Evidence of meeting #9 for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was bnsf.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
You said it already exists. Is it used strictly when an accident occurs or all the time, in other words, from the moment the train leaves the station?
Chief, Transportation and Safety Office, VIA Rail Canada Inc.
I'm talking about two different things. First, there is the video and voice recording system. Second, there is an event recorder, which has been in place since the 1980s and can be used to obtain reference data and information on the train's behaviour at any time. The information is also available in the case of accidents or internal investigations by Transport Canada or the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
Are all of your locomotives and cabins already equipped with that system?
Chief, Transportation and Safety Office, VIA Rail Canada Inc.
Yes. They are all equipped with event recorders that provide us with all relevant data on the train's operation, such as speed and braking information. They also tell us things like whether the lights were on and whether the horn was sounded as the train approached a level crossing, in accordance with regulations.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
Mr. Percy, it's great to see you again. From Niagara's perspective, we'd like to see you a lot more, actually.
I have two questions. You mentioned in your presentation that there are opportunities for greater community safety through investment in new infrastructure. Can you expand on that?
The second point is this. The review of the Canada Transportation Act chaired by Mr. Emerson recommended potential federal investment in these particular areas. Could you expand on that as well?
President, GO Transit
Certainly. In my view, grade separations are the number one opportunity. They're expensive. It's civil infrastructure, but again, in my view, it connects on three key areas: communities, safety, and civil infrastructure investment.
I do believe that is a worthy investment for both levels of government. It will have a demonstrable improvement in safety for all. It has a side benefit, as I said, of the community connectivity piece as well.
As owners of the corridor, we have just under 200 level crossings. We have them prioritized based on safety. Urban has got more traffic and so I would put urban ahead of rural, notwithstanding that I would eventually get all of them done if possible. That sort of deals with grade separations.
I do think both levels of government are taking a serious look at the value of doing that and how they can work co-operatively. Hopefully they will come out with a plus overall.
Liberal
Vance Badawey Liberal Niagara Centre, ON
As a last question, with respect to the strain being put on Metrolinx right now with the tracks being currently owned by CN and CP and with that the current regulations and/or protocols, if I can use the word, by which you are not receiving a lot of the information that you would otherwise have to receive for safety reasons, how much stress is that actually placing on the organization?
President, GO Transit
We operate 20% of our network on CN or CP tracks. Under the Railway Safety Act, we are designated as a local railway. Transport Canada can come directly to us, should it need to, which we actually do encourage.
I think you're talking about dangerous commodities. We do work with the railways. We are below the threshold level set by Transport Canada for dangerous goods, so it's not a high issue for us. It's not a lot of stress for us. Notwithstanding that, we understand that there are other agendas that would want to look at the routing of dangerous commodities and what's best basically for urban Canada.
Those are higher level conversations, and they're not easy ones to have either.
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Thank you to Mr. Percy and the folks from VIA Rail.
Mr. Percy, I thought I heard you say at the beginning of your comments that the safety management system versus regulation comes up a little short.
Did I hear you correctly, or did I mishear you?
President, GO Transit
I'm afraid you misheard me.
We take SMS very seriously. We create a document every year that's reviewed and approved by Transport Canada with the rigour that they exert. So, no, I wouldn't have said that.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
Okay, that's fair enough.
Surprisingly, in an earlier conversation with a major bargaining unit on the issue of fatigue management, they were concerned that the safety management system, while a useful overlay, actually has gone too far in replacing government regulation as a mechanism for ensuring that the right things happen.
My question is to both you, Mr. Percy, and the folks from VIA Rail. What do you think of that assertion by the bargaining unit?
President, GO Transit
I don't know if you can ever prejudge the level of safety. I think SMS is a very appropriate mechanism to get consistency of method and rigour. I support Transport Canada's priority on the SMS, safety management systems. I'm not sure I fully understand labour's position on that, but I don't think I would want to stand behind any kind of compromising of safety, at any time.
Liberal
Ken Hardie Liberal Fleetwood—Port Kells, BC
I think on the fatigue management issue, it was more that it was left to the collective bargaining process, which could lead to anomalies and perhaps not very safe conditions.
President, GO Transit
Personally, I don't think safety belongs in collective agreements.
I think safety has to be very similar to what it is today. It's managed by a third party, in this case Transport Canada, who has a vested interest in the communities through which the railways operate. I actually like the mechanism that exists today, and I think the rigour, as well, is only going to benefit everybody.
Chief, Transportation and Safety Office, VIA Rail Canada Inc.
Well, from VIA Rail's perspective, our fatigue management plan is very rigorous and followed to the letter, without ever being comprised. As I said, we present our fatigue management plans to the unions. We work on them together. We mutually agree to them and we implement them.
I'd be very surprised if the bargaining unit from VIA would complain about our means of fatigue management.
Liberal
Angelo Iacono Liberal Alfred-Pellan, QC
I have a quick question, again for Mr. Beaulieu.
What is VIA Rail's position on the use of inward-facing cameras? You mentioned that you have video cameras there in case of an event, but what about constant control, constant viewing of what's happening in the cabin?
Chief, Transportation and Safety Office, VIA Rail Canada Inc.
I think locomotive voice and video recorders would bring a very important element to being able to manage safety. The current laws and regulations in place, and the current pilot project being led by the Transportation Safety Board, will take us to a different level. With that pilot project, with the participation of Transport Canada and the other industry partners, there will be a decision made from a law and regulation perspective on how locomotive and video and voice recorders will be used in the future.
I will leave that final decision to the regulators.
