Letter from Regional Chair Gary Carr
Good afternoon,
I am extremely disappointed to share that on January 21, 2021, the Federal Government ignored the significant harm to the health and safety of Halton residents by approving CN’s proposed truck-rail hub in Milton. This is the first time in Canadian history that a Federal Review Panel has determined that a project will have significant adverse effects on human health. It is an unenviable distinction for this Federal Government that it is the first Cabinet that has ever approved a project that would harm human health in ways that cannot be mitigated.
Since this project was proposed by CN, we have been clear about our concerns for the Halton community. The location for the project is within one kilometer of approximately 34,000 current and future residents, one hospital, twelve schools and two long-term care homes, and the facility will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week—resulting in at least 1,600 new trips to and from the facility each day by heavy-duty container trucks.
The significant health effects that will be caused by this project are unavoidable. This includes the release of particulate matter (PM2.5) that is unsafe at any level of exposure and will significantly increase adverse effects on human health in the community. The Federal Review Panel also concluded that more than 200 mitigation conditions were required to avoid other significant adverse effects from this project, but only a handful of them are enforceable by the Federal Government.
There are also many unanswered questions about what CN plans to do with the remaining 800 acres after it builds its new 400-acre facility. The Halton Municipalities will review Cabinet’s decision and will continue to work with the community and be their voice on this issue.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the consultation process and provided their input for the government’s consideration by signing petitions, attending town hall meetings, making phone calls and writing letters to local MPPs and MPs. I’d also like to thank all of Halton’s Members of Parliament and Members of Provincial Parliament for their support and sharing our common concerns with this project, particularly Milton MP Adam van Koeverden, whose involvement has been imperative throughout this process. This truly has been a non-partisan effort that has united our community.
Moving forward, we will continue our efforts to protect our communities’ interests to keep Halton a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire. To learn more about the harm to human health from this project, please visit halton.ca/CN.
Sincerely,
Gary Carr
Halton Regional Chair