Milton advocates appeal to PM to stand up against railway hub development

People in Milton are putting their hopes in Canada’s new prime minister to stand up to the Canadian National Railway (CNR) to stop a new intermodal hub.

Gordon Krantz, the mayor of the Town of Milton, says that this has become a “David and Goliath battle,” with the people in Milton representing the little guys.

He and others are hoping the federal government will take their side now that Carney is in charge.

In a dispute that’s been going on for more than a decade, the CNR is moving ahead with plans for what is called a rail intermodal hub to connect trucks and trains in Milton.

The railway has already closed off roads for the development, despite a sign from Milton reading, “This closure is NOT authorized by the Town of Milton.”

“I’m going to be very cautious on my words,” said Krantz. “They’re doing what they want to do without any approvals from the Town of Milton, Region of Halton. At least in my opinion they’re even violating some of the provincial rules and regulations that we have to live by, they’re just totally ignoring them.”

The railway is carrying out a massive project to let tractor trailers pick up containers from freight trains and drive the containers along local roads.

The Supreme Court of Canada has now refused to hear an appeal to stop the project.

Halton Region says it could see more than 60 trucks an hour, 24 hours a day.

“We’re afraid of the air pollution,” said Stacey Newman, a member of the advocacy group “Milton Says No.” “We’re afraid of the fact that this facility is located immediately across from neighbourhoods that will have noise pollution. This is a major watershed area, so there are myriad environmental concerns as well.”

Opponents of the project are particularly worried about pollution from the diesel exhaust reaching residential areas.

“Transport trucks in general, they release particulate matter – fine particulate matter 2.5, they release all sorts of chemicals that are known carcinogens,” said Newman.

Canadian National Railway provided a CHCH News a statement saying the hub “is crucial in supporting Canada’s busiest and fastest growing region.”

Although the Supreme Court’s decision this week ended the legal battle, opponents say the fight isn’t over.

“I do know the end result – the final decision,” said Sameera Ali, a Milton town councillor. “The buck stops with the prime minister and the minister, so with a stroke of a pen they can take all of this CN intermodal mess away from Milton, and put it in a place where it belongs, or in a place or a community that wants it.”

“We’re something to be reckoned with, and we’re not backing off from this and neither is the Region of Halton,” said Krantz.

The mayor says they’re hoping the new prime minister will reverse the approval given by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and they’re going to keep fighting.

“There’s that old biblical thing of David and Goliath, and I know who won that battle,” said Krantz.

For its part, CNR says the construction should be completed in about two years, and it says it’s working under 325 conditions imposed by an environmental review to protect the environment and the community.

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