Re: Reigning in runway trains top priority, Garneau says – Letter to the Editor, Published in the Globe and Mail June 7, 2016

June 6, 2016

The Editors
The Globe and Mail
444 Front St. W
Toronto, Ontario

Dear Sir/Madam,

While Transport Minister Garneau's emphasis on reducing the incidence of runaway trains in Canada is welcome, the declining preformance of Canada's railways in this regard (Reigning in runaway trains top priority Garneau says (June 6)) again highlights the need for a fundamental shift in his department's approach to regulating railway safety. The modest changes to the existing, essentially self-regulatory, regime made by the previous Conservative government in the wake of the Lac-Megantic disaster were clearly inadequate. Transport Canada, not the railways, needs to take the lead in setting and enforcing the rules around railway safety. The safety of Canadians will continue to be at risk until that change occurs.

Yours sincerely

Mark S. Winfield, Ph.D.
Associate Professor