Federal agriculture minister and Battlefords-Lloydminster MP Gerry Ritz has announced the arrival of some new federal regulations in connection to the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act.
The federal regulations have now come into force, according to Ritz and federal transport minister Lisa Raitt who made the announcement Friday.
According to a federal government news release the measures include:
- the passing of an order-in-council setting out minimum grain volumes that Canadian National Railway Company (CN) and Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CP) are each required to move from Aug. 3, 2014 to November 29, 2014;
-regulations requiring CN and CP to provide additional data on grain movement to better monitor overall performance of the rail-based supply chain;
-regulations to clarify operational terms in a service level agreement that can be arbitrated by the Canadian Transportation Agency, to support commercial negotiations between shippers and railways;
- an amendment to the Railway Interswitching Regulations extending the limit for rail interswitching from 30 to 160 kms in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba for all commodities to increase competition and give shippers access to alternative rail services;
- finally, regulations to provide farmers with better protection through more accountability for grain companies in contracts.
The Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act was introduced in response to the rail transport backlog that followed the bumper crop of 2013.
"After taking immediate action to get grain and other commodities moving, our Government has been building a solid foundation for managing future challenges," said Ritz in a statement Friday.
"Today's regulations are the latest step in our ongoing efforts to create a rail supply chain that farmers and all shippers can depend on as they grow the Canadian economy."
