Thank you, Chair.
Thank you to all of our guests for being here tonight.
With your indulgence, Chair, I'm going to relay a story that I've already told once before, but seeing that we're discussing rail safety, this is a very pertinent and touching story.
I'd like to recall a tragic event that took place in my riding just this year, on February 21, 2021. On a crisp winter morning, a Sunday morning to be exact, at 9:20, a young 13-year-old, grade 8 student by the name of Kevin Morgan, who attended Portage View Public School in my riding, was walking his dog along some CP railway tracks just north of Highway 90 in Springwater. What happened was very tragic. This young boy's dog got loose from his lead, and the young boy tried to push the dog out of the way, successfully saving the dog, but regretfully, didn't himself get out of the way in time to miss an oncoming train. His life was taken that early morning. Obviously, it's a tragic event that has affected the community and family.
I know that all accidents are not preventable, but I would like to know that there's some comfort to the family in knowing that something can be done going forward.
I'd like to address this to Mr. Oommen and also to Mr. McCrorie. Is there any way, going forward, we could help educate youngsters on, obviously, the perils of being on train tracks?
I know this isn't the first time, and it's not the last time, but hopefully it will be some of the limited times. Perhaps you could expand on a tragic incident like this and what's being done to prevent it in the future.
Thank you.