On April 28, the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, announced new measures to strengthen rail safety and the transportation of dangerous goods during a meeting with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Railways will be required to provide municipalities and first responders with even more data on dangerous goods to improve emergency planning, risk assessments, and training. The requirement, contained in Protective Direction 36, also provides that municipalities are given information that can be shared directly with the Canadian public.

The Minister also announced the release of the 2016 Emergency Responders Guidebook and a set of competency guidelines for first responders. These tools provide first responders with important safety information when they arrive at the scene of an incident, as well as training guidelines when they need to quickly respond to transportation incidents involving dangerous goods. Minister Garneau is also providing municipalities with additional information about the railway crossings in their communities through Canada’s new Open Government Portal.