WINNIPEG – Rail safety is expected to dominate the agenda when provincial transportation ministers meet in Winnipeg with their federal counterpart Wednesday.
It’s the first meeting they’ve had since the deadly train derailment in Lac Megantic, Que., which crippled the town’s core and killed 47 people.
Manitoba Transportation Minister Steve Ashton says Canadians deserve better rail safety measures in the wake of the deadly derailment in July.
He says Ottawa should consider re-routing trains carrying hazardous goods so they don’t go through populated areas.
At the very minimum, Ashton says the federal government should require more transparency so local authorities know exactly what trains are carrying.
Claude Dauphin, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, says communities have a right to know since their citizens are the ones risking their lives if something goes wrong.
Federal officials have cautioned that such information could pose a safety risk if it fell into the wrong hands.
Ontario Transportation Minister Glen Murray says he is looking forward to the meeting since he has been trying to speak to his federal counterpart for six months.
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