From Halton Region today.
Halton Region Council met on February 17, 2021 to discuss the Federal Government’s decision to approve CN’s proposed truck-rail hub in Milton. We are extremely disappointed that the Federal Government has ignored its obligation to protect the health of Canadians, especially at a time when health is our collective focus. We are going to court to fight federal approval of the CN truck-rail hub in Milton.
Halton Regional Council has reviewed its legal options and unanimously supported going to the Federal Court of Canada to review decisions by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Cabinet to approve the federal assessment. The Federal Government has ignored the expertise of a panel it appointed, which has said that this project will cause significant harm to the health of Halton residents that cannot be mitigated.
We understand how important this effort is to our communities, and our goal is to ensure that the Federal Government follows its own laws that insist on protection of human health. We cannot see any justification for this Project to be approved when its emission of toxic substances makes it the first project ever subject to a federal panel review that was found likely to cause significant adverse effects on human health.
This project will harm the health of more than 34,000 people who will reside within 1 km of the project. We will continue to work with the community and be their voice on this issue. Our communities have unequivocally opposed this project on the grounds of protecting human health.
We encourage residents to contact their MP and the Minister of Environment and Climate Change to let the Federal Government know your concerns about their decision to approve the CN truck-rail hub in Milton, despite the significant impacts it will have on the health of Halton residents.
To learn more about our position on CN’s truck-rail hub, please visit halton.ca/CN.