cpr v. canada (transportation agency) [2009] 2 F.C.R.
A-177-07
2008 FCA 42
Canadian Pacific Railway Company (Appellant)
v.
Canadian Transportation Agency, ATCO Pipelines, a division of ATCO Gas and Pipelines (Respondents)
Indexed as: Canadian Pacific Railway Co. v. Canada (Transportation Agency) (F.C.A.)
Federal Court of Appeal, Décary, Noël and Sharlow JJ.A. —Edmonton, January 15; Ottawa, February 6, 2008.
Transportation — Appeal from Canadian Transportation Agency decision granting application for authority to construct above-ground safety valves for natural gas pipeline where pipeline running under railway right of way, parallel to railway track — Under Canada Transportation Act, s. 101(3) Agency may authorize construction of “utility crossing” defined in s. 100 in relation to railway line — Given statutory context, “railway line” intended to include right of way on which railway track located — Portions of pipeline on which safety valves to be constructed within definition of “utility crossing” in Act, s. 100 — Agency’s interpretation reasonable — Appeal dismissed.
Administrative Law — Judicial Review — Standard of Review — Appeal from Canadian Transportation Agency decision granting application for authority to construct above-ground safety valves for natural gas pipeline where pipeline running under Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CPR) railway right of way, parallel to railway track — Since Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Council of Canadians with Disabilities v. VIA Rail Canada Inc., standard of review in appeal from Agency’s decision on question of statutory interpretation of provision defining Agency’s jurisdiction no longer correctness but reasonableness.
This was an appeal from a decision of the Canadian Transportation Agency granting ATCO Pipelines’ application for the authority to construct above-ground safety valves for its natural gas pipeline at two locations where the pipeline runs under the Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CPR) railway right of way, parallel to the railway track. ATCO owns and operates a natural gas pipeline in Alberta. A portion of the pipeline runs mostly beside the CPR railway track and crosses under the railway track at three locations. Permission to build that portion was obtained by ATCO’s predecessor pursuant to a 1951 agreement, which was filed with, and became an order of the Agency in accordance with section 101 of the Canada Transportation Act (CTA). When ATCO was to negotiate an amendment to the agreement in order to permit construction of the above-ground valves, it applied to the Agency for authorization. Subsection 101(3) of the CTA permits the Agency to authorize the construction of a suitable “utility crossing” which is defined in section 100 as the part of a utility line that passes over or under a railway line. CPR submitted that “railway line” means “railway track” and the respondents submitted that it includes the right of way on which a railway track is located.
The issues were what was the appropriate standard of review and whether the portions of the pipeline on which the safety valves are to be constructed fell within the definition of “utility crossing” in section 100 of the CTA.
Held, the appeal should be dismissed.
Since the recent Supreme Court of Canada decision in Council of Canadians with Disabilities v. VIA Rail Canada Inc., the standard of review in an appeal from a decision of the Agency on a question of statutory interpretation of a provision defining the Agency’s jurisdiction is no longer correctness but reasonableness. Since the nature of the legal issue herein was sufficiently like the one in VIA Rail, the Court was bound to apply the same standard of reasonableness.
“Railway line” in Canada Transportation Act, section 98, has previously been determined by the Federal Court of Appeal to include the many different components that are located on the right of way occupied by the railway company and that permit and facilitate the movement of locomotives and rolling stock. Numerous Agency decisions relating to the salvage value of a railway line support the proposition that a railway line includes the railway right of way. And the Minister of Transport has asserted jurisdiction over the railway safety implications of the proposed construction of above-ground safety valves, relying on the definition of “utility crossing” in the Railway Safety Act which is substantially the same as the definition thereof in the CTA. Given the statutory context, the Agency’s interpretation gave the language of the definition of “utility line” a meaning that it could reasonably bear and that was consistent with its purpose. Parliament did not intend to adopt legislation that would preclude the current interrelated statutory schemes for the regulation of railways and railway safety from applying to the construction of above-ground safety valves on a natural gas pipeline located on a railway right of way.
statutes and regulations judicially considered
Canada Transportation Act, S.C. 1996, c. 10, ss. 87 “railway”, 98, 100, 101.
Discontinuance and Continuance of Proceedings Order, 1996, SOR/96-383.
Railway Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. R-3, ss. 2 “railway”, 326.
Railway Safety Act, R.S.C., 1985 (4th Supp.), c. 32, s. 4 “crossing work”, “railway work”, “utility crossing”.
cases judicially considered
followed:
Council of Canadians with Disabilities v. VIA Rail Canada Inc., [2007] 1 S.C.R. 650; (2007), 279 D.L.R. (4th) 1; 59 Admin. L.R. (4th) 1; 360 N.R. 1; 2007 SCC 15.
considered:
VIA Rail Canada Inc. v. Canada (Transportation Agency), [2005] 4 F.C.R. 473; (2005), 252 D.L.R. (4th) 418; 330 N.R. 337; 2005 FCA 79; revg Application by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities pursuant to subsection 172(1) of the Canada Transportation Act, S.C. 1996, c. 10, regarding the level of accessibility of VIA Rail Canada Inc.’s Renaissance passenger rail cars, Decision No. 175-AT-R-2003 and Application by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, regarding the level of accessibility of Via Rail Canada Inc.’s Renaissance passenger rail cars–Final findings related to Decision No. 175-AT-R-2003, Decision No. 620-AT-R-2003; Canadian National Railway Co. v. Canada (Canadian Transportation Agency) (1999), 251 N.R. 245 (F.C.A.); Relocation of the existing aerial power line (CP)–Edmonton Power Inc. dba Edmonton Power, Decision No. 124-R-1997.
referred to:
Canadian Pacific Railway Co. v. Canada (Transportation Agency), [2003] 4 F.C. 558; (2003), 307 N.R. 378; 2003 FCA 271; Barrie Public Utilities v. Canadian Cable Television Assn., [2003] 1 S.C.R. 476; (2003), 225 D.L.R. (4th) 206; 49 Admin. L.R. (3d) 161; 204 N.R. 1; Rizzo & Rizzo Shoes Ltd. (Re), [1998] 1 S.C.R. 27; (1998), 36 O.R. (3d) 418; 154 D.L.R. (4th) 193; 50 C.B.R. (3d) 163; 33 C.C.E.L. (2d) 173; 221 N.R. 241; 106 O.A.C. 1; Determination of net salvage value–CN vs City of Prince Albert and Rural Municipalities of Prince Albert No. 461, Decision No. 175-R-1999; Net Salvage Value of CN Chatham Subdivision–VIA Rail Canada Inc., Decision No. 467-R-1996; St. Lawrence & Hudson Railway Company Limited, Decision No. 530-R-1998; Determination of the net salvage value–CN Arborfield Subdivision, Decision No. 545-R-1999; Determination of net salvage value of the CN’s Cudworth Subdivision, Decision No. 542-R-2000.
authors cited
Canadian Transportation Agency. Agreement between the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and the Canadian Western Natural Gas Company Limited, Order No. 2004-AGR-478, dated November 16, 2004.
APPEAL from a decision of the Canadian Transportation Agency granting an application under subsection 101(3) of the Canada Transportation Act, for the authority to construct above-ground safety valves for a natural gas pipeline where it runs under the railway right of way, parallel to the railway track. Appeal dismissed.
appearances:
Glen H. Poelman and Ryan Penner for appellant.
Andray Renaud for respondent Canadian Transportation Agency.
Donald R. Cranston, Q.C. and Peter S. -L. Wong for respondent ATCO Pipelines.
solicitors of record:
Macleod Dixon LLP, Calgary, for appellant.
Canadian Transportation Agency, Gatineau, for respondent Canadian Transportation Agency.
Bennett Jones LLP, Edmonton, for respondent ATCO Pipelines.
The following are the reasons for judgment rendered in English by
[1] Sharlow J.A.: The Canadian Pacific Railway Company (CPR) is appealing, with leave, Decision No. 709-R-2006 of the Canadian Transportation Agency dated December 22, 2006 [Authority to construct and maintain utility crossings (above-ground valves) within CP’s right of way — ATCO Pipelines, a division of ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd.]. In that decision, the Agency granted the application of ATCO Pipelines, a division of ATCO Gas and Pipelines Ltd., for the authority to construct above-ground safety valves for its natural gas pipeline at two locations where the pipeline runs under the CPR railway right of way, parallel to the railway track. CPR argues that this decision is not within the jurisdiction of the Agency. The issue raised in the appeal is whether the portions of the pipeline on which the safety valves are to be constructed fall within the definition of “utility crossing” in section 100 of the Canada Transportation Act, S.C. 1996, c. 10.
Statutory provisions
(A) Canada Transportation Act
[2] The relevant provisions of the Canada Transportation Act are sections 98, 100 and 101, and the definition of “railway” in section 87. All of these provisions are found in Part III, entitled “Railway Transportation”. The definition of “railway” reads as follows:
87. In this Part,
…
“railway” means a railway within the legislative authority of Parliament and includes
(a) branches, extensions, sidings, railway bridges, tunnels, stations, depots, wharfs, rolling stock, equipment, stores, or other things connected with the railway, and
(b) communications or signalling systems and related facilities and equipment used for railway purposes;
[3] The definition of “railway” quoted above was enacted in 1996. Its statutory predecessor is found in section 2 of the Railway Act, R.S.C., 1985, c. R-3. That definition read as follows:
2. (1) In this Act, and in any Special Act,
…
“railway” means any railway that the company has authority to construct or operate, and includes all branches, extensions, sidings, stations, depots, wharfs, rolling stock, equipment, stores, property real or personal and works connected therewith, and also any railway bridge, tunnel or other structure that the company is authorized to construct; and, except where the context is inapplicable, includes street railway and tramway;
[4] Sections 98, 100 and 101 of the Canada Transportation Act read as follows:
98. (1) A railway company shall not construct a railway line without the approval of the Agency.
(2) The Agency may, on application by the railway company, grant the approval if it considers that the location of the railway line is reasonable, taking into consideration requirements for railway operations and services and the interests of the localities that will be affected by the line.
(3) No approval is needed for the construction of a railway line
(a) within the right of way of an existing railway line; or
(b) within 100 m of the centre line of an existing railway line for a distance of no more than 3 km.
…
100. In this section and section 101,
“road crossing” means the part of a road that passes across, over or under a railway line, and includes a structure supporting or protecting that part of the road or facilitating the crossing;
“utility crossing” means the part of a utility line that passes over or under a railway line, and includes a structure supporting or protecting that part of the utility line or facilitating the crossing;
“utility line” means a wire, cable, pipeline or other like means of enabling the transmission of goods or energy or the provision of services.
101. (1) An agreement, or an amendment to an agreement, relating to the construction, maintenance or apportionment of the costs of a road crossing or a utility crossing may be filed with the Agency.
(2) When the agreement or amendment is filed, it becomes an order of the Agency authorizing the parties to construct or maintain the crossing, or apportioning the costs, as provided in the agreement.
(3) If a person is unsuccessful in negotiating an agreement or amendment mentioned in subsection (1), the Agency may, on application, authorize the construction of a suitable road crossing, utility crossing or related work, or specifying who shall maintain the crossing.
(4) Section 16 of the Railway Safety Act applies if a person is unsuccessful in negotiating an agreement relating to the apportionment of the costs of constructing or maintaining the road crossing or utility crossing.
[5] Section 326 of the Railway Act, the statutory predecessor to section 101 of the Canada Transportation Act, dealt with the construction and maintenance of utility lines near railway lines. That provision read as follows:
326. (1) Lines, wires, other conductors or other structures or appliances for telegraphic or telephonic purposes, or for the conveyance of power or electricity for other purposes, shall not, without leave of the Commission, except as provided in subsection (5), be constructed or maintained
(a) along or across a railway, by any company other than the railway company owning or controlling the railway; or
(b) across or near such other lines, wires, conductors, structures or appliances that are within the legislative authority of Parliament.
(B) Railway Safety Act
[6] The point of statutory interpretation in issue in this case requires consideration of a related statute, the Railway Safety Act, R.S.C., 1985 (4th Supp.), c. 32. The Railway Safety Act and the regulations made under that Act establish railway safety standards for, among other things, the construction, maintenance and operation of a “railway work”. Those regulations are administered by the Minister of Transport.
[7] The term “railway work” is defined in section 4 of the Railway Safety Act to include any “crossing work”, which in turn is defined to include any “utility crossing”. The definition of “utility crossing” in the Railway Safety Act is substantially the same as the definition in the Canada Transportation Act.
Facts
[8] ATCO owns and operates a natural gas pipeline in Alberta. The pipeline was built by ATCO’s corporate predecessor, Canadian Western Natural Gas Company Limited. A portion of the pipeline, approximately 20 miles long, is located on the CPR railway right of way between Kananaskis and Banff, between mile 57.85 and mile 76.95. That 20-mile portion of the pipeline runs mostly beside the CPR railway track on the railway right of way, and it crosses under the railway track at three locations. Permission to build that 20-mile portion of the pipeline was given to Canadian Western Natural Gas Company Limited by CPR pursuant to an agreement dated June 30, 1951.
[9] In 2004, ATCO filed the 1951 agreement with the Canadian Transportation Agency pursuant to subsection 101(1) of the Canada Transportation Act. By virtue of subsection 101(2), the 1951 agreement became an order of the Agency ([Agreement between the Canadian Pacific Railway Company and the Canadian Western Natural Gas Company Limited] Order No. 2004-AGR-478, dated November 16, 2004). The record discloses no evidence that CPR objected to the filing of the 1951 agreement or to the resulting order.
[10] It is undisputed that the proposed construction of the above-ground valves is part of the maintenance of the existing pipeline and is intended to improve the safety of the pipeline, in that installing the valves above ground will make it easier to shut the pipeline down in an emergency.
[11] It is also undisputed that the 1951 agreement does not expressly permit the construction of above-ground valves on any portion of the pipeline covered by the agreement. ATCO attempted to negotiate an agreement with CPR for authorization to construct the safety valves. When no agreement could be reached, ATCO applied to the Agency for authorization pursuant to subsection 101(3) of the Canada Transportation Act.
Standard of review
[12] CPR argues that, in an appeal from a decision of the Agency on a question of the interpretation of a statutory provision that defines the Agency’s jurisdiction, the standard of review is correctness. That argument is based on Canadian Pacific Railway Co. v. Canada (Transportation Agency), [2003] 4 F.C. 558 (F.C.A.) (at paragraphs 14 to 21), which followed Barrie Public Utilities v. Canadian Cable Television Assn., [2003] 1 S.C.R. 476 (at paragraphs 10 to 19).
[13] The Agency and ATCO argue that the standard of review is reasonableness. They rely on a more recent decision of the Supreme Court of Canada, Council of Canadians with Disabilities v. VIA Rail Canada Inc., [2007] 1 S.C.R. 650. That was an appeal from a decision of this Court [VIA Rail Canada Inc. v. Canada (Transportation Agency), [2005] 4 F.C.R. 473] reversing decisions of the Agency [Application by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities pursuant to subsection 172(1) of the Canada Transportation Act, S.C. 1996, s. 10, regarding the level of accessibility of VIA Rail Canada Inc.’s Renaissance passenger rail cars, Decision No. 175-AT-R-2003 and Application by the Council of Canadians with Disabilities, regarding the level of accessibility of VIA Rail Canada Inc.’s Renaissance passenger rail cars — Final findings related to Decisions No. 175-AT-R-2003, Decision No. 620-AT-R-2003] requiring VIA Rail Canada Inc. to take certain steps to accommodate disabled passengers. In that case Justice Abella, writing for the majority, discussed the issue of standard of review at paragraphs 87 to 111. The key passages appear at paragraphs 98 to 100, and read as follows:
The Canada Transportation Act is highly specialized regulatory legislation with a strong policy focus. The scheme and object of the Act are the oxygen the Agency breathes. When interpreting the Act, including its human rights components, the Agency is expected to bring its transportation policy knowledge and experience to bear on its interpretations of its assigned statutory mandate….
The allegedly jurisdictional determination the Agency was being asked to make… falls squarely within its statutory mandate. It did not involve answering a legal question beyond its expertise, but rather requires the Agency to apply its expertise to the legal issue assigned to it by statute....
The Agency is responsible for interpreting its own legislation, including what that statutory responsibility includes. The Agency made a decision with many component parts, each of which fell squarely and inextricably within its expertise and mandate. It was therefore entitled to a single, deferential standard of review.
[14] In my view, the nature of the legal issue in this case is sufficiently like the legal issue in the VIA Rail case that the same standard of review should apply. It follows that this Court is bound to apply the standard of review applied in VIA Rail, which is reasonableness.
Discussion
[15] The position of CPR is that the definition of “utility crossing” in the Canada Transportation Act is not broad enough to capture the portions of the ATCO pipeline where ATCO proposes to construct the above-ground valves, because at those locations the pipeline runs beside the railway track, not under it. That position is based on a literal meaning of the words, “the part of a utility line that passes over or under a railway line,” assuming the words “railway line” mean only “railway track” and cannot have a broader meaning. CPR points to the distinction between the words used in the current definition (“over or under a railway line”), and the words used in its statutory predecessor, section 326 of the Railway Act (“along or across a railway”). CPR also relies on section 98 of the Canada Transportation Act (quoted above), in which the phrase “railway line” is apparently used to mean a railway track. According to the interpretation proposed by CPR, the fact that the work is to be done on the railway right of way is irrelevant, no matter how close the work may be to the railway track.
[16] The position of ATCO and the Agency relies on the purposive, contextual approach adopted in Rizzo and Rizzo Shoes Ltd. (Re), [1998] 1 S.C.R. 27 and numerous decisions of the Supreme Court of Canada decided after that case. They argue that, given the purpose of the statutory scheme and the statutory context, the phrase “railway line” is intended to include the right of way on which a railway track is located. It follows that the definition of “utility line” would include any part of a pipeline that is on or under the railway right of way.
[17] There is no jurisprudence squarely on point. However, the Agency’s conclusion on this point is supported by Canadian National Railway Co. v. Canada (Canadian Transportation Agency) (1999), 251 N.R. 245 (F.C.A.). In that case, this Court upheld the decision of the Agency that section 98 of the Canada Transportation Act (quoted above), which requires the Agency’s approval for the construction of a “railway line”, applied to the construction of a railway yard. Justice Rothstein, then a member of this Court, explained as follows (at paragraph 8):
A railway line is the structure upon which locomotives and rolling stock of railway companies move and the communications or signalling system and related facilities and equipment. Colloquially one might refer to “railway tracks”, but, of course much more is involved, as C.N.’s counsel indicated, including the provision of grade and subgrade, including the construction of embankments and cuts, the installation of facilities for drainage, bridges, tunnels, and the track structure itself consisting of ballast, ties, rails, spikes, switches, and the like. All these components together, located on the right of way occupied by the railway company are what permit and facilitate the movement of locomotives and rolling stock, namely, a railway line. [Underlining added.]
[18] The Agency also points to its Decision No. 124-R-1997 [Relocation of the existing aerial power line (CP) — Edmonton Power Inc. dba Edmonton Power], in which the Agency applied section 101 to an application for a power line to be placed on a railway right of way, to run parallel to the track without crossing it. The application in that case had been commenced under section 326 of the Railway Act (quoted above) and continued under the Canada Transportation Act by virtue of the Discontinuance and Continuance of Proceedings Order, 1996, SOR/96-383.
[19] Other jurisprudential support for the proposition that a railway line includes the railway right of way are found in decisions of the Agency relating to the determination of the salvage value of a railway line, which includes the value of the land comprising the right of way: Agency Decisions 175-R-1999 (Determination of net salvage value — CN vs City of Prince Albert and Rural Municipalities of Prince Albert No. 461); 467-R-1996 (Net Salvage Value of CN Chatham Subdivision — VIA Rail Canada Inc.); 530-R-1998 (St. Lawrence & Hudson Railway Company Limited); 545-R-1999 (Determination of the net salvage value — CN Arborfield Subdivision); 542-R-2000 (Determination of net salvage value of the CN’s Cudworth Subdivision).
[20] The Minister of Transport apparently agrees with ATCO and the Agency. The Minister has asserted jurisdiction over the railway safety implication of the proposed construction of above-ground valves, relying on the definition of “utility crossing” in the Railway Safety Act. As mentioned above, that definition is substantially the same as the definition of “utility crossing” in the Canada Transportation Act. It is undisputed that if the Agency has erred in its interpretation of the definition of “utility crossing” in the Canada Transportation Act, the Minister has made the same error in relation to the Railway Safety Act. If that is the case, then a question would arise as to whether and to what extent the Railway Safety Act gives the Minister the statutory authority to consider railway safety issues in relation to the proposed work.
[21] Given the statutory context, the Agency’s interpretation gives the language of the definition of “utility line” a meaning that it can reasonably bear and that is consistent with its purpose. In my view, the Agency’s interpretation of the definition of “utility line” is reasonable. I see no basis for the intervention of this Court.
[22] I would add that I would have proposed the same result if the standard of review had been correctness. I do not accept that Parliament, in the course of enacting the current interrelated statutory schemes for the regulation of railways and railway safety, intended to adopt legislation that would preclude those schemes from applying to the construction of above-ground safety valves on a natural gas pipeline located on a railway right of way.
Conclusion
[23] For these reasons, I would dismiss this appeal with costs.
Décary J.A.: I agree.
Noël J.A.: I agree.