City of Montreal wins Merrill Henderson Award for its leadership in community-railway proximity awareness

MONTREAL, Sept. 22, 2014 /CNW/ - The City of Montreal has been selected as the first-ever recipient of the Merrill Henderson Award for its proactive approach in identifying and planning for new residential developments in proximity to railway operations. Anie Samson, Montreal city councillor and chair of the city's public-safety committee, accepted the award today at the 2014 Canadian Rail Summit.

Montreal is the first municipality in Quebec to pass a resolution to adopt the Guidelines for New Development in Proximity to Railway Operations into their new land use planning.

The guidelines were developed by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and Railway Association of Canada (RAC) Proximity Initiative. Using input from various stakeholders, the guidelines address issues concerning noise, vibration, and safety, and focus on the increasing challenges associated with new residential development.

"We consider the City of Montreal to be a role model for other municipalities across the province and country," said Sean Finn, FCM-RAC Proximity Initiative Co-Chair. "We expect that they will influence municipalities large and small to see the value of adopting the guidelines and recognize that, by building better today, we will avoid conflicts in the future."

The Merrill Henderson Award recognizes the contribution of individuals, groups, municipalities, or railways in the promotion of the FCM-RAC Guidelines for New Development in Proximity to Railway Operations.

About the Railway Association of Canada

The Railway Association of Canada (RAC) represents more than 50 freight and passenger railway companies that move 75 million people and $250 billion worth of goods in Canada each year. As the voice of Canada's railway industry, RAC advocates on behalf of its members and associate members to ensure that the rail sector remains globally competitive, sustainable, and most importantly, safe. Learn more at www.railcan.ca. Follow us on Twitter:@RailCanada or Facebook: www.facebook.com/RailCanada.

SOURCE: RAILWAY ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

Alex Paterson, Railway Association of Canada, 613-564-8111, [email protected]