Minister Raitt meets with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities on improving railway transportation

JOC Staff |

January 22, 2014 – Ottawa – Transport Canada

Today, the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Transport, attended the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ National Municipal Rail Safety Working Group meeting to hear their views on improving risk assessments, emergency planning and response capability, as well as increasing insurance requirements for railways and shippers.

This meeting is one in a series of ongoing discussions with representatives of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities as part of two-way dialogue and information exchange on railway transportation in Canada.

Transport Canada continues to work with all stakeholders to enhance rail safety and the transportation of dangerous goods. Since the tragic Lac-Mégantic accident, the department has taken several actions to protect public safety, including issuing an emergency directive on railway operations and two protective directions – one on the classification of crude oil and the other on railways sharing dangerous goods information with municipalities and first responders.