Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for inviting me here today to speak to you about Bill C-11.
For the past 10 years I have lived next to the Hochelaga shunting yard. On my own, as well as with some of my neighbours, and more recently, with the support of my member of Parliament, Mr. Réal Ménard, I have made a number of attempts to deal with this issue; since there is no regulatory framework, we were unsuccessful.
We would very much like to see Bill C-11 passed as soon as possible, with the following minor adjustments. In the interest of clarity, I will deal with only two points, which I intend to emphasize.
The first relates to the lack of a regulatory framework to deal with the environmental impact of railway activities. The court decision to amend the mandate of the Canadian Transportation Agency has left a void when it comes to enforcing environmental standards in this area. Other modes of transportation have environmental standards and mechanisms to enforce them. In the case of the railways, the people in charge of the regulations suggest that we negotiate with the railway company management. As individuals with limited means, we must try to have the standards enforced, standards which, for the time being, are none existent. Moreover, as has already been said, there is no one to arbitrate a disagreement between the two parties. Therefore, I would first emphasize the importance of having a regulatory framework and allowing the Canadian Transportation Agency to enforce environmental standards.
I will now address my second point.
Bill C-11 deals with noise. That is the only concept that is stated exclusively. We would like other aspects to be included, so that things are perfectly clear. The Transportation Agency itself constantly raises the three following points: noise, smoke and vibrations. Let's look at pollution caused by odours and smoke. What we hate even more than noise coming from the Hochelaga shunting yard is smoke pollution. The engines are not well maintained, and there is often a chronic problem with locomotives idling, which is really a euphemism. These engines run for hours but they don't go anywhere.
At the moment, there is no regulation for these companies and nothing that is enforced by any federal government body. So these engines can idle for hours, which causes pollution and—this is something that never ceases to amaze us—a huge waste of fuel.
In closing, I would say that I would like to see a regulatory framework specific to environmental issues applied to rail transportation, something that is similar to the rules for other modes of transport. There should be penalties included, and they should be enforced by a recognized authority. Moreover, the regulations should promote a better protection of the environment. That would include noise, air quality, energy saving and the health of our citizens.