Railway tank cars - 17 Nov 2008 Wolfgang Schlegl.

13 January 2012

Transload Facility Exposes Flawed Policy

Estevan Saskatchewan - The Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway's decision to construct a transload facility for oil shipments in the heart of Estevan has not only exposed a lack of perspective by CP Rail, but it has given residents a clear look at the impunity enjoyed by CP Rail.
 
Pressure from Estevan City Council and the residents and businesses who live in the area surrounding the transload facility won't necessarily change CP Rail's mind. If CP Rail wants to construct a transload facility in central Estevan, they can.
 
Council could waste taxpayer dollars and take CP Rail to court, but their efforts would be futile. CP Rail's powerful corporate attorneys would delay a court case, and eventually crush council's attorneys.
 
Council can pass a cease and desist motion, but that won't deter CP Rail if the corporation chooses to proceed with the facility.
 
Estevan residents can circulate petitions that collect the signatures of thousands of residents, but CP Rail doesn't have to heed their concerns. Residents can clamour for a public meeting with CP Rail, but the railway can continue to ignore those cries, even though a public forum might be a good opportunity to answer the many questions of Estevan residents.
 
CP Rail doesn't have to pay attention to anything or anybody. All they have to worry about is the national Transportation Safety Board, and their own bottom line.
 
If the Transportation Safety Board says that the transload facility represents a threat to the safety of the people of Estevan, and that the facility should be located elsewhere, then CP Rail will have to study other options.
 
From a financial perspective, the transload facility is a home run for CP Rail. We have to remember that CP Rail is a business, and their concern is what's best for business.
 
Transload facilities are going to become more common in Saskatchewan due to the expanding oil industry. There is a demand to get the oil from the Bakken play to markets, and the railway is one option for transporting Bakken oil.
 
Municipalities need to have some ammunition when dealing with CP Rail. It's time for the federal government to change the outdated legislation that allows the Transportation Safety Board to be the only agency that provides accountability for CP Rail.
 
This doesn't mean that the City of Estevan should have autonomy over CP Rail. After all, CP Rail is a business, and they need to have some freedoms, like all other businesses. But the City, and its residents, should have some ability to offer input on something like the transload facility. And if they're opposed to a potentially harmful facility in the downtown area, then CP Rail should listen.
 
But instead, CP Rail can do what they want, and only the Transportation Safety Board, which is based far from Saskatchewan, can really influence CP Rail's decisions.
 
David Willberg.