With Thunder Bay a major transportation hub between the Eastern and Western provinces of Canada, large amounts of materials, including hazardous goods, were transported through both Port Arthur and Fort William.
Transportation Through The Lakehead
As the Western Wheat boom grew, so did the cities of Port Arthur and Fort William. Railways, such as the Canadian Pacific Railway and Canadian Northern Railway, not only helped to stimulate employment in the community that would become Thunder Bay, but also contributed to its significance as a transportation hub. Built on the coast of Lake Superior and with a variety of local natural resources such as lumber, Thunder Bay became an increasingly important transportation hub.
The photograph on the right, taken in the late 1950s, depicts a train by Saskatchewan Pool #8, formerly Ogilvie's Flour Mill. The heavy railway traffic through the Lakehead made transportation safety a particularly serious issue.
Hazardous Materials
As shipping by both rail and truck grew more common, so did awareness of the dangers inherent in transporting hazardous goods. Transportation companies also recognized this concern: the C.P.R. was one that took action by presenting their safety practices, training, and improvements to equipment to communities along the North Shore.
Still, the Thunder Bay Area Emergency Measures organization considered that a spill of hazardous materials would be undoubtedly the greatest threat posed to communities during peacetime. To cope with such a spill, should one ever occur, all emergency response personnel should receive training specific to such a potential disaster.
| Dangerous Commodities |
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This card produced by CN Rail is entitled "What to Do at the Site of a Derailment." It provides instructions for emergency crews in dealing with train derailments and the risk of a hazardous materials leak.
Transcription: What to Do at the Site of a Derailment
CN Police offices have access to regional CN Rail Operations Control Centres where the consist of every train, including information about any dangerous commodities being carried, is available from the computer. Dangerous Commodities: Classifications and PlacardsThis brochure, produced by CN Rail, provides a reference to placards used to warn of hazardous goods being shipped.
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Chlorine leak, 1974
On July 15, 1974, a cement truck collided with a train at the intersection between Arthur Street and Waterloo Street. Two tank cars loaded with chlorine gas, as well as a box car, were knocked over. Chlorine was leaking from one of the cars. This accident was reported to the Fire Department almost immediately by witnesses, who commented on the "greenish-yellow vapour rising from one of the tank cars."
| Chlorine Spill Report |
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A chemical spill occurred in 1974, due to a collision between a freight train carrying chlorine and a cement truck. Emergency services responded.
Transcription
When contacted, the NR advised their trainman had notified them by radio and they advised it would take between 1 to 2 hours to move equipment into position to commence clearance operation. The weather is clear, temperature 69º, winds westerly 5 – 10 mph and it is forecast to say clear and become warmer. The following members of the Planning Group and Emergency Service Heads were absent from the city on duty or holidays: W. Mokemela, D. Macleod, T. Fell, D. Wilson in labour negotiations and R. Wainio could not be contacted. |
Trichloroethylene on the Highway, 1981
On March 4, 1981, a truck on Highway 11-17 just west of Thunder Bay was found to be leaking trichloroethylene, a common industrial solvent. This chemical, although not flammable, is toxic, and capable of causing death.
The Thunder Bay Fire Department was first on the scene. They contacted the E.M.O., which provided advice that they wear self-contained breathing apparatuses to protect themselves. The public needed to be protected and kept far away from the vehicle as well. Attempts were made to obtain drums to contain the leaking fuel, but no standardized guidelines for the containment of chemical spills had been set in place, and the drums arrived too late. The incident was turned over to an environmental company which had experience with such clean-up operations.
During the investigation, the E.M.O. made discoveries that demonstrated the "urgent requirement for regulations covering the transportation of Hazardous Goods by provincial highway." There had been no Hazardous Goods placard affixed to the trailer, and no padding between the drums which could have prevented leakage. It was fortunate that the vehicle had not been involved in a collision, as the results would have been much worse.
| Trichloroethylene Leak |
| This letter was sent by the Emergency Planning Officer, E.A. Fallen, shortly after dealing with a transport truck leaking a highly toxic substance on the highway. The leak was contained, but the lack of regulations around transportation of hazardous materials made the situation more challenging than it should have been.
Text: "Mr. Tom Fell, Director Engineering & Operations The following is a report on my involvement in the leaking trichloroethylene incident on 4 March 1981. At approximately 1430 I received a telephone call from Captain Bill Godfrey, Thunder Bay Fire Department that a Kingsway Trailer truck was leaking a liquid at the Ministry of Transportation and Communication Weigh Scale on Highway 11-17 just west of the City and that the Bill of Lading indicated it was a chemical called Triluxe Electronic. The shipment originated at Canadian Industries Limited in Montreal and was destined for Winnipeg. I attempted to identify the chemical through the Emergency Response Guide for Hazardous Goods but it was not listed. I phoned the Dangerous Goods and Information Centre in Ottawa and have what information we had obtained to a Mr. Cloutier. He advised he would return my call as quickly as possible. Within a few moments, I received a call from Mr. Cloutier and participated in a 3-way conversation with a Mr. Germain, C.I.L. Montreal and Mr. Cloutier. Mr. Germian informed me the chemical was trichloroethylene, was highly toxic, 4.5 times heavier than air, non-flammable and that self contained breathing apparatus and protective clothing was to be worn. This information was immediately passed to Captain Godfrey and Captain Mill of the Thunder Bay Fire Department. Mr. Germain continued and advised the liquid was to be covered with absorbent material and later be disposed of in sealed barrels, and that the leaking barrels were to be placed in sealed 55 gallon drums and returned to point of departure. He further advised he would attempt to locate some 55 gallon drums close to Thunder Bay. I contacted the operator of the weigh scale and advised him to keep everyone from the vehicle until we arrived. My secretary contacted the Ministry of the Environment to inform them of the spill and requested one of the officials meet me at the scale. I contacted the Fire Chief and passed al the information to him. He dispatched Captain Mill and Captain Godfrey to the scale with self contained breathing apparatus to see if there were any further markings on the barrel. I then picked up some extra breathing apparatus from the Fire Department and some absorbent material from the Public Works Yard south and proceeded to the weigh scale."
Text: "On arrival, I conferred with Captain Mill and Godfrey who then returned to the City as the Paipoonge Fire Department had arrived and taken over responsibility as it was in their Township. Mr. J. Drummond, Ministry of the Environment arrived and we attempted to locate 55 gallon containers in Thunder Bay. It was also ascertained that a second barrel was leaking. As we were unable to locate 55 gallon drums locally, I contacted the Dangerous Goods Centre and requested they contact Mr. Germain at C.I.L. to obtain 55 gallon drums and ship them to Kingsway Transport in Thunder Bay. At this time, Mr. Serwicki, Kingsway’s local manager arrived and he was briefed. As the drums had stopped leaking and there was nothing else I could accomplish, the incident was turned over to Environment and Kingsway Transport who are responsible for the cleanup operations. My final involvement was at approximately 2130 when I received a call from Mr. Gowanlock of Canadian Industries Limited, Winnipeg to advise he had two 55 gallon drums in Winnipeg and was shipping them to Kingsway as requested by C.I.L. Montreal and the Dangerous Goods Centre in Ottawa. I passed the information on the drums to Mr. Serwicki of Kingsway at approximately 2145. This evolution proved the Dangerous Goods and Information Centre was a valuable source of information and could provide assistance and answers on short notice. It also pointed out that there is an urgent requirement for regulations covering the transportation of Hazardous Goods by provincial highway. This shipment contained sixty 45 gallon drums for a total of 2700 gallons and yet no Hazardous Goods placard was affixed to the trailer or visible on the drums from outside the trailer. According to the Ministry of the Environment officials, the drums should have been a heavier guage. It is also possible the use of padding between the barrels would have prevented the leakage. It was fortunate that this trailer unit was not involved in an accident as the spillage could have had more serious consequences. In this case, the driver, although he only spoke French, was able to provide a Bill of Lading which gave us the required information to identify the chemical and take the necessary safety action. I would strongly recommend that City Council consider a resolution requesting the Provincial Government to quickly pass the Dangerous Goods Transportation Act 1980."
Text: "that was introduced by Mr. Snow in November 1980 to promote the safe transportation, including the packaging and placarding, of Dangerous Goods in all vehicles using provincial highways. Respectfully submitted, (signed) E.A. Fallen Emergency Planning Officer" |
Regulation
In 1980, the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act was passed by the Government of Canada. This Act regulated safety standards, handling, shipping and shipping documents, and containers. However, the Act did not come into full effect until 1985.
The effects of chemical spills from both railways and on the highways had been seen in the Thunder Bay area, and the risk of a catastrophic spill close to residential areas was apparent. The Act was endorsed by municipalities including the Municipality of Paipoonge and the City of Thunder Bay.
References: TBA 5176-10
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