CN announces Safe Community Fund winners

MONTREAL, May 10, 2007 — CN announced today the winners of the 2007 CN Safe Community Fund. Ten communities across Canada – all designated safe communities by Safe Communities Canada – have each received $2,500 to implement rail safety initiatives.

The railway established the CN Safe Community Fund in 2001 to encourage communities across Canada to incorporate rail safety initiatives in their community action plans.

This year's winners are: Greater Belleville Safe Community Committee, Brampton Safe City Organization, Safe Community Coalition of Brockville and Leeds-Grenville, Safe Communities on The Grand (Cambridge, Guelph, Kitchener and Waterloo), Chatham-Kent Safe Communities Coalition, Hamilton Safe Communities Council, Kingston Partners for a Safe Community, and Rainy River Valley Safety Coalition in Ontario; Humboldt and Area Safe Community Coalition in Saskatchewan; and Kamloops Injury Prevention Network in British Columbia.

Each community submitted a plan to create at least three programs to improve safety near railway tracks and property. The rail safety programs submitted include erecting signs at designated highway/railway crossings, promoting bike safety at crossings, information brochures in payroll envelopes, poster contests, activity books, public information campaigns and programs for elementary schools.

John Dalzell, CN's vice-president, Risk Management, said: “CN applauds the winners for the positive safety messages their initiatives will deliver in their communities. Thanks to the commitment of these community leaders and the rail industry's constant focus on safety, injuries and fatalities at highway/railway crossings have dropped to their lowest level in a decade — by 22 per cent and 54 per cent, respectively. During the same period, however, injuries and fatalities as a result of trespassing on railway property have not dropped. Until all of the numbers are zero, we must all continue to work together to promote rail safety."

Paul Kells, executive producer of Safe Communities Canada, added: "Since the CN Safe Community Fund was established six years ago, communities have implemented more than 120 rail safety initiatives, helping to save lives. Congratulations to all of this year's winners and to CN for supporting programs that reduce the toll of rail injuries on families in our communities."

Safe Communities Canada is dedicated to making Canada the safest country in the world, and CN has been a major supporter of it since 2000.