SRC Family Fundraiser (June 12)

On Sunday, June 12 from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm, Safe Rail Communities will be holding a Family Fundraiser at Vine Ave. Playground in the Junction (Toronto). For more details, please click here

You can sign up to join our Hoop-a-thon team by sending us an email here requesting to join the team, and by sharing this link Donate to the SRC Hoop-a-thon Team   to collect sponsorships.  Anyone can be part of our team to raise funds to support our work in advocating for greater transparency and safeguards with respect to the transportation by rail of dangerous goods.

If you don't have a hoop, you can borrow one of ours.  We will have various hoop sizes, and will be offering free hooping lessons.

Bring a picnic blanket and grab a bite to eat from our BBQ. 

Check out the silent auction items generously donated by local businesses, while kids can participate in a number of activities.

Together with your help we can support our community and stand up for safe, transparent, and regulated rail.

For more information about us, please visit us at www.saferail.ca

Thank you!

Safe Rail Communities Team.

Rail Safety Week

April 28, 2016

Hello everyone,

Did you know it's Rail Safety Week?

Yesterday we had the pleasure of participating of a Joint Community Town Hall meeting on Rail Safety. The meeting was organized by MPs Carolyn Bennett and Chrystia Freeland, and had as guest speaker our Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau. We were happy for taking part on this discussion, and now hope to walk towards more meaningful progress from there.

Following Min. Garneau's encouragement to learn more about rail safety, we thought of sending you a timely reminder of some of the issues we've been working with. We'll also point out a few simple actions you can take with us towards ensuring public safety on our railways.


While there's been much talk on railway crossings improvements, we must also remember other issues that are crucial for insuring safe, transparent and regulated rails. 

Here are some of them:

  • The volatility of crude oil is a key risk factor for explosive derailments. We need a legislated safety-based standard for volatility, to compel industry to adopt the technology to reduce the volatility of crude oil transported. We also need to phase out unsafe tank cars immediately.
  • Unlimited absolute liability must be prescribed for rail carriers and shippers of dangerous goods; and they must have sufficient insurance to cover the full cost of a derailment in a densely populated area.
  • Government must strengthen oversight of the rail Safety Management System, and increase the number of onsite rail inspectors.
  • We need increased transparency and accountability. First Responders must have real-time data about dangerous goods shipments. Railway route analyses and risk assessments regarding the shipment of dangerous goods by rail must be open to the public.

Now, here are 6 ways in which you can take action on this Rail Safety Week:

 1- SIGN AND SHARE OUR ON-LINE PETITION
Our on-line petition is available for you to read, sign and share. We're aiming 1,000 signatures by June, so we can send a strong message to Ottawa.

See the Petition!

2- TALK TO YOUR MP
Ask your MP to support rail safety in your community. We've gathered some recommendations you can take to your representative.

Recommendations

3- START A COMMUNITY WIDE EFFORT
We've got the tools you need for starting your own Safe Rail initiative in your community. You'll learn how to engage residents, businesses, community groups, and government representatives.

Community Effort Tool

3- ORGANIZE A CANVASS
If you would like to get more involved, you can raise awareness in your community about rail safety through canvassing. We've gathered everything you need to start!

Canvass Strategy

4- VOLUNTEER
From canvassing on your neighbourhood to participating in events, there are many ways you can lend a hand to support Safe Rail Communities. Contact us to get on board and help Safe Rail Communities.

Volunteer with us!

5- SUPPORT US WITH A DONATION
A donation made to support for Safe Rail Communities is support for our unwavering commitment to hold our government to account on this issue of public safety!

Donate today!

6- SPREAD THE WORD
The easiest way to support Safe Rail Communities is to talk to family and friends and share our message through social media. You'll find the links bellow to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Through them, you'll be up to date on the latest news, our activities and accomplishments! You can also share our electronic brochure.

Share our Brochure

Remember, we're here to support you and work as a community. So you can always feel free to contact us with any question or suggestion.

Happy Rail Safety Week!

Keep it safe,

Safe Rail Communities' Team

SRC Update May 2016

Hello everyone.


We'd like to share with you some details of our efforts over the past month!
 
In our last update, we told you about a Joint Community Town Hall meeting that happened during Rail Safety Week (April 25-29). Our participation at the closed roundtable discussion led to a direct invitation from Minister Garneau for us to meet with the Directors General of both Rail Safety, and Transportation of Dangerous Goods departments. In this 90-minute meeting, we were able to share more personally with the Directorates our concerns and recommendations regarding rail safety. We feel very positively about Transport Canada's commitment to move forward with continued open dialogue, and look forward to another meeting in a couple of months.
 
A bit earlier in the month, we submitted a brief to the House ofto the House of Commons' Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure, and Communities. In this brief, we shared our disappointment in the narrow scope of the Committee’s current mandate, and again our concerns and recommendations.

On Wednesday, May 18th, we delivered a presentation on Transport and Communication to the Senate Standing Committee. The mandate of this Committee is to examine and report on a strategy to get crude to refineries on the east and west coasts while sharing risks and benefits as broadly as possible across the country. We chose to focus on the risks involved, and what can be done immediately to make the transport by rail of dangerous goods safer.

Let's steam ahead!


Thank you to all who have signed either of our previous paper petitions, presented in the House of Commons! Since the federal implementation of e-petitions late last year, we now have Safe Rail Communities’ first electronic petition, sponsored by our MP, Arif Virani. This petition has been open for signatures since February, and will remain open until June 18th, when Arif will be able to present it in the House of Commons. Please help us continue to send a strong message to Parliament on this important issue of rail safety, sign our petition and feel free to invite your friends to do so too!

See the e-petition!

You can always contact your MP and let him/her know of your concern on this issue which falls under federal jurisdiction.

Find your MP!

To support our continued work on rail safety, you can also kindly consider helping us reach our annual fundraising goal of $5000 to cover the costs of our insurance and yearly expenses. Donate now!

Hoop for Safe Rail!


Finally, we are happy to share that our second annual Family Fun Fair will take place on Sunday, June 12th, from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm at Vine Park, in the west end of Toronto. We'll have a BBQ, free activities for children, a hoop-a-thon, and a silent auction with awesome items generously donated by local businesses - including a vintage-style Cruiser donated by 3030 and Amsterdam Brewery! Please come out and join us if you’re in Toronto!
Remember, we're here to support you and work as a community. Please always feel free to contact us with any question, comment or suggestion.


Keep it safe,

Safe Rail Communities' Team

2016 Federal budget - Rail Safety

Terrific to see rail safety being addressed in the federal budget released yesterday! This is a good start. There's still much work to be done to ensure that there are effective investments made to rail safety. We've crunched the numbers, and $143 million (over the next 3 years) is a significant increase of approximately $47 million spent in the previous 3 years.

From the Federal Budget for 2016 (pg. 191):

Many cities and towns across Canada were established because of the railroad, and our communities have grown around railway infrastructure over time.
Railways remain critical to the Canadian economy, carrying more than one third of Canada’s trade to and from border crossings and marine ports. The tragic incident at Lac-Mégantic, on July 6, 2013, highlighted the importance of rail safety and the regulation of the transportation of dangerous goods.
Following recommendations from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, a number of actions have been undertaken, including the implementation of amendments to the Railway Safety Act along with new regulations and standards, and increased frequency of inspections of high-risk dangerous goods operations. Rail traffic volumes are expected to continue to increase, and there
are further Transportation Safety Board recommendations to be implemented. Canadians expect industry and government to take action to mitigate the risks associated with the movement of goods by rail through their neighbourhoods.
Budget 2016 proposes to provide $143 million over three years on a cash basis to sustain existing measures and support new and expanded activities to strengthen oversight and enforcement, and to enhance prevention and response capabilities related to rail safety and the transportation of dangerous goods.
New measures will include: increased inspection capacity and improved training for stronger and more consistent oversight across the country; enhanced systems for testing, classifying, registering and mapping dangerous goods and their movements, to support better risk management; increased federal contributions for local investments in safer railway crossings to help prevent accidents; and additional support for first responders to provide better tools and the information required to better protect communities.

Click here to see the full 2016 federal budget

SRC Update March 2016

March 2016

Hello Everyone,

With the lengthening days, we have happily found more time to update you on our activity of the past few months.

It’s been more than two-and-half years since the explosive rail tragedy in Lac-Mégantic that took 47 lives, but sadly, meaningful change to ensure safe, transparent, and regulated rail in our country has not yet occurred.  Safe Rail Communities is committed to this national issue of public safety.  We invite you to find out more about our work at www.saferail.ca, and to contribute to this important cause in one of several ways, including making a donation and signing our new federal e-petition here.

We look forward to warmer weather, sharing our information with local rail communities, and seeing you at one of our upcoming events, which we will be sure to share through our website and our social media platforms.

Here is a brief summary of current efforts:

1. Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) requests

On behalf of Safe Rail Communities (SRC), our lawyer Charles Hatt (Ecojustice) submitted 5 ATIP requests in July 2015.  These requests were related to transparency of risk and the public’s right to know.  We are receiving responses from Transport Canada at a snail’s pace, and updating our website accordingly.

Transport Canada's culture of secrecy around rail safety is highlighted in a recent CBC investigative report.   SRC co-founder Patricia Lai spoke of our frustration at not being able to get answers about the risks posed to Canadians living in rail communities across the country.  We are taking on all the health and financial risks associated with unsafe and unregulated rail, yet have no information about what these risks are!  Safe Rail Communities has submitted a letter of complaint to the Information Commissioner through our lawyer, Charles Hatt (Ecojustice).

2.  Joint Letter to Minister Garneau

With support from a network of organizations across the country, we sent to Minister Garneau last month a letter requesting a meeting to discuss this important issue.

SRC Joint Letter Minister Garneau

SRC Lettre Conjointe Monsieur Garneau

3.  SRC’s first federal e-petition

With the federal government’s recent implementation of online e-petitions, we have created our first online rail safety e-petition, supported by our MP, Arif Virani.  Many of you have already signed our paper petition, and for this we thank you.  Signing our paper petition doesn’t preclude you from signing our online petition, which is a completely new petition.  To be presented in the House of Commons, our e-petition must receive 500 signatories within 120 days of it being posted on the government website.  We would very much appreciate your support in promoting our e-petition by sharing it with your family, friends, and any other interested contacts.

Please click here to read and/or sign our petition. Pour la version française, veuillez cliquer ici

4. Results of Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (CEAA) submission for expansion of the Hardisty Oil Terminal in Alberta

Thanks to everyone who submitted comments to the CEAA on this important development.  On December 23, 2015, the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency decided that a federal environmental assessment is required for the Hardisty Rail Terminal Project pursuant to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 (CEAA 2012).

In making this determination, the CEAA considered the following factors as indicated in section 10 of CEAA 2012:

  • the description of the project provided by the proponent (USD Terminals Canada) on October 28, 2015;
  • the possibility that the carrying out of the project may cause adverse environmental effects; and,
  • Aboriginal groups' comments and public comments received within the 20-day comment period.

USD Terminals Canada no longer intends to carry out the project as described in the Project description, but we will be watching closely to see if anything new develops.

5. Air quality testing in the Junction (west Toronto)

Over the next few months, Safe Rail Communities and Green 13 (www.green13toronto.org) will be working with students from the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering (University of Toronto) on an air quality monitoring project in the Junction.   This study will be led by Prof. Marianne Hatzopoulou (http://uttri.utoronto.ca/people/marianne-hatzopoulou/)

Given the concern about trains idling by the Vine Ave. Parkette, we have identified the park as a priority spot for air quality monitoring.   We are presently seeking residents who live within the vicinity of the park to help us with:

  • recording and reporting the time periods when idling seems most prevalent
  • meeting with the U of T students (likely in a community meeting format; possibly at Annette library).  More details will follow.

Please let us know if you are interested in participating in this exciting project.

SRC Online Federal petition is ready!!

Safe Rail Communties’ online e-petition for rail safety is ready.

Every day, the movement of dangerous goods by rail through our communities puts thousands of Canadians at risk.  In 2014, there were about 140,000 tank cars carrying crude oil across Canada. This is 280 times the number of tanks that travelled in 2009. The projected number for 2016 is 510,000 tank cars.  Safe Rail Communities (SRC) is a non-partisan initiative that advocates for safe, transparent, and regulated rail.  It is our Federal Government’s responsibility to regulate the transportation of dangerous goods by rail. They must set the standards for industry to follow in order to mitigate the risks to rail communities across Canada. Over the past couple of years SRC has worked with experts to develop the list of recommendations in our petition.

With the federal government’s recent implementation of online e-petitions, we have created an online rail safety e-petition. Many of you have already signed our paper petition, and for that we thank you. Signing our paper petition doesn’t preclude you from signing this new online petition.  It is a completely new petition.  In order for an e-petition to be presented in the House of Commons, it must receive 500 signatories within 120 days of being posted on the government website.  Given this deadline, we would very much appreciated your support in promoting our e-petition by sharing it with you family, friends and any other contacts you think may be interested.

Please click here to read and/or sign our petition. Pour le francais, cliquez ici

Thank you!

SRC Joint Letter to Minister Garneau

Safe Rail Communities has sent a joint letter (in English and French), supported by 31 signatories from across the country,  addressed to Minister Garneau.  With the new government in Ottawa, we would like to take this opportunity to keep the issue of rail safety top of mind.  For more information about our efforts, please visit our website at www.saferail.ca

Please click on the links below to view the letter (English and French versions).

SRC Joint Letter Minister Garneau

SRC Lettre Conjointe Monsieur Garneau

Thank you!!

Thank you MP Arif Virani!!

Thank you very much, Arif Virani, Liberal MP for our riding of Parkdale - High Park. We look forward to continuing our work on rail safety with you. (And for everyone else: Please keep your eyes out for our federal online petition. Once released, we'll need 500 signatures in 120 days in order for Arif to present it in the House on our behalf. We will be sharing the link to this petition very soon. Please STAY TUNED!)

Please click on the link below to see Arif's statement.

http://fb.me/29H8bAHS0