Rail safety

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that these issues had apparently been dealt with, the mayors shared that the way the matter was handled did not leave them feeling reassured about the safety of their citizens when it comes to rail safety.

“We want to go a bit further,” said Sherbrooke Mayor Steve Lussier, arguing that it is “not normal” for a municipality not to be able to be more actively engaged in so important a safety concern.

Later in the afternoon the city of Sherbrooke issued a press release indicating that a, “constructive meeting” had taken place between Emergency Measures Coordinator Stéphane Simoneau and Ryan Ratledge, the CEO of the Central Maine and Quebec Railway, which owns the tracks.

“I received assurances that we will receive information regarding the contents of the train cars on our territory and that the 253 anomalies observed on the railway in 2018 have been repaired,” Simoneau said, noting that the hourlong meeting is a good sign of renewed communications between the company and the city. “It is a step in the right direction and we will remain in contact so that concrete measures can be taken to reassure the population.”

While sharing his and the ACFEM’S concerns, Villeneuve stressed the fact that he wants to see this pressure move forward as a conversation rather than a conflict.

“I don’t want this to be about confrontation and accusation,” he said. “That’s not how we move things forward.”

“Everyone needs to sit at the table together to find a solution,” he continued, pointing to public safety as the main priority. “It’s a no-brainer.”