Rail dangers ‘more of a concern’ in Winnipeg’s St. Boniface, report finds

Railway hazards are not unheard of in Winnipeg.

In 2012, a fireball billowed into the sky above St. Boniface after a fuel plant burst into flames, igniting a tanker in its wake.

For Tom Scott, who has lived in St. Boniface for 34 years, it was a wake-up call.

“You can see the damage that can happen very quickly. It’s just not, you know, something happens and, ‘Well, it got a little bit out of hand. We’ll take care of it.’ It can get quite out of hand quite easily,” he said.

It’s not the first rail-related event he’s dealt with during his time in St. Boniface.

“We have had a derailment here. And as you know, there’s been lots of other derailments, a lot more serious derailments,” he said.

“It’s more of a concern.”

A recent report out of the University of Manitoba shows 40 per cent of people in St. Boniface are at risk of rail related hazards.

“The possibility of a derailment, which if the train is carrying dangerous goods, there could be a spill leading to a fire that could result in evacuation or isolation of residents in the communities,” said Ijeoma Eze’s, one of the report writers.

Over the last deciade, she said the average length of trains has risen by more than 27 per cent annually. That means “increased delays and safety risks” — especially for the 26 St. Boniface schools, hospitals, senior facilities and daycares within 800 meters of rail lines.

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That’s the evacuation and isolation buffer zone recommended by Transport Canada, which she suggests is too small.

“Depending on how intense the incident could be, yes, it could be felt as far away as two kilometres from the incident sites,” she said.

Eze recommends rail relocation as a potential solution, but Matt Allard, councillor for St. Boniface said it’s complicated.

“There are serious negative interactions, whether it’s safety, convenience, noise. And on the flip side, I think I heard the other day, 2,000 jobs — and good-paying jobs — in Winnipeg,” he said, adding if it were a simple solution, it probably would have happened.

“If we could wave a magic wand and have the rail lines completely segregated from any municipality in Manitoba, maintain the jobs, and maintain the movements of goods (and) the satisfaction of Winnipeg residents, then that’s the one that I would wave. But they’ve been looking for that wand… (for) years.”

He referenced the latest rail relocation study being undertaken by the province.

But for Scott, the issue is not so hazy.

“Moving the rail lines takes away all the danger, takes away all the worry, all the concerns, all the health issues, all the traffic congestion and opens up for a healthier lifestyle for everybody,” he said.

Eze’s study says, “when rail lines pass through residential areas, safety risks, pollution, noise, vibration, and traffic hazards are imposed on residents. Significant social, health, economic, and safety challenges (also) occur.”

These include injury, landscape disruption, loss of community cohesion, heightened stress, increased crime, and lowered property values.

St. Boniface hasn’t always faced these risks in such strong measures, Scott said, reflecting on his early years there.

“I remember a time where we very seldom got a train crossing there. Now we have trains crossing there all the time,” he said. “So, it’s more of a concern.”

Yet, trains themselves aren’t the problem, he said, “It’s what they’re carrying, and how big they are and so forth.”

He hopes some form of decision or movement can come soon.

“Maybe we can’t get rid of all the rail lines ever, but maybe in 20 years we’ll have 50 per cent less. That’s a great reduction. You know, in five years, if we even got rid of two or three rail lines, it would be a start. We’ll never finish if we don’t start,” he said.

Scott likened rail relocation from residential areas to self-improvement.

“It’s not that you expect to be the best person today when you wake up, but you hope to be a better person than you were yesterday because of what you’ve learned. I figure the city should have that same mentality — that they’re learning things.

“They should make it better for the people who live here, who contribute the taxes… A community is only as good as the people who live in it,” he said. “So let’s make it better for everybody.”

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