They cannot? This is very important.
Evidence of meeting #9 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was investigation.
Evidence of meeting #9 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was investigation.
12:15 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
They cannot. Well, there are never any absolutes. The provisions in the act are like those little Russian dolls, where there's a doll inside a doll. So there are provisions for judges to order that information produced if it's absolutely necessary, but that's a very, very rare circumstance.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Is one of the reasons why you have a separation of the investigative function from the enforcement function the fact that it's easier for you to obtain evidence and get to the root of the problem by ensuring those you're investigating are going to be more forthright with that information? Is that the underlying reasoning?
12:15 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
That's absolutely it.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Ed Fast Conservative Abbotsford, BC
Has any thought been given to merging those functions, or is that something that has worked very well?
12:20 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Which functions do you mean?
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
12:20 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
It's not something I would encourage.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
Don Bell Liberal North Vancouver, BC
Thank you, and welcome again.
I have a question with respect to hazardous goods. I noticed that in your 2004-05 annual report to Parliament, you said that dangerous goods leaks were down and rail incidents with hazardous goods were down. Yet the information I have is that reportable accidents involving the transportation of dangerous goods increased by 11.4%, from 370 in 2004 to 412 in 2005. I'm just wondering if they are all rail-related. Do you deal with trucks, as well, or is it primarily rail-related?
12:20 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
We don't deal with trucks, sir. We deal with rail, air, marine, and pipeline.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
Don Bell Liberal North Vancouver, BC
Okay. In the previous report you said that in 2004 they were down, and now, in 2005, they're up. Is this a trend or an anomaly?
12:20 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Let's take a close look at that. If you're talking about the release of dangerous goods in rail, the figure I have is that from 2000 to 2004 the five-year average was 222.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
Don Bell Liberal North Vancouver, BC
Yes, I have that. It was down, but the other information I have is that in 2005 it was up.
12:20 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
For 2005 we have a year-to-date figure of 216.
What is the total number in 2005, Nick?
12:20 p.m.
Acting Director General, Investigation Operations, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
It is 216.
12:20 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
The total number is 216 in 2005. The five-year average is 222.
12:20 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
In 2004 it was 208.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
Don Bell Liberal North Vancouver, BC
When you're doing rail analysis, you talked about looking for commonalities. In the B.C. rail derailments, the ones that contaminated the Cheakamus River, for example, I heard that part of the problem was that the trains were longer--they had been increased in length with the change in rail management--and they were running faster. I wonder if you discovered anything in the most recent period of derailments that occurred in B.C., because there were several of them.
12:20 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
In terms of the Cheakamus Canyon investigation, we did issue a safety advisory to Transport Canada suggesting a review of CN's train operations over the former B.C. Rail territory, and I believe that the Minister of Transport put measures in place that dealt with the operation of longer and heavier trains. There were operational requirements that were put in place.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
Don Bell Liberal North Vancouver, BC
Okay. Do you ever get involved in accidents? I see that there's a reference to crossing accidents in your report. With regard to crossing accidents in municipalities, there is the ability, by resolution of councils, to request that the signals be silenced. In West Vancouver and North Vancouver, in my riding and in the adjacent riding, there has been a history, traditionally, with B.C. Rail, by resolutions of municipalities, to not have the signals and the noise, because it has disrupted the adjoining residential areas. I'm just curious about whether you have had any experience with that.
12:20 p.m.
Acting Chairman, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
I'm not aware of the request to have signals silenced, but I am aware of anti-whistling requests. Some communities have gone through the process of requesting that there be no whistling of trains, either through their communities or at certain hours.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
