The MLA for Dawson trail saw his private member's bill, the Rail Safety Awareness Week Act, pass second reading this week in the Manitoba Legislature.

The Bill was sparked by the tragic accident that occurred in Ste. Anne last September when an 11-year-old girl was hit and killed by a train while crossing the track on her bike. Bob Lagasse says as a father himself, his initial reaction was to try and find a way to help the family and those involved.

"When I heard about the tragedy I reached out to police in Ste. Anne to see if there was anything we could do, number one, for the family and also to see how we can help our emergency responders. After that was all set and done, I contacted CN to see if there was something else that could be done and that was kind of the seed that was planted for this bill to come to be."

Lagasse notes if the bill goes through, Manitoba would be the first province in Canada to put Rail Safety Awareness week into law. He says this week would really focus on education.

"So it then becomes law here in the province and it gives the opportunity for CN and the other rail companies to go to the schools
and educate and it gives better public awareness about rail safety."

He adds his goal is for tragedies like the one that occurred in Ste. Anne, to be a relic of the past. Lagasse says he learned a lot about rail safety himself through the process of introducing this bill.

"There are what’s called natural crossings which are actually not CN controlled crossings and the one in Ste. Anne (where the accident occurred) is actually what’s called a natural crossing so it’s where people naturally started crossing at one point. So it’s up to the town at that point, because they are the ones who designed it and brought it forward, to work with CN at this point."

Rail Safety Awareness Week would be in the second week of September.