City Council to share info, push for collaborative effort on themes for upcoming Rail Safety Hearings
The Prince Rupert Railyard along Water Street
Prince Rupert City Council is ready to help Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP Taylor Bachrach in his efforts towards the upcoming Transport Committee hearings on Rail Safety in Canada, with the options of their approach to the theme up for discussion at Monday's Council Session.
The topic came up for discussion through a contribution from Councillor Nick Adey who spoke to the topic at the end of the Monday evening meeting, the Councillor making note of a Social Media post from the MP that had outlined the road ahead for the Committee's work.
As part of his commentary, Mr. Adey suggested that the City try to learn more about the hearings so the city could spread word of the initiative; as well he sought some feedback on how the City may wish to approach any involvement in the hearings process.
"I would anticipate that there are local voices that would like to be heard so I'm wondering; first of all if we can find out more about the hearings in relatively short order so that we can facilitate information to people who might be interested in giving some input into those hearings.
And my second question is more for us as a group. Do we see a role for us to play in terms of voicing community perspectives at those hearings, assuming we're afforded the opportunity to do so.
Or would it be more appropriate, since we're talking about an entire rail corridor, would it be more appropriate to try and develop a voice to contribute to those hearings that represents a broader swath of the communities that are affected by rail safety "-- Councillor Nick Adey
The Councillor also noted how its a rare opportunity for consultation that the community should take part in, especially considering the expansion of port facilities in the area and the increase in rail traffic that would bring.
Mayor Brain outlined that the city could definitely be part of any information sharing program and how he has been in discussion with the MP on the issue, noting how the MP has expressed a plan to host a Town Hall on rail safety.
Mr. Brain did note that the city has little sway over CN Rail and how it was a federal matter, but recognized that the city has a role to play as an advocate for the community, he also spoke to how the issue is one of concern along the CN main line and how he agreed with Councillor Adey that a collaborative approach with those communities could be the approach to take.
"Many people come to us for issues around rail safety and as most people know we have zero jurisdiction or authority over the railway, in fact, even the Federal government has their own hard time with CN Rail and some of the jurisdictional issues. So at this juncture that's a federal matter and I think we have a role to play in terms of advocating for any concerns that residents feel around that"
The Mayor also relayed how the MP would be taking the lead towards a community response and how the city could be of some common assistance to his work.
"I've also spoken with other community leaders in the region well up the line and I think you're right Councillor Adey that probably a bigger broader coalition of communities working together on common issues" --Mayor Lee Brain on how the City may approach any engagement on upcoming Rail Safety hearings
As for a local lead in the community approach, the Mayor took note of and for the most part nominated Councillor Adey as a good choice for the Prince Rupert point person for contributions.
You can review the conversation on how the City should approach the topic from the City's Video Archive starting at the 47 minute mark.
For more notes on the upcoming hearings and other rail issues see our CN Archive page.
How the Skeena-Bulkley Valley MP plans to proceed can be explored from our House of Commons Archive.
No comments:
Post a Comment