CHARGES LAID IN MCBRIDE, B.C. DERAILMENT OTTAWA - The Attorney General of Canada has laid charges against the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) under the Railway Safety Act and the Canada Labour Code, Part II. The charges follow an extensive investigation conducted by Transport Canada into a derailment that resulted in the death of two CN employees on May 14, 2003 near McBride, British Columbia. The Attorney General of Canada has laid one charge against CN under the Railway Safety Act alleging the company failed to ensure the engineering work relating to a line work, including design, construction, evaluation or alteration, was done in accordance with sound engineering principles. The Attorney General has also laid two charges against CN under the Canada Labour Code, Part II, alleging that the company: failed to ensure that the safety and health at work of every person employed by it was protected by failing to ensure that the bridge structure at Mile 7.9 would support the loading of the train operating over it; and failed to ensure that the safety and health at work of every person employed by it was protected by failing to ensure that the bridge structure at Mile 7.9 would support the loading of the train operating over it, the direct result of which was the death of two employees. The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) is currently investigating the accident to determine the cause. Transport Canada is closely following the TSB's ongoing investigation through a Minister's Observer who was appointed after the accident. The Minister's Observer will advise the department of any significant regulatory factors, identify deficiencies that require immediate corrective actions and assist in coordinating the required support for an investigation. http://www.tc.gc.ca/mediaroom/releases/nat/2004/04-h031e.htm
I believe it did, and my memory is fuzzy here but I also believe a person was killed. This is the direct results of the Tellier era. I talked about this before. The Gov of Canada used to do inspections, but then some bright legal shining light said that if they did inspections then they would liable if something went wrong. So Gov of Canada then put railways in charge - kind of like the fox guarding the hen house. Under Tellier much needed maintance wasn't done, thus looking like CN had saved a lot of money. Then Tellier got fat bonus's and became the envy of other companies. He was then hired Bombardier. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the neglect caught up with CN. I predicted this years ago here in this CN forum.
