An engineer employed by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) died in Port Coquitlam last night after an accident at the company’s rail yard.
According to Teamsters Canada, the trade union that represents CP, the victim was a 56-year-old father with 32 years of service.
The circumstances surrounding the accident are unclear at this stage.
“My thoughts are with the victim’s loved ones and co-workers. I want them to know that Canada’s over 125,000 Teamster members stand with them in solidarity and mourning,” said the president of Teamsters Canada, François Laporte.
According to a release sent out by the union, 10 members of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) have died in the job in the last two years.
They added that safety was a central issue during the recent strike at CN.
“Our hearts go out to the locomotive engineer’s family and everyone who worked with him,” said the president of the TCRC, Lyndon Isaak. “The rail industry is in crisis. We have lost ten of our sisters and brothers over the past 24 months. It’s ten too many.”
Due to a Transport Canada investigation, and out of respect for the victim’s family, the union cannot comment further on this matter at this time.
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