Rail advocate in Lac-Mégantic Que., says he was fined after raising safety concerns

A rail safety advocate in Lac-Mégantic, Que., says he was fined nearly $700 after he reported a safety concern with the train tracks running through the community.

Robert Bellefleur says he sent photos to Canadian Pacific Kansas City in June that showed erosion around a culvert.

He says that in July he was visited at home by two armed CPKC police officers who informed him that he was under investigation for illegally trespassing on railway property.

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Bellefleur, who is the spokesman for a rail safety group, said he was later assessed a $668 fine by the Quebec prosecutor’s office.

Bellefleur doesn’t believe he was trespassing and that the railway company’s actions are an attempt to muzzle and stop him from raising safety concerns.

CPKC confirmed he received a citation, adding that uniformed officers had visited Bellefleur to warn him against trespassing.

André Hannoush, a spokesperson for the rail company, says the rail line though Lac-Mégantic is regularly inspected to ensure it is safe.