Railway Association of Canada elects new Board of Directors

At the Railway Association of Canada’s recent annual general meeting in Calgary, Robert J. Ritchie, President and chief executive officer of Canadian Pacific Railway, was elected Chairman of the Railway Association of Canada.

Paul M. Tellier, president and chief executive officer of Canadian National
Railway, was elected Vice-Chairman.

“Board membership was expanded from seven to eight with three short line members, and one rail passenger operation, now represented. The expanded board, and changes in its membership, better reflects the growth, and importance, of the short lines to the economic viability of the entire Canadian rail network,” said Ritchie.

Two vacancies on the Board were filled with the appointment of Serge Belzile, President of Chemins de fer du Qubec, Montreal, and Shawn Smith, Regional Vice-President of RailAmerica’s North West Region, based in Edmonton.

Wayne Ettinger, President of Trillium Railway, based in Port Colborne, ON, filled the new board position.

“All three are representative of the dynamic new short line operators in eastern and western Canada,” said Ritchie. Belzile and Smith replaced retired RAC board members from Ontario Northland and BC Rail. Brian McKeown of Essex Terminal Railway in Windsor will retire from the RAC board at year-end.

“Brian gave the RAC board many years of dedicated service. His extensive industry knowledge and good guidance were needed and appreciated by an industry that has gone through profound change,” said Ritchie. Marc LeFranois, President and CEO of VIA Rail Canada, Montreal, was appointed to fill that vacancy.

The other RAC directors are Ed Dodge, Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of CPR in Calgary, and Jack T. McBain, Executive Vice-President, Operations, for Canadian National Railway in Edmonton.

Ritchie was also elected as the RAC representative on the Association
of American Railroads’ board of directors, and Tellier as his alternate.