WATCH ABOVE: A group of mayors met in Cowansville this morning to discuss their concerns regarding the rail transport of hazardous materials, and to request a meeting with the new federal minister of Transport. Rachel Lau reports.
COWANSVILLE – After the tragedy at Lac Megantic, the residents of Cowansville are thanking their lucky stars that nothing happened when the same train ran through their town.
“They haul so many dangerous loads and actually we, the public, don’t really know what they’re hauling and there’s no government supervision over it,” said one concerned resident.
“They police themselves.”
The railway runs just a few meters away from a handful of popular restaurants in the heart of downtown Cowansville, a city about an hour south-east of Montreal.
The issue of railway safety is all that’s on residents’ minds.
“We want to be reassured that the company will do the business, are able to do it safely. That’s what we want and expect for the future.”
Five towns have come together to discuss how they can make sure the same kind of accident doesn’t happen again.
“A company like Montreal, Main and Atlantic, what we are questioning is how much they have invested, what was their preoccupation when it comes to safety and we want that to change,” said Pauline Quinlan, the mayor of Bromont, a city in southwestern Quebec in Canada, about 85 kilometres east of Montreal.
The mayors agreed that the railway is in need of an immediate and systematic inspection.
They’re planning to meet with the Federal Minister of Transport as soon as possible to discuss their concerns.
Municipal officials said inspecting the railway must be made a priority.
The population of the Eastern Townships is extremely worried that another accident could just as easily happen in their backyard.
The municipalities want security, reliability and above all, they want the disaster of Lac Megantic to never happen again.
“We want to make sure that the railways and the equipment are up to par with the regulations that are the responsibility of Transport Canada,” said Quinlan.
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