WHEREAS the Railway (Alberta) Act, Part 2 Operation of Railways, does not state that rail lines are to be used for the purposes of rail traffic only;AND WHEREAS there are numerous instances throughout Alberta where rail lines are used solely for the purposes of long-term rail car storage; AND WHEREAS long-term storage should be defined as including individual cars stored at the same location for greater than thirty (30) days;AND WHEREAS the long-term storage of rail cars degrades the property of those persons living adjacent to these lines; AND WHEREAS stored rail cars may contain substances that could be potentially hazardous to the health of Albertans;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties urge the Government of Alberta to amend the Railway (Alberta) Act to state that railways shall not utilize rail lines solely for the purpose of long-term rail car storage.

Grain elevator closures throughout Alberta have caused numerous rail lines to be abandoned. In some instances, however, the operators of the rail lines slated for abandonment have chosen strategic lines close to major industrial centres to be utilized for the purposes of rail car storage. This provides the operators with a significant amount of revenue with little public outcry, as the cars are being stored in rural areas as opposed to the urban or industrialized centres.