A Saskatchewan farmer trying to save his producer car loading site says he can only do so much.
Cam Goff of Hanley, Sask., said time is running out and the federal and provincial governments have to get more involved in the issue.
While politicians, including government MPs, have spoken out against Canadian National Railway’s plan, no one is doing anything about it, he said.
“The most important thing is to get the politicians off their asses,” he said. “In another month, CN will be out there ripping the track up.”
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He added he doesn’t think the federal government has “the spine” to step in and order CN to delay or cancel its plans.
Attempts to reach government officials to respond were unsuccessful due to the Easter Monday holiday.
Goff is pursuing a service complaint against CN over its plan to de-list and remove 53 producer car loading sites across the Prairies.
But the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled that Goff’s complaint could deal only with the location where he loads producer cars at Allen, Sask.
“I’m trying to do what I can but my case is about just one site,” he said. “If it was for all of them, things might be different.”
A CN spokesperson said no work has been scheduled to dismantle the 53 sidings.
Goff and CN have been involved in a process called interrogatories, in which the two sides exchange written questions and answers about their respective cases.
April 6 was the deadline for Goff to send his final response in that process, after which the CTA will decide whether it will hear the complaint.
The Hanley farmer, also an elected director of the Canadian Wheat Board, said he knew it wouldn’t be easy when he filed his complaint to the CTA last December.
“It’s been what I was told to expect, but I had hoped the process would be a little more user friendly,” he said.
CN triggered a storm of protest when it announced earlier this fall that it was delisting the 53 producer car sites.
The rail company says the stations are not being used and it is responding to market signals from its customers. It added 120 sites would remain open.
A number of farm groups and politicians protested the railway’s decision, and CN agreed to keep the tracks and switches in place until
Jan. 1, 2010, to allow farmers or other groups time to make business proposals for the sites. The railway says no proposals have been made.
In a Jan. 18 submission to the agency, CN said it has followed all the rules and the CTA has no authority to interfere with its plans to shut down producer car loading sites.
Goff says he never suggested the railway didn’t follow all the rules. He is arguing that the entire process is flawed and unfair to producers and should be halted.
“I believe the CTA does have the power to tell CN they can’t pull these sites,” he said.
