“We agreed that Omnitrax needs to be held to account and that we need to act to support the people of Churchill," Trudeau said.
Denver-based Omnitrax has said it won't pay to repair the tracks, which were damaged by severe flooding. It has asked the federal and provincial governments for help.
"Omnitrax has legal obligations to clean up and repair the tracks," Trudeau told a news conference at Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Saturday morning. "This is a responsibility that is squarely on the shoulders of Omnitrax."
But the prime minister wouldn't say whether he planned to pursue legal action against the company.
Earlier Saturday, Trudeau had sat down with Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister to discuss a range of topics, including the Churchill rail line, at a closed-door meeting. The two have clashed in the past several months over a range of issues, including the federal government's carbon-reduction strategy and funding for health care.
"I
had a very productive conversation with Premier Pallister this
morning, where we agreed that Omnitrax needs to be held to account
and that we need to act to support the people of Churchill," Trudeau
said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting,
Pallister said the province and federal government didn't arrive at
any firm commitment on how to repair the rail line, which is
Churchill's only land link to the rest of the province.
It is critical both for getting supplies to the
town of 900 people and for allowing residents of Churchill to
travel, as the only alternative is more expensive air travel.
"We're really asking for clarity around
Ottawa's intentions on Churchill, of course, because we know that
that is a federal issue and it is one that we need to address
together for the future security of the people of that area," he
said.
Trudeau spoke with Churchill Mayor Mike Spence
in a phone call Friday night. "The mayor was clear in our
conversation last night that there needs to be immediate action if
we're going to restore the rail lines in time for winter," Trudeau
said.
Spence told CBC News he's pleased that
Churchill was a priority for the two leaders in their discussion,
but now they need to take action to fix the rail line.
"If the rail line owner is not, can't undertake
the repairs. then they need to step aside and have somebody else do
the repairs and we're hoping that the governments will initiate
that," he said. "How they do it is totally up to them."
Both the federal and provincial governments
have invested millions in the rail line and port, which Omnitrax
also owns, and that places some legal obligations on the company,
Spence said. The prime minister indicated that Ottawa will "use what
they have" to get the rail line up and running, Spence said.
Omnitrax estimates the cost of the repairs at
between $20 million and $60 million.
The rail line was once federally owned, but was
sold to Omnitrax in 1997.
