Editor: Recently, CP and Parks Canada announced the results of our five-year study, the Grizzly Bear Joint Initiative research program.
As evidenced by the number of people who came to the open house and other public sessions, this is an important issue for many stakeholders, including people living in or near the mountain parks.
As was reiterated repeatedly by Parks Canada, CP and the independent academic research team, this is an incredibly complex issue with no silver bullet solution.
While there have been no confirmed rail-related grizzly mortalities in Banff or Yoho national parks since 2012, CP acknowledges that measures can, and should be, taken to reduce the risk of a future mortality.
As the findings of the research became known to CP and Parks Canada, we began to discuss measures that we, as partners in the Initiative, could implement. This includes enhanced vegetation management and electromats at rail wheel lubricant stations. The partners are committed to making data-driven decisions and seeking scientifically sound mitigations.
There is a commonly held perception that the current largest contributing factor to grizzly bear mortality risk on the tracks is grain; however, this was not supported by the research.
Prior to the start of the intensive phase of the research program, the grain hopper car gate replacement had been completed. While not quantified as part of the research, this work was a tremendous success and there is much less grain reported on the tracks.
Several of your readers and writers asked the question “why won’t CP do more to their hopper cars”? The great majority of the cars are owned by the Government of Canada and as the car owner, they are responsible for any required repairs. CP is negotiating with the government as the cars are nearing the end of their useful life and need to be replaced.
CP is not shying away from its responsibility and recognizes that some of these cars have significant leaks. If a car is found to be leaking upon inspection in Calgary they are removed from the train. When a car causes a grain pile in the mountain parks, CP continues to deploy our grain vacuum truck to remove as much of the attractant as possible.
If your readers have further questions regarding our programs and the measures CP is taking to further reduce the risk of grizzly bear mortality, we invite them to contact us at [email protected].
Joe Van Humbeck, Canadian Pacific
System Manager Environmental Assessment
