Likewise. Thank you very much, and good afternoon, honourable members.
My name is Gregory Kolz, and I serve as the director of government relations here at the Railway Association of Canada. I am joined by Marc Brazeau, president and CEO of the RAC.
We are pleased to be appearing before you as part of your committee's study on railway safety in Canada.
I will provide the opening remarks, and afterwards Marc and I will both be pleased to answer any questions you may have.
The RAC represents nearly 60 freight and passenger railways, which transport tens of millions of persons and goods worth approximately $320 billion across the country every year.
Canada's freight railways move more than 900,000 tonnes of goods every day, transporting everything from the cars we drive to the food we eat. To deliver these goods, more than 3,700 locomotives pull 5.5 million carloads across the country every year.
The number one priority for Canada's railway industry is safety. Over the past 10 years, Canada's railways have invested more than $20 billion to ensure the safety and efficiency of their networks, and they remain fully committed to fostering a robust safety culture.
Here are a few more relevant statistics. Over the past decade, from 2011 to 2020, the freight rail accident rate in Canada has decreased by 22%. In 2020, railways invested $2.6 billion into Canadian assets, which is the second-highest level on record behind $3.1 billion in 2019. Over the past decade, Canada's railways have invested $20.5 billion into their networks to improve safety, resiliency and network fluidity; since 2011, the dangerous goods accident rate has improved by 46%.
In terms of transporting dangerous goods, Canadian railways move many hazardous materials that simply cannot be transported by pipeline or other means. In fact, under the common carrier obligation of the Canada Transportation Act, railways in Canada are required by law to move dangerous goods. With that in mind, it's worth noting that over 99.99% of all dangerous goods carloads moved by train reach their destination without a release.
In short, we are very proud that Canada's rail network is the safest in North America and among the safest in the world. Our members remain committed to building on their stellar safety record.
The RAC and its members believe that rail safety is enhanced by working closely with communities. Canada's railways have long shared information with municipalities about the goods travelling by rail, to help them properly train for and respond to a potential incident. In fact, Canada's railways [Technical difficulty—Editor] to inform communities and first responders about dangerous goods handling and emergency responses.
For instance, since 2000, the RAC's transportation of dangerous goods team has participated in more than 1,400 transportation community awareness and emergency response—otherwise known as TRANSCAER—events to inform municipalities about the products being transported through their communities. Furthermore, through the TRANSCAER initiative, the RAC's TDG team has helped train over 20,000 first responders and other personnel on the safe handling and transportation of dangerous goods.
The RAC remains determined to work with all orders of government and communities across the country to ensure that Canada's railway sector remains globally competitive, sustainable and, above all, safe.
This collaborative approach is also exemplified by the proximity initiative, which is a partnership between the RAC and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. As Canada's population grows, new residential and commercial developments are being built in communities across the country. The FCM and the RAC recognize that it is in Canada's best interests to develop appropriate relationships between railways and communities. This is to promote proper planning and communication practices and offer dispute resolution mechanisms for resolving unanticipated problems.
I also want to highlight Operation Lifesaver Canada. OL is a national not-for-profit funded by Transport Canada and the Railway Association of Canada. It works to raise public awareness about rail safety and, in turn, prevent rail crossing and trespassing incidents. OL works in partnership with railways, governments, municipalities, law enforcement, labour groups, the media and other organizations from coast to coast to coast, because rail safety is a shared responsibility.
In conclusion, I want to ensure members of the committee that railway safety is an absolute priority for the RAC and its members.
In the past few years, the railway sector has invested billions of dollars in infrastructure, adopted innovative technologies and practices and expanded training and liaison activities so that we can operate safely across Canada.
Thank you very kindly.
Marc and I look forward to your questions.