CN to continue with controversial facility in Milton
Published May 14, 2024 at 2:45 pm
A decision by the Federal Court of Appeals to allow CN to continue construction on its intermodal facility in Milton has left a local councillor fuming.
Sameera Ali the Ward 4 regional councillor, expressed her dismay with the decision in an exclusive interview with Insauga.com.
“I am very strongly against this decision,” said Ali, who said the federal Liberal government continues to support this project that is vehemently opposed by nearby residents.
“If you’re a party that supports the environment, I don’t understand how you can be in favour of this. It’s clear this government has zero care for the health concerns cited by the first court.”
The fight between CN and local municipalities has been going on for nearly a decade. Just a couple of months ago, a lower court found that the government hadn’t done a proper environmental assessment of the project, citing serious potential health concerns in a report, and put the project on hold.
The Federal Court of Appeals, however, stayed a portion of the decision and will allow CN to continue site construction.
Despite the latest setback in court, Ali said no one is ready to give up the fight.
“I don’t feel it’s a lost cause,” she said. “I see an organization that’s desperate to keep the project alive, one in which they’ve invested a lot of money.”
Ali said this has been poorly thought out from the beginning. “They don’t have permission to block our local roads, but they keep doing it. They should have planned better.”
No one doubts this facility is needed, But Ali said it simply doesn’t belong on land zoned residential, close to the local hospital and numerous schools in a fast-growing area of Milton.
“I’ve heard Hamilton actually wanted it. They had a location, zoned properly, but CN chose to come to Milton. I don’t know why. No one wants loud trucks driving up and down residential streets all day long.”
She cited emissions, noise, vibrations, and seepage of any spills as serious health concerns.
As for the next step?
“I have no idea what the timelines are. But we’ll keep fighting this and a day will come when local residents will be able to breathe easy.”
