Last week, the Review Panel for the Milton Logistics Hub released their final report and summary.
In it, it lists a variety of issues that Milton residents and delegates have been arguing for the community to not receive the CN Intermodal Hub.
The Panel wrote in the report that most of the adverse environmental effects identified by the Panel as significant are likely to occur whether or not the Project proceeds because the lands have been designated for future development.
Environmental concerns, including air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, noise, and more were all addressed.
However, the Panel has concluded that the Project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects on air quality and on human health as it relates to air quality, and significant adverse cumulative environment effects on air quality, human health, wildlife habitat, and the availability of agricultural land.
The Panel emphasizes that in each case, direct Project effects are relatively small but would be added to an environment where air quality, wildlife habitat and the available agricultural land have already been affected by development, and would continue to be affected by a substantial amount of planned future development in the region
Chair for the Region of Halton, Gary Carr, says it’s now up to the federal government.
Milton’s federal government representative, Adam van Koeverden, says it’s time to get to work.
Adding that he’ll be in touch with Canada’s Minister of the Environment, Jonathan Wilkinson, as well as CN Rail themselves.
Milton Mayor Gordon Krantz wants to know why CN isn’t more focused on Woodstock as a likely option, calling them a willing host.
We reached out to CN Rail for a comment on the report. They say they are committed to addressing the concerns that were brought up by the Review Panel.
“On January 27, Joint Review Panel for the Milton Logistics Hub Project submitted its Environmental Assessment Report to the federal Minister of the Environment. CN is pleased with the findings of the report, and remains committed to addressing the observations and recommendations made by the Joint Review Panel.
“The Report importantly recognizes that direct Project effects are relatively small, and that the effects need to be understood in the context of the rapidly urbanizing and developing area of Milton which has already been and continues to be affected by past development and planned regional growth. CN would like to thank the Joint Review Panel and the participants for their work and submissions, and will continue to engage with and consider the input of communities, stakeholders, and all levels of government in the next stages of this process.”
To read the summary you can click here, and the full report is here.
