Toronto Mayor John Tory (open John Tory's policard) and a coalition of city councillors are pushing federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt to take further measures to bolster rail safety in the city.

In what marks the mayor and council’s strongest statement on the issue to date, Tory and 17 city councillors — representing every ward traversed by the Canadian Pacific line that runs through the city — signed off on a letter sent to the minister on March 31.

“It’s an unprecedented step,” said Councillor Josh Matlow (open Josh Matlow's policard) (Ward 22, St. Paul’s), who headed the effort. “Never before have so many members of council from all across Toronto, along with the mayor of our city, taken such a strong stand.”

The city’s requests include that Transport Canada explore alternate routes for dangerous goods and speed up the removal of tank cars that don’t meet newly implemented safety standards, as well as reviewing those standards themselves, in light of a recent string of fiery derailments involving the updated tank cars.

The mayor and councillors also called for an examination of regulations to reduce train speed through urban areas, and urged “better communication” between the rail industry and local communities.

Northern Ontario saw three derailments in less than a month between February and March this year. In two of those, tank cars carrying crude oil burst into flames.

In both incidents, the tank cars involved were upgraded models of DOT-111s that have been the workhorse of the rail industry for decades. Transport Canada ordered the upgrades, meant to reduce the risk of the cars rupturing, in the wake of the July 2013 derailment and explosion in Lac-Mégantic, Que., that killed 47 people and decimated the town.

Shortly after the derailments in Ontario, Transport Canada proposed another set of regulations that would require a new, tougher model of tank car called a TC-117. But the proposed rules would give shippers a decade to phase out the older cars, a time frame the Transportation Safety Board, which investigates railway accidents, has already flagged as a concern.

New tank car standards are part of a slew of changes Transport Canada has implemented in the wake of the Lac-Mégantic disaster, which exposed widespread gaps in Canada’s rail safety regime.

“While we appreciate the Canadian federal government’s efforts to improve safety and increase collaboration between communities and the rail industry, there are still more measures needed to help ensure the safety of our residents,” the letter noted.

Raitt’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Residents associations have gone into action throughout the city in the wake of Lac-Mégantic and other recent train derailments, pushing for tougher safety measures, rerouting of dangerous goods and more transparency surrounding what hazardous materials are trundling past their homes.

Matlow said the public has a right to know about the types and amounts of dangerous goods travelling through their neighbourhoods. The railroad industry refuses to release information publicly about their cargos, arguing that doing so could represent a security risk.

A Star investigation found that dangerous goods regularly ply the CP Rail line that runs through the city parallel to Dupont St., including hundreds of cars carrying crude oil, highly toxic substances and radioactive material.

“The federal government could play a role in ensuring that the rail companies are more transparent with citizens,” said Matlow.

Last December, Tory called for negotiations between railways, the federal government and the city to move toward stopping shipments of toxic and dangerous goods through the city. The newly minted mayor also said he was “far from satisfied” with the lack of transparency surrounding dangerous goods shipments.

“I think it’s time to let the sun shine in on this, and it’s not just a matter of some principle of transparency. It’s a matter of people being adequately informed, in a big city like this, of what is travelling through the city, and when and how much.”

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Tory’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Safe Rail Communities citizens’ group, which advocates for better rail safety in Toronto, said it’s pleased to see Tory and councillors taking action on the issue.

It noted the letter didn’t address the Canadian National line that runs through the city north of Steeles Ave. and raised several further areas of concern that it would like addressed.

Those include reducing the volatility of Bakken crude — light oil extracted mainly in North Dakota that’s proven more explosive than “traditional” oil — along with requiring insurance that would cover the costs of a disaster in an urban area like Toronto and reversing cuts to Transport Canada’s rail safety fund to hire more track inspectors.

“Given that faulty track was a significant factor in both derailments in northern Ontario, this is an important task,” the group said in an emailed statement to the Star.

“The transportation by rail of crude oil is a complex issue, but there are ways we can make it safer now and prevent any further tragedies. We should not forget that the Quebec coroner’s final report on the 47 deaths of Lac-Mégantic confirmed that the victims experienced a violent death, one that was ‘avoidable.’ ”

Sarah Doucette (open Sarah Doucette's policard), councillor for Parkdale-High Park, said there are houses in her ward where one could lean out a window and almost touch a train.

“I don’t want to sit and wait for the ‘what-if’ to happen. I want to see if there’s anything we can do about it,” said Doucette. “We’re dealing with people’s lives here ... I think we’ve been damn lucky so far.”

Councillor John Campbell (open John Campbell's policard) (Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre) said he hasn’t heard particular complaints from his constituents but signed the letter in support of bolstering rail safety in Toronto. Train tracks pass within 10 metres of houses and highrises across his ward, said Campbell.

“Population densities in Toronto are obviously significant, and these rail lines go very close to residential homes,” said Campbell.