Dufferin Street Neighbourhood Group
RE: Your email of September 7th 2010
Dear Ms. LC,
I am in receipt of your email of the above noted date and wish to thank you for your quick and detailed response in bringing the concerns of the Dufferin Street Neighbourhood Group to the Board’s attention. All the Directors of the GJR have seen this letter and it raises a number of points which reaffirms the need for the railway to review its current and future maintenance practices. As such I am pleased to advise you that the GJR Governance Committee will undertake this task reporting directly back to the entire Board. The Board would then provide direction as it relates to acceptable methods and standards for next season’s maintenance activities. I further wish to advise you that all the planned herbicide applications this year have been completed and no further spraying will take place this season.
One of the points you raise, the matter of ongoing public use of nearby railway property immediately concerns us. It is the Federal Railway Safety Act that strictly prohibits unauthorised access of railway property. With the completion of the Trans Canada Trail, public access to the railway property in your area will only be permitted on and restricted to the actual path area itself and only after the safety fences have been installed. The onsite trail construction itself poses an additional safety risk in that any member of the public trespassing into their work area is placing themselves in a doubly dangerous situation. As such the GJR along with the City and the Contractor will be taking reasonable steps to insure public safety and compliance.
In summary I wish to thank you for bringing the concerns of the Dufferin Street Neighbourhood Group to our attention.
David Jennison
Chair, Board of Directors
Guelph Junction Railway Company