FEDERAL – Canada’s new Safe and Accountable Rail Act has received Royal Assent, federal Transport Minister Lisa Raitt announced on June 18. The Act consists of amendments to the Canada Transportation Act (CTA) to make federally regulated railway companies more liable for accidents involving dangerous goods, via higher insurance requirements and a supplemental compensation fund to which railways must contribute $1.65 per tonne of crude oil that they transport, according to a press release from Transport Canada (TC); it also changes the Railway Safety Act (RSA) to broaden TC’s oversight powers and improve information-sharing requirements. “I am so pleased to see these important amendments come into force,” Raitt said in a press statement. “Raising standards for rail safety and accountability is a great example of how the Government of Canada is protecting taxpayers and safeguarding the communities along our country’s rail corridors.” Changes to the RSA went into effect immediately, while changes to the CTA will take effect on June 18, 2016, the TC release stated.