CN Rail hub project in Milton to proceed after Supreme Court dismisses appeal request

The Supreme Court of Canada has dismissed an appeal request to halt the construction of a rail-and-truck hub in the Greater Toronto Area.

The justices gave no reasons for their decision, as is typical when parties ask permission to appeal to the top court.

The quarter-of-a-billion dollar project aims to build a rail hub in Milton for containers to be transferred between trucks and trains, and to double the Canadian National Railway Co.’s already existing line of tracks in the town.

The project was approved by the federal government in 2021, to be built in south Milton near Britannia and Tremaine roads.

CN Rail said the new transportation hub will meet the growing demand for the transportation of household goods across the GTHA.

Construction is well under way on the Milton Logistics hub, with phase 3 expected to finish in late 2026.

Milton advocacy group unsurprised by decision

A statement from the “Milton Says No” advocacy group says that they are disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision, but they are also not surprised.

“The Supreme Court grants leave to appeal in only about 5 to 10 per cent of cases,” reads the statement. “We always knew this was a long shot.”

The advocacy group says the hub project would cause significant harm to public health as local communities would be exposed to diesel emissions and particulate matter coming from trucks going in and out of the facility.

A three-judge panel unanimously found last October that a decision by the federal government to allow CN Rail to build the terminal was reasonable despite “significant adverse environmental effects.”

The group says the responsibility now rests with Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet to stop the project.

“We are not walking away, we have fought this for 11 years,” reads the “Milton Says No” statement. “We have delayed this project, we have forced national attention and pushed for mitigations that would not have existed without relentless community pressure.”

“Milton Says No” is calling on the newly elected MPs, Carney and his cabinet to repeal the approval.

“This is about public health, planning, and justice for all Canadian communities,” reads the statement.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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