August 12, 2016
Hello,
Hope you’re enjoying the summer weather! Since our last newsletter, there has been some developments on the rail safety front. We’d like to take this opportunity to provide you with an update.
Lac-Mégantic Anniversary
July 6 marked the 3rd anniversary of the Lac-Mégantic tragedy. Its residents held a gathering to remember those who lost their lives, and to remind us all that so much more needs to be done.
Bruce Campbell, former director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, had the opportunity to speak in that gathering for Lac-Mégantic.
Transport Canada Developments
On July 25 Minister Garneau announced an accelerated phase out of the DOT 111 tank cars carrying crude oil.
While this certainly is a move in the right direction, these tank cars will still be allowed to carry other flammable and dangerous goods until 2025. Furthermore, there is no mention of addressing the explosive nature of volatile crude oil, ethanol and other flammable substances.
Transport Canada published its Transportation of Dangerous Goods Newsletter (July 2016). The focus of this edition is to provide an overview of the dangers of volatile crude oil; including a summary of Transport Canada’s final report on the analysis of crude oil. Take a look!
More News Articles of Interest...
CP track worker layoffs pose derailment risks: union (CBC)
74 runaway CN Rail cars rolled 5 km out of GTA yard, TSB says (CBC)
Canada needs further rail safety reforms: Editorial (Toronto Star)
GTA Interactive Blast Zone Map - Zoom in, and scroll through it here!
Ever wonder how many schools or hospitals fall within the Blast Zone? SRC has partnered with FracTracker Alliance to map these numbers in communities across Canada.
The first interactive map is ready (for the Greater Toronto Area), and more will be completed in the next couple of months.
Let's Blow the Whistle!
On July 28th Ecojustice, on behalf of Greenpeace and Safe Rail Communities, launched a campaign calling on the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to designate all oil-by-rail facilities for an environmental assessment.
You can help us urge the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to take action by signing onto this letter.
Thank you!
Oh! And, please stay tuned for more details of our upcoming 2nd annual Comedy Fundraiser!!!
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May 31, 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!
You can always contact your MP and let him/her know of your concern on this issue which falls under federal jurisdiction.
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
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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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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!
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.
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
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February 29, 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.
Thanks
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November 23, 2015
Hello Everyone,
We hope you have been enjoying the unseasonably warm fall weather.
It’s been a couple of months since our last update, but rest assured that Safe Rail Communities has not been idle!
· The federal election campaign was exhausting for us all, and the surprise results of the October 19th left us with a new majority Liberal government. We are particularly disappointed to have lost our own MP, Peggy Nash, who was such a strong advocate of our work and that of many important organizations in our community. Peggy will be greatly missed. We deeply thank her and her team for all of their encouragement and support. We have sent letters of congratulations to our new MP, Arif Virani, as well as to Minister Chrystia Freeland, both of whom have supported our work for some time.
o Once Prime Minister Trudeau announced his cabinet on Wednesday November 4th, Safe Rail Communities also quickly sent off letters of introduction to the new ministers of Transport (Marc Garneau) and of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness (Ralph Goodale). We look forward to working closely with these new ministers on the important file of rail safety.
· Since late October, we have received from Transport Canada a response to only one of the 5 Access to Information requests we submitted in July via our lawyer (Ecojustice). Our requests relate to railway risk assessments, railway emergency response plans, cost data related to insurance minimums set out in Bill C-52, and scientific test results of crude oil properties. The response we received in October related to railway risk assessments, and we are not satisfied with the exemptions identified. We do not feel that the stated exemptions actually apply to our request. We will not give up, and will be drafting a letter of complaint to the Information Commissioner.
· In mid-November, we participated in the first continental Oil Train Response conference in Pittsburgh, PA. The 3-day gathering was a terrific opportunity to connect with 150 people across Canada and the U.S., all working in some way on this issue. A huge thank you to Forest Ethics for hosting this awesome event, during which Safe Rail Communities committed to working directly on two action items to help the network move forward together. Stay tuned for more on this.
· Through one of the expert panelists at our June and August town halls, Dr. Ali Asgary, we have become aware of some possible academic funding through the Networks of Centres of Excellence. We attended an information session on this funding at York University’s Centre for Research and Innovation, and feel that this funding would be a good fit for Safe Rail Communities. The funding would allow us to share research and knowledge with communities across Canada. It also invites applicants to include other groups who would like to participate in this ‘knowledge mobilization’. Please stay tuned for more details on this exciting news.
Thank you!
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September 25, 2015
Hello everyone,
We just wanted to send you a quick update:
- In August 31, 2015, Safe Rail Communities submitted to each of the four main federal parties, a letter requesting a clear plan with specific steps that each party will take to address the important issue of the transportation by rail of dangerous goods through our communities. Our letter also outlined all of our recommendations on this issue. You can read our letter here
The goal of this letter was to publicly share each party’s plan on this issue, and offer Canadians the knowledge they need to make informed decisions.
Safe Rail Communities is a non-partisan organization, and does not endorse any political party.
As of September 24th, we have received responses from the Green Party, the Liberal Party of Canada, and the NDP. The Conservatives have confirmed receipt of our letter of August 31st, but have not yet submitted a response. We will share any forthcoming information. Please see attached responses from the federal parties.
Our questions for the candidate are now available in French. You can read these here or visit our website at www.saferail.ca
Green Party of Canada Response to SRC letter
Liberal Party of Canada Response to SRC letter
New Democratic Party of Canada Response to SRC Letter
Thank you!
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Augutst 24, 2015
Hello Everyone,
Hope you’re all enjoying your summer.
We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have supported our Canada-Wide Campaign, and to provide everyone with an update.
Safe Rail Communities has had a very busy few weeks, preparing for our second town hall and second family fundraiser. We’ve been connecting with, and providing resources and supports, to more communities and residents across Canada. Locally in the Greater Toronto Area, we’ve been canvassing and delivering our brochures (Burlington, Etobicoke, Scarborough and Downtown Toronto).
With our town hall and family fundraiser behind us, we are now ready to focus all our efforts on our National Campaign in the lead-up to the Federal Election. This week, we will be drafting a letter addressed to each of the three main party leaders. This letter will ask each leader to clearly outline the actions they will take to:
make the transportation of dangerous goods by rail as safe as possible
improve the quality of life for those who live along the rail line (including air quality, noise and vibration issues)
We would also like to expand on our brochure campaign. With the generous support of concerned Canadians, we have raised $1190 to date. This money has been directed to the printing costs of our brochure.
We continue to hand deliver brochures to households in the Toronto area. The more money we raise, the more communities we can reach. In the upcoming weeks, and with your support, we hope to reach neighbourhoods to the North, East, and West of Toronto that are within a 90-minute drive from Toronto. This will continue to be our strategy until we reach a total of $5000 raised. Any money raised above $5000 will be directed towards Canada Post mail-outs to areas outside our 90-minute drive radius around Toronto.
Safe Rail Communities is committed to this work, on behalf of everyone who lives, works, and plays in rail communities across Canada. We have worked on this issue non-stop over the last year and a half. However, hard work can only get us so far. Financial support is vital for us to reach as many people as possible. This crowd funding effort is an opportunity for every Canadian to contribute to our efforts, raise awareness on this important national issue, and share with more Canadians how we can all stand up for safe, transparent, and regulated rail.
Thank you!
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August 6, 2015
Hello Everyone,
Based on the huge response and support we received at our first town hall on rail safety in mid-June, Safe Rail Communities is pleased to announce our second town hall on Friday, August 21st, 2015.
We will be joined by a panel of experts who will begin with a simulation of a crude oil derailment in densely populated Toronto, and proceed to review why this crude oil is so dangerous, how we can make its transportation by rail safer, and what consequences a derailment has on our environment.
Safe Rail Communities has been sharing information, and pressing government and industry for meaningful action since March 2014. You can find out more about our work here.
Please find attached our event poster with further details. Pleasehelp us promote the town hall by sharing this information with as many people as possible.
We look forward to seeing youAugust 21!
Thank you!
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July 27, 2015
Hello Everyone,
Safe Rail Communities' national crowd funding initiative has