annual report to municipalities.

Brock Carlton
Chief Executive Officer