Lac-Mégantic tank car safety report due ‘in coming days'

Transport Canada has received and is reviewing three reports from industry-led working groups on the transport of dangerous goods, Transport Minister Lisa Raitt told a lunchtime audience in Ottawa today.

"We are reviewing the three reports, which will be made public on the Transport Canada website in the coming days," Raitt said in prepared remarks to the Canadian Club.

The advisory council on the transportation of goods, one of the three working groups, reported back with recommendations on short and long-term safety actions and enhancements that could be made to the DOT-111 tank cars

DOT-111 tank cars, called CTC-111A in Canada, were involved in the Lac-Mégantic, Que., train derailment in July 2013 that killed 47 people.​

Raitt also spoke about the world-class tanker safety system it introduced last spring.

She said the government plans to introduce through "new legislation" a plan to:

• Implement a new international convention on the shipment of hazardous materials.
• Strengthen the requirements for spill prevention.
• Give marine safety inspectors more powers to fine operators who violate regulations.

An independent tanker safety expert panel made 45 recommendations on how to improve tanker safety in its first report last November.

Raitt said the panel is now reviewing tanker safety measures in the Arctic. She expects to receive that report in the summer.