Laval, July 9, 2021 – In a ministerial order, Transportation Minister Omar Alghabra has ordered on Friday that Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP) trains to cease operations for 48 hours in areas of British Columbia hit by a recent spate of wildfires, including one that wiped out an entire town and killed two people, the transport ministry said in a statement.
The Minister explained in a news release that the purpose of the order is to ensure the safety of workers in the railway industry and, of course, the public. Residents were returning to Lytton on Friday to inspect their homes, which they evacuated when a wildfire broke out in the village last week.
The president of Teamsters Canada made the following statement:
“The wildfires in British Columbia are disasters that have a significant impact on all citizens in this region. The Lytton case is particularly heartbreaking. My thoughts and prayers, as well as those of the 125,000 Canadian members of the Teamsters Union, are with the victims, their families and friends. »
“In addition, Teamsters Canada and Teamsters Joint Council 36 donated $40,000 to help the citizens of the Lytton community in BC.”
