It's not uncommon in Burnaby to see the NDP tag-team on certain issues. Maybe the mayor or councillors have a concern they raise in city hall, and the local MPs bring it up on the federal level, or vice-versa.
As we already reported, the city has some serious concerns about hazardous goods shipments coming through Burnaby by train, and we think those are justified.
Now we hear that Burnaby-New Westminster MP Peter Julian is raising those same concerns on the federal level and has written a letter to the Prime Minister about it. He's asking the government to "require that railway companies alert municipalities when trains carrying hazardous materials move through their jurisdictions, and to include local municipalities in the federal government’s review process."
He also wants a detailed response on railway security issues from the Ministry of Transport within 45 days.
These concerns come on the heels of the Transportation Safety Board's Jan. 23 recommendations to improve safety when it comes to moving oil by train. That's something that also concerns Burnaby, as the local Chevron refinery has had to top up its oil supply with train shipments because they can't get enough crude from the over-subscribed Kinder Morgan pipeline. That's been going on since May 2012.
We're following all of these issues closely, so keep an eye on the paper for updates.
