Halton municipalities urge feds to refuse approval of CN truck-rail hub in Milton

Published August 12, 2020 at 11:35 am

Halton municipalities have banded together to urge the Federal Government to refuse the approval of CN’s proposed truck-rail hub in Milton.

Halton municipalities have banded together to urge the Federal Government to refuse the approval of CN’s proposed truck-rail hub in Milton.

A final decision is expected from the Minister of Environment and Climate Change by Sept. 23.

According to an official statement by the Region, the truck-rail hub site is adjacent to a “thriving residential community in Milton and if it proceeds, it would result in 1,600 truck trips daily on local roads”.

On Jan. 27, the Federal Review Panel released its report on the CN proposal. It concluded that the proposed truck-rail hub is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects on air quality and human health.

“If the Federal Government approves this project, they are sending a message that the health and safety of Halton residents is worth risking,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr.

“This project should not go forward given the findings of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment. We are concerned that this is only the start—CN has not disclosed their plans for the other 800 acres they own in Milton and any future expansion would increase the effects on health, traffic, safety and the environment. ”

The Panel identified six potentially significant adverse effects on human and environmental health as well as a risk for at least 16 additional potentially adverse effects, including the impact of noise on residential communities.

The Panel then recommended 200 mitigation measures to avoid significant adverse effects, but the region believes the Federal Government “cannot enforce the majority of them”.

“It just doesn’t make sense that a site of this scale, operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, should be built within one kilometer of 34,000 current and future residents, 12 schools, two long-term care homes and one hospital in Milton,” said Milton Mayor Gord Krantz.

“We need our community to speak out on this so the Federal Government knows we do not want this truck-rail hub in the proposed location.”

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