2020 Completed Access to Information Requests
The following list contains summaries of completed requests. Requests focusing on personal information are not included.
Year
Month
Request number
Summary of Request
Disposition
Number of pages disclosed
Year: 2020
Month: January
Request number:
Summary of Request: Nothing to report.
Disposition:
Number of pages disclosed:
Year: 2020
Month: February
Request number: 19-1958
Summary of Request: Briefing notes and reports about complaints regarding WiFi in the Quebec City – Windsor corridor between January 1, 2019 and the date VIA Rail begins processing this request. (Closed 2020-02-11)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 8
Year: 2020
Month: February
Request number: 19-1961
Summary of Request: Any and all internal documents that record or track incidents of violence, including but not limited to pushing, hitting, punching or verbal arguments, onboard VIA trains operated in Canada either between passengers or between a passenger and a VIA employee (or employees), between January 1, 2019 and January 1, 2020. (Closed 2020-02-11)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 5
Year: 2020
Month: February
Request number: 19-1959
Summary of Request: Briefing notes and backgrounders prepared by or for the president or for officials at Transport Canada at the ADM level and above, between January 1, 2019 and the date that VIA Rail beings processing this request regarding passenger rail legislation. (Closed 2020-02-17)
Disposition: No records exist
Number of pages disclosed: 0
Year: 2020
Month: February
Request number: 19-1951
Summary of Request: Number of boarding per station, from 1998-2007, for all stations in the Quebec-Windsor corridor; total number of tickets, for each type of fare (could be a simple breakdown between Economy and Business class, or could include additional breakdowns (i.e. advanced fares, escape fares, youth fares, etc.)) from 2006-2018 for the Q-W corridor; number of tickets sold for all destination/origin pairings (Oshawa-Ottawa, Oshawa-Montreal, Kingston-Toronto, etc.) for 2018 for the Q-W corridor. (Closed 2020-02-17)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 13
Year: 2020
Month: February
Request number: 19-1960
Summary of Request: Briefing notes and reports in relation to the Vancouver Islander route between Victoria, BC and Nanaimo, BC between January 1, 2019 and the date VIA Rail begins processing this request. (Closed 2020-02-17)
Disposition: No records exist
Number of pages disclosed: 0
Year: 2020
Month: February
Request number: 19-1965
Summary of Request: Ridership statistics (number of passengers) departing from and arriving at La Pocatière, Rivière-du-Loup, Trois-Pistoles, Rimouski, Mont-Joli, Amqui and Matapédia stations, by year, for the years 1999 to 2019, inclusively. (Closed 2020-02-17)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 1
Year: 2020
Month: February
Request number: 19-1966
Summary of Request: Any and all internal documents that record or track incidents of violence, including but not limited to pushing, hitting, punching or verbal arguments, on board VIA Rail trains operated in Canada either between passengers or between a passenger and a VIA employee (or employees) between May 2019 and the date VIA Rail begins processing this request. (Closed 2020-02-17)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 2
Year: 2020
Month: February
Request number: 19-1970
Summary of Request: Memos, correspondence, briefing notes, prepared for Transport Canada at the ADM level and above (including the Minister and the Minister’s Office), regarding changes to Greyhound service between January 1, 2017 and the date VIA Rail begins processing this request. (Closed 2020-02-17)
Disposition: No records exist
Number of pages disclosed: 0
Year: 2020
Month: March
Request number: 19-1957
Summary of Request: Briefing notes or backgrounders prepared for the president and for officials at Transport Canada at the ADM level and above, including the minister and the minister’s office between January 1, 2019 and the date VIA Rail begins processing this request related to VIA Rail’s on-time performance. (Closed 2020-03-03)
Disposition: No records exist
Number of pages disclosed: 0
Year: 2020
Month: March
Request number: 19-1963
1. Number of sellouts per train (train 48, 648, etc.) and the dates of those sellouts (if possible, I am looking for this date from 2008 – 2018, and 2019 if available) this is for trains operating in the corridor; 2. Number of boardings, per station, for all stations in the Quebec City – Windsor corridor, for 2019. This could be sent separately if data needs to be sent after Q4 2018 numbers are published; 3. On time reliability (percentage of trains on time) for key sections of the Quebec City – Windsor corridor, for 2008 – 2018 (and 2019 if available): Quebec-Montreal, Montreal-Ottawa, Ottawa-Brockville, Montreal-Brockville, Brockville-Toronto, Toronto-London (both routes), London-Windsor, London-Sarnia (Closed 2020-03-19)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 3
Year: 2020
Month: March
Request number: 19-1968
Incident reports regarding violence on board a VIA Rail train, including use of a deadly weapon such as a knife, conducted electrical weapon (Taser), axe, gun, as well as reports regarding passengers fleeing a VIA Rail train between January 1, 2017 and the date VIA Rail begins processing this request. Please also include any incident report related to any violent passenger who required restrains or confinement on board the train. Please also include any photo or video evidence captured. (Closed 2020-03-19)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 5
Year: 2020
Month: March
Request number: 19-1969
Incident reports regarding illicit drug use by a passenger on board a VIA Rail train between January 1, 2017 and the date VIA Rail begins processing this request. Please also include any photo or evidence captured. (Closed 2020-03-19)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 1
Year: 2020
Month: March
Request number: 19-1977
I am seeking recent information on the passenger census between London and Toronto for each quarter as far back as 2014. (Closed 2020-03-19)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 1
Year: 2020
Month: April
Request number: 19-1980
Obtain a copy of any document in VIA Rail's possession allowing me to see the total costs broken down by day related to losses caused by the closure of rail lines by Aboriginal people or groups between January 1, 2020 and today, February 26, 2020 (Closed 2020-04-01)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 1
Year: 2020
Month: April
Request number: 19-1979
To support the Air Quality Impact Assessment, we are currently collecting background information pertaining to the study area of the proposed GO Station. At this time, we are formally contacting VIA Rail Canada to request the following information, if available: train schedules (current and projected); engine specifications to be used on Lakeshore West Corridor (tier level of engines now and before electrification occurs ); size of trains (number of passenger card, length and width); regulated engine speed (in/out station) for trains passing by (required for trains travelling in both directions along the tracks) and Head End Power (HEP) Unit Expected Usage and level of operation expected (Winter/Summer) (Closed 2020-04-08)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 7
Year: 2020
Month: April
Request number: 19-1967
Correspondence, including briefing notes and memos regarding safety and security on board VIA Rail trains, between VIA Rail and Transport Canada from the ADM level and above (including the Minister and the Minister’s office) as well as correspondence regarding safety and security on board, including briefing notes and memos, between VIA Rail and TSB between January 1, 2019 and the date that VIA Rail begins processing this request. (Closed 2020-04-09)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 6
Year: 2020
Month: April
Request number: 19-1982
Any reports and/or notes prepared, reviewed, sent or received by VIA Rail staff, including members of its police service and/or any private security consultant, regarding any event that occurred between Nov. 1, 2019 and the date VIA Rail begins processing this request regarding a stowaway on board a VIA Rail train in British-Columbia (Closed 2020-04-30)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 1
Year: 2020
Month: May
Request number:
Summary of Request: Nothing to report.
Disposition:
Number of pages disclosed:
Year: 2020
Month: June
Request number: 19-1986
Any report, reports or notes submitted by or for VIA Rail staff, including any report, reports or notes prepared by a security consultant or security consultants and including any report reviewed by VIA Rail police – prepared between Nov. 1, 2019 to Nov. 30, 2019 regarding any security incident or incidents occurring on VIA Rail’s The Canadian, train #2, in Alberta on between Nov. 1 – 5, 2019. Please also include any emails sent or received by members of VIA Rail police regarding any such incident that would have occurred on Train #2 in Alberta, between Nov. 1-5, 2019 (Closed 2020-06-03)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 4
Year: 2020
Month: June
Request number: 19-1988
A copy of the most recent Train Service Agreement between VIA Rail and CN Rail. Please provide all relevant details of this agreement in keeping with the Nov. 19, 2018 Federal Court of Appeal decision under the file number A-225-17 (Closed 2020-06-03)
Disposition: All Disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 49
Year: 2020
Month: June
Request number: 19-1989
Any and all internal documents that record and track incidents of violence or unruly behaviour, including but not limited to pushing, hitting, punching or verbal arguments on board VIA Rail trains, operated in Canada, either between passengers or between a passenger and a VIA Rail employee between April 1 to April 30, 2019 (Closed 2020-06-03)
Disposition: All Disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 1
Year: 2020
Month: June
Request number: 19-2002
I am requesting on-time performance data for each of VIA Rail’s passenger routes for the years 2000-2019 (Closed 2020-06-03)
Disposition: All Disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 1
Year: 2020
Month: June
Request number: 19-2003
Here is a breakdown of the information I am looking for the Grimsby Subdivison: (i) Type of train (passenger/freight, etc.); (ii) Engine Type (assumed diesel); (iii) Welded Rail (yes/no); (iv) No. of trains (day/night); (v) # of locomotives and # of cars per train; (vi) Speed; (vii) Whistle by-laws – at grade-crossings in the area and if any whistles are blown (Closed 2020-06-03)
Disposition: All Disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 1
Year: 2020
Month: June
Request number: 19-2004
I am writing to request any and all records relating to CN Rail’s direction that VIA Rail suspend service on the Prince Rupert – Prince George – Jasper following blockades along the rail line that took place near Hazelton, BC in February 2020 (Closed 2020-06-15)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 2
Year: 2020
Month: June
Request number: 19-2009
I am looking for data on the number of passengers (embarking and disembarking) between Montreal and some key cities: Toronto, Ottawa and Quebec City (Closed 2020-06-18)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed:1
Year: 2020
Month: June
Request number: 19-1991
Copies of minutes of meetings of VIA Rail’s health and safety committees, including regional committees, from Jan. 1, 2019 up until the date VIA Rail begins processing this request (Closed 2020-06-22)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed:4247
Year: 2020
Month: July
Request number: 19-1919
All e-mail communications, briefs and reports generated as a result of a train accident near Debert, N.S. on the Springhill Sub – on March 20, 2019. Please include all communications generated as a result of media coverage of that incident as well. Date range: March 20, 2019 to the date this request begins processing. Please exclude duplicate emails & media articles (Closed 2020-07-22)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed:256
Year: 2020
Month: July
Request number: 19-1981
Obtain copies of all correspondence/communications sent and received by the following persons from VIA Rail (Cynthia Garneau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marc Beaulieu, Chief, Transportation and Security, Ben Marc Diendéré, Chief, Public Affairs and Communications) with federal government officials including its officials and officials of the RCMP and the Sûreté du Québec in relation to rail line blockages by Aboriginals or Aboriginal groups between January 1, 2020 and February 26, 2020.(Closed 2020-07-28)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 36
Year: 2020
Month: July
Request number: 19-1981
Obtain copies of all correspondence/communications sent and received by the following persons from VIA Rail (Cynthia Garneau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marc Beaulieu, Chief, Transportation and Security, Ben Marc Diendéré, Chief, Public Affairs and Communications) with federal government officials including its officials and officials of the RCMP and the Sûreté du Québec in relation to rail line blockages by Aboriginals or Aboriginal groups between January 1, 2020 and February 26, 2020.(Closed 2020-07-28)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 36
Year: 2020
Month: August
Request number: 19-1983
All records generated or reviewed by communications or media relations staff in response to questions from Global News between January 25, 2020 and the date VIA Rail begins processing this request regarding or related to security issues on trains, delays on trains and plans for High Frequency Rail. (Closed 2020-08-04)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 212
Year: 2020
Month: August
Request number: 20-2008
I would like to obtain the correpondences of the former President & CEO of VIA Rail, Yves Desjardins-Siciliano, with Siemens between December 2016 and his departure from VIA Rail. I also wish to obtain a copy of the contract between VIA Rail and Siemens for the replacement of the Quebec-Windsor fleet. (Closed 2020-08-21)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 32
Year: 2020
Month: August
Request number: 20-2013
Validate the amounts of commissions paid to [name protected] and the payment date of those commissions. Thank you for validating the amounts and indicating whether the commissions related to the file number have been paid and the amounts paid. (Closed 2020-08-31)
Disposition: Not disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 0
Year: 2020
Month: September
Request number: 19-1928
Has VIA Rail tendered for the replacement of the ICES computer system? If so, I am requesting a copy of the tenders and bids received; I am requesting a detailed copy of the costs related to this project, including the cost of filling a food cart for customers before the changeover and after the changeover with the new supplier, Aramark; The number of employees involved in the project during its design, implementation and today; I request copy of all contracts entered into between VIA Rail and Aramark; Who is the person responsible for the Michelin Project; Depending on the nature of the contracts(s) entered into between VIA Rail and Aramark, VIA Rail will not own the inventory system and onboard payment technology which are the sole property of the supplier, Aramark. At the end of the contract, does VIA Rail have a solution in the event of a significant increase of the supplier’s cost and if so what is that solution? (Closed 2020-09-10)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 202
Year: 2020
Month: September
Request number: 20-2018
I am looking for any racial sensitivity, awareness or training sessions along with any intersectional & gender-based analysis (GBA+) sensitivity, awareness or training sessions that have occurred or are scheduled to occur in this calendar year from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020. I am looking for exact dates and costs, planning documents, materials provided, minutes/logs and any correspondences related to said sessions that employees have attended either in person or via webinar. (Closed 2020-09-24)
Disposition: No records exist
Number of pages disclosed: 0
Year: 2020
Month: September
Request number: 20-2021
From 2017-01-01 to the present, number of passages on the St-Laurent Line (CNR) at the bi-modal station (metro + AMT) number of times stopped. (Closed 2020-09-24)
Disposition: No records exist
Number of pages disclosed: 0
Year: 2020
Month: October
Request number: 20-2023
I would like to obtain copy of any original written documents in VIA Rail’s possession regarding complaints made by customers concerning delayed trains, unhelpful staff, lack of hygiene and uncomfortable seating, for trains traveling from Montreal Central Station Quebec to Toronto Union Station Ontario. For the period of August 2019 to October 2019. (Closed 2020-10-29)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed: 14
Year: 2020
Month: October
Request number: 20-2024
We have been requested as part of a regulator submission to obtain VIA’s future train volumes (2031 and beyond) along a rail line. I am only looking for a total number of trains per day and the consist make up. (Closed 2020-10-20)
Disposition: No records exist
Number of pages disclosed: 0
Year: 2020
Month: November
Request number: 20-2028
Could you give me figures on VIA passenger volumes for 2020 as compared with a similar period in 2019. (Closed 2020-11-04)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 1
Year: 2020
Month: November
Request number: 20-2037
(1) I would like copy of the September 2016 Food Service Transformation Project RFP; (2) I would like a copy of all quotes or bids received for the September 2016 Food Service Transformation Project; (3) I wish to receive a copy of the bid analysis document; (4) I wish to receive a copy of the contract(s) that resulted from the September 2016 Food Service Transformation Project; and (5) was the September 2016 Food Service Transformation Project awarded by mutual agreement? (Closed 2020-11-25)
Disposition: Disclosed in part
Number of pages disclosed:400
Year: 2020
Month: December
Request number: 20-2039
(1) the official name and classification of the rail line in question (1041 Lakeshore Road East – Oakville Subdivision Line); (2) the number of rail tracks; (3) the width of the railway corridor at tis subdivision; (4) the type and average number of train movements during the daytime and nighttime; (5) the average number of locomotives for each type of train; (6) the average number of cars for each train; (7) the average speed of each type of train; (8) the presence of any special operating conditions likely to increase the sound levels such as siding tracks, frogs or switches, whistle noise, etc. (Closed 2020-12-10)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed: 0
Year: 2020
Month: December
Request number: 20-2043
I am writing to look for VIA Rail traffic data on the Beachburg Subdivision, near the intersection of Smyth Road and Riverside Drive in Ottawa, ON. Please provide the following (1) type of train; (2) engine type; (3) welded rail; (4) number of trains; (5) number of locomotives and number of cars per train; (6) speed; and (7) whistle by-laws – at grade crossings in the area and if any whistles are blown (specifically the at-grade crossing at Pleasant Park Rd, or any other nearby ones that may have missed). (Closed 2020-12-21)
Disposition: All disclosed
Number of pages disclosed:1