Rail transportation safety investigation R13D0054

Investigation team

• Don Ross, Investigator-in-Charge

  Image

  

  Mr. Ross joined the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) in Hull, Quebec, as a safety analyst in the Accident Prevention Branch. In April 1996, he joined the Investigations Division as a senior investigator. He worked out of the TSB Head Office for seven years. During this time, he led a number of major rail investigations and often relieved the national manager of investigations, Rail/Pipeline. In 2000, he started working in Halifax/Dartmouth as the regional senior investigator, Rail/Pipeline for the Atlantic Region.

  Mr. Ross holds a Certified Health and Safety Consultant designation and a Professional Member designation from the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, and is the national president of Clan Ross Association of Canada. He began his railway career in 1975 at CN Rail's maintenance shops in Sydney, Nova Scotia. After completing a four-year apprenticeship in the trade of carman, he became a permanent supervisor in 1979, and thereafter occupied a variety of supervisory and management positions across Canada, including in Sydney, Halifax, Moncton, Montreal, Winnipeg and Prince George, British Columbia.

  His railway experience includes managing car repair shops, locomotive shops, maintenance shops, and a wheel shop. Mr. Ross has also worked in CN district, regional and headquarters offices in positions with responsibilities relating to equipment inspection and maintenance (13 transfers in 6 provinces). He has received extensive training in dangerous goods, and was national coordinator of CN's emergency response network for over three years.

• Ed Belkaloul

  Image

  

  Mr. Belkaloul has been with the TSB since 1997. Before joining the TSB, he worked as a consultant engineer with Nicolet, Chartrand, Knoll et Associés in Montreal, followed by 7 years with Canadian National as Maintenance Engineer in the Quebec region, and 8 years at Transport Canada as Infrastructure Engineer in Ottawa. Mr. Belkaloul holds a Diplôme d'ingénieur civil from École Polytechnique de Lausanne, a Master's Degree in Engineering from École Polytechnique de Montreal, and an MBA from the University of Ottawa.

• James Carmichael

  Image

  

  Mr. Carmichael has been with the Transportation Board of Canada (TSB) in the Railway/Pipeline Investigations Branch since 2008. During his time at the TSB he has been a key investigator in a number of investigations in Western Canada.

  Prior to joining the TSB, Mr. Carmichael held various mechanical positions with four separate railroads. At BCR from 1980 to 2004, Mr. Carmichael gained considerable experience in the mechanical field; he worked as a carman and progressed into a management role as General Supervisor in the Car Department. Over the next 4 years Mr. Carmichael worked for CN Rail and CP Rail as a Mechanical Supervisor. He was also Regional Manager for Mechanical with OmniTRAX's Carlton Trail, Hudson Bay and Okanagan Valley Railroads. He holds certifications as a Hazmat Technician and Tank Car Specialist and was a member of British Columbia Railway's (BCR) Emergency Response Team. Mr. Carmichael lives in Calgary, Alberta.

• Daoxing Chen

  Image

  

  Dr. Daoxing Chen, Senior Engineer Specialist, Rail Dynamics, at the TSB Engineering Laboratory in Ottawa, has been with the TSB since 2000. He previously worked at the National Research Council of Canada, the Transportation Technical Center of the Association of American Railroads, and the China Academy of Railway Sciences. He has conducted locomotive event recorder data analysis, train dynamics, vehicle/track dynamics simulation and brake testing for 70 TSB rail investigations. He has published 110 research and engineering reports and academic papers.

• John Cottreau

  Image

  

  Mr. Cottreau has been a communicator in the federal government for 23 years, and has been media relations advisor and spokesperson for a number of government departments. He is now manager of media relations at the TSB, where he has worked for 12 years.

• Rox-Anne D'Aoust

  Image

  

  Ms. D'Aoust is Manager, Strategic Communications, at the TSB. She has worked in communications in the public and private sectors for over 25 years, and is experienced in marketing, media relations, issues management and strategic communications.

• Sylvie Dionne

  Sylvie has worked for the TSB Engineering Laboratory since 2006, and currently holds the position of Manager, Materials Analysis and Structures. She has completed over 100 metallurgical examinations in support of TSB investigations since joining TSB. Sylvie holds Bachelor of Applied Science (Metallurgical Engineering, 1985), Master of Applied Science (Metallurgy, 1988) and doctoral (Metallurgy, 1999) degrees from Université Laval in Québec. Before joining the TSB, she had 18 years of experience as a research scientist at Natural Resources Canada where she conducted research projects dealing with the characterization of advanced materials.

• Derek Gagné

  Image

  

  Mr. Derek Gagné has been with the TSB since 2003. He holds the position of Electrical-Mechanical Systems Engineer at the TSB Engineering Laboratory in Ottawa, Ontario. He has participated on 180 engineering projects, 20 of which were in the rail mode of transportation. Mr. Gagné holds a Bachelor of Science/Electrical Engineering with a specialty in Radio Frequency Design and Communications.

• Tony Gasbarro

  Image

  

  Mr. Tony Gasbarro has been with the TSB since its inception in 1990, having previously worked for the TSB's predecessor, the Canadian Aviation Safety Board. He has participated on 93 engineering projects, 19 of which were in the rail mode of transportation. Mr. Gasbarro holds a Science Technician (Photographic) diploma.

• Val Guertsman

  Image

  

  Val Guertsman has been with theTSB Engineering Laboratory since 2008 and currently holds the position of Senior Engineering Specialist – Materials/Physical Sciences. He has over 30 years' experience with several research establishments and educational institutions. Immediately prior to joining the TSB, Val worked for six years at the Materials Technology Laboratory of Natural Resources Canada.

• Peter Hickli

  Image

  

  Peter Hickli has been with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) since 2006. He holds the position of Senior Regional Investigator Rail/Pipeline in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has been Investigator-In-Charge of several rail accident investigations, and has provided technical expertise on several other investigations as an investigation team member.

  Before joining the TSB, Mr. Hickli worked for BC Rail/CN for 30 years, during which time he served a 4-year carman apprenticeship, and worked extensively in the Mechanical Department in unionized and management positions. A hazardous materials technician and advanced tank car specialist, he was also a member of the Derailment investigation team and the Hazmat team.

• Xin-Xiang Jiang

  Image

  

  Dr. Xin-Xiang Jiang, Senior Engineer Specialist, Structures, has been involved in several transportation occurrence investigations since joining the TSB Engineering Laboratory in March 2013. He holds a Ph.D. in Materials Engineering from the University of Leeds as well as M. Eng. and B. Eng. degrees in Materials Engineering from South China University of Technology. Before joining the TSB, he worked 15 years as a senior scientist at the Canadian Space Agency, where he was involved in several Canadian space programs, covering technical aspects of design, prototyping, stress analysis and testing of structures, mechanisms and materials. He holds three patents, and has published 60 papers, 17 of them in internationally refereed journals.

• Rob Johnston

  Image

  

  Mr. Johnston has been with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) since 2001. He was Senior Regional Investigator in Winnipeg until 2004, when he assumed the position of Senior Investigator, Standards and Training Officer at TSB Head Office in Gatineau, Quebec. He became Manager of Central Regional Operations in November 2009, and served as Acting Director of Investigations - Rail/Pipeline for 9 months in 2010– 2011. He now manages a staff of 6 rail/pipeline investigators in Winnipeg, Toronto, and Ottawa, and is responsible for all activities related to rail investigations in TSB's Central Region, which extends from Cornwall, Ontario, to near the Alberta–Saskatchewan border. During his time at the TSB, Mr. Johnston has been Investigator-in-Charge of 20 rail accident investigations, and has provided technical expertise on a number of other investigations. Before joining the TSB, Mr. Johnston worked for Canadian Pacific Railway in Winnipeg from 1984 until 2001, where, as a member of the Train Accident Prevention group, he acquired an extensive background in mechanical operations, failure analysis, and dangerous goods.

• Manuel Kotchounian

  Image

  

  Before joining the TSB in 2011, Mr. Kotchounian worked nearly 10 years at Transport Canada, where he held various positions including remedial measures specialist and means of containment specialist. Prior to that, Mr. Kotchounian also worked at the National Energy Board as a senior pipeline engineer, where he provided technical expertise in public hearings, inquiries, and investigations related to pipelines and public safety matters. Throughout his career, Mr. Kotchounian has acquired extensive experience in regulatory affairs and technical matters pertaining to pipelines, pressure vessels, tank cars, and dangerous goods. Mr. Kotchounian holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Applied Sciences from l'École Polytechnique de Montréal, and is a registered professional engineer in Ontario.

• Louis Landriault

  Image

  

  Mr. Landriault, Senior Engineering Technologist, joined the TSB in 1990, having worked in both the Canadian Aviation Safety Board (1984–1990) and the Aviation Safety Bureau (1983–1984). With over 30 years of experience in accident investigation, he has worked on countless major rail, air and marine occurrences.

• Claude Lelièvre

  Image

  

  Mr. Lelièvre, Senior Engineer, Materials, at the TSB Laboratory in Ottawa, has been with the TSB since 2009. He previously worked at the Department of National Defense for 19 years. He is an avid outdoorsman and loves fishing.

• Nathalie Lepage

  Image

  

  Nathalie Lepage has been with the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) for over 20 years. She was appointed to her current position in 2011. Ms. Lepage is a certified train conductor and brings on board extensive experience in TSB investigation processes and communications. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from the University of Ottawa in 1992.

• Julie Leroux

  Image

  

  A member of the TSB media relations team since 2007, Ms. Leroux has organized countless press events and also worked on-site at several investigations. She has a bachelor's degree in Communications and a diploma in marketing.

• Ken Miller

  Image

  

  Mr. Miller joined the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) in 2002 and has been a senior investigator with the Rail and Pipeline Investigations Branch since 2004. During that time he has participated in over 40 investigations while also performing the duties of standards and performance specialist.

  Before joining the TSB, Mr. Miller worked for consulting companies in the resource sector providing geological expertise. In this capacity, he was responsible for the development, management and successful completion of exploration projects.

  Mr. Miller's education credentials include a Bachelor of Science degree in Geological Sciences from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Toronto, Ontario.

• Joel Morley

  Image

  

  Joel Morley is a Senior Human Performance Analyst at the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, a role he filled from 2001 to 2007 and returned to in 2012. While at the TSB, Joel has participated in numerous investigations in the air, rail and marine modes and trained a large number of investigators in the theory and practice of investigating for human performance factors. In addition to the TSB, Joel has experience applying safety management and human factors for a large air navigation service provider and has worked as a researcher and consultant. Joel holds a PhD in Applied Psychology from Cranfield University.

• Jean Nadeau

  Image

  

  Mr. Nadeau has been with the TSB since 2008. He holds the position of Senior Human Factors Investigator in TSB Head Office in Gatineau, Quebec. Since his arrival at the TSB, he has been the lead Human Factors investigator for 23 investigations, of which 13 were of rail accidents. Before joining the TSB, Mr. Nadeau worked for 6 years as a senior consultant in Human Factors following a 22-year career in the Canadian Armed Forces.

• Ted Parisee

  Image

  

  Mr. Ted Parisee has been with the TSB since 2000. He holds the position of Senior System Technologist—Geospatial at the TSB Engineering Laboratory in Ottawa, Ontario. He has participated in 79 engineering projects; 16 of them were in the rail mode of transportation. Mr. Parisee holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Science with background in electrical engineering. He has provided geospatial analysis and 3D computer-aided design (CAD) reconstruction and animations to numerous TSB investigations.

• Ian Perkins

  Image

  

  Mr. Perkins worked with Canadian Pacific Railways for 10 years as conductor and engineer. More recently, he was involved in training and recertifying of locomotive engineers and conductors. He recently joined the TSB as Investigator in the Quebec Region.

• Glen Pilon

  Image

  

  Mr. Pilon has been with the TSB since 2008 as Technical Coordinator and investigator at the TSB Head Office in Gatineau, Quebec. He has been the Investigator-in-Charge on 3 rail accident investigations and and had acted as train operations expert on many others. Mr. Pilon worked for the Ottawa Valley Railway (OVR) from 1996 until 2008 as locomotive engineer and safety officer and with the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) from 1987 until 1996 in operations as trainman and conductor.

• Jacqueline Roy

  Image

  

  Jacqueline Roy joined the Transportation Safety Board of Canada in September 2011 as the Director of Communications. Ms. Roy has held several senior communications positions during her 22-year federal public service career in departments such as the Privy Council Office, Transport Canada, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, Public Safety Canada, and Environment Canada. Ms. Roy has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from McGill University and has a diploma in Public Relations and Communications Management from McGill University.

• Jon Stuart

  Image

  

  A human factors specialist for over 20 years, Dr. Stuart has published in the fields of Artificial Intelligence, Sports Science, Industrial Psychology and Systems Safety. Since obtaining his doctorate in applied psychology from Loughborough University in England, he has worked in the roles of systems designer, customer researcher, and accident investigator.

  After building Nortel's approach to incorporating human factors into accident investigation, he joined Transport Canada's Civil Aviation, where he developed the System Safety Branch's methodology for collating safety information. In 2003, he joined the TSB as a Senior Human Performance Analyst. He has participated in air, marine and rail investigations, including the 2012 derailment of a VIA Rail passenger train in Burlington, Ontario.

• Mark Wallis

  Image

  

  Mr. Mark Wallis has been with the TSB since 1990. He holds the position of Senior Engineering Specialist—Mechanical at the TSB Engineering Laboratory in Ottawa, Ontario. He has participated on 163 engineering projects; 58 of them were in the rail mode of transportation. Mr. Wallis holds a bachelor's degree in Science/Mechanical Engineering and is a licensed professional engineer.