If Regina Liberal MP Ralph Goodale could have his way, railways would have a much more difficult time abandoning producer car loading sites.
Goodale, a senior minister through 13 years of Liberal majority governments until 2006, said last week the Canada Transportation Act enacted in 1996 is inadequate on the issue of railway obligations when trying to abandon loading sites.
He introduced a private member’s bill, C-586, on Oct. 27 to amend the act and increase railway obligations. It joins a long queue of private member’s bills waiting for debate.
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Instead of the current requirement that railways must give 60 days notice of a site abandonment, Goodale would require a three year notice period, a public hearing and an obligation on the railway to justify the abandonment rather than forcing local farmers to prove abandonment would hurt them.
“Theproducerabilitytoloadtheirown cars has been a right for a century,” he said. “But the right is irrelevant if there are no sites available to actually do it.”
Goodale noted that there are fewer than 300 producer car loading sites now, down more than 50 percent during the past decad
Last year, Canadian National Railway drew the ire of MPs from all parties when it announced plans to abandon 53 loading sites. There were calls for changes to the CTA but the Conservative government has not moved.
CN officials justified the abandonments by arguing farmers had not used the sites much for years.
Goodale said that is irrelevant. “It is important that farmers have
t option and they cherish that as a hedge against exploitation by the grain companies,” he said. “Whether they are used or not, they are a safety valve for farmers against the power of the grain companies.”
He noted that car loadings last year increased to almost 12,000, more than three times the loadings a decade ago despite the decline in loading sites.
