CASTLEGAR NEWS LIKE US ON....
Matt Mccarthy
FOLLOW US ON....
1761 Columbia Ave. Castlegar, B.C. matt_mccarthy@ymail.com
Vol.10 • Issue 46
Breaking news at castlegarnews.com
Thursday, November 14, • 2013
250.304.4831
Citizens pack park New D-man to join to remember Saints in the New Year See Page A3 See Page A19
Rauni Naud
Advisor, Member of the Million Dollar Round Table Mutual funds offered by Sun Life Financial Investment Services (Canada) Inc.
• RRSP’s, RRIF’s, GIC’s, TFSA’s • Life Insurance • Income for Life • Health Insurance • Annuities • Estate & Financial Planning
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Jo-Ann Bursey Mountainview Realty Ltd.
304.8681
jo-ann@century21castlegar.com
Jim Sinclair
Recent looks at the rail system in and around Castlegar.
Derek Kaye photos
Rail safety an ever-present concern Nancy Trotman
DEREK KAYE
Mortgage Broker
Castlegar News Contributor
250-365-9513 888-998-9513
Since July 8th, 2013, there have been at least six train accidents involving the transport of hazardous material in Canada, the worst being a runaway train, of 72 tank cars, owned by the Maine & Atlantic Railway (unmanned at the time) loaded with crude oil that crashed and exploded killing 47 people and destroying half of the downtown of the community Lac-Megantic, Quebec. Ottawa is now set to move with plans to
give municipalities more information about potentially dangerous train cargo in their communities. New guidelines are aimed at making freight companies more transparent about the materials they are transporting through towns, allowing municipalities to be able to plan accordingly for any accident preparedness needed. With train traffic carrying all types of cargo including hazardous and flammable material right through Castlegar, perhaps this community needs to be on the inside
track to adequately prepare for any unforeseen calamity. Or better still, reduce the risk of any potential accident or misfortune before it happens. Castlegar Fire Chief Gerry Rempel has been contacted about this matter and he provided answers to many questions. He says there is a Municipal Emergency Plan in Castlegar to deal with any serious accidental event. He described how the city and Fire Department have always had an excellent working relationship with the Canadian Pacific Rail-
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way (CPR), including joint training and exercises. The chief says there is a manifest for each train car which includes the cargo type and any hazardous material, which is available to the Fire Department in case of emergency. The railroad has its own emergency teams who would be coming from Cranbrook and/ or Calgary, and so the fire department would be the first responders responsible for public safety. Rempel explained that the CPR has always (in his time of 22 years as
Fire Chief) been open and forthcoming with any information needed. “It is in the best interests of both of us,” he said. As for CP Rail, live comment was not available as of press deadline, but the following statement was retrieved from its website: “CP welcomes Transport Canada’s directive and, as a result of the recent steps we took to strengthen our railway’s operating procedures, we are in full compliance of what was announced by the federal agency.
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