In November 2014, Transport Canada published new Grade Crossings Regulations for safety management of federally-regulated grade crossings. Municipalities and railways had until November 2016 to share critical safety information regarding existing crossings, and until November 2021 to ensure existing crossings meet basic safety requirements.
While the AAMDC supports the intent of these regulations, our position remains that additional federal funding will be needed to assist municipalities with upgrading existing crossings.
FCM has taken a similar position and is advocating on the need for funding at the federal level. To support their advocacy, FCM is inviting municipalities to submit detailed cost-estimates for grade crossing improvements in their communities. These cost-estimates will help both FCM and the Railway Association of Canada to better illustrate the cost implications of these regulations for communities of various sizes and to advocate for additional federal funding for crossing upgrades.
If your municipality has prepared cost-estimates for any grade crossings that require upgrades to meet these regulations, FCM would appreciate if they could be submitted to Marc LeBlanc, FCM Policy Advisor at marc.leblanc@fcm.ca. FCM will reach out to submitting municipalities before sharing any details of these estimates with federal and industry officials.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact FCM or AAMDC.
Enquiries may be directed to:
Wyatt Skovron
Policy Analyst
780.955.4096
Tasha Blumenthal
Director, Advocacy & Communications
780.955.4094