Canada establishes environmental review panel for CN’s Milton Logistics Hub project

Written by Kyra Senese, Managing Editor
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CN’s Milton Logistics Hub project map
CN

Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna and Dr. Scott Streiner, chair of the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), announced this week that a three-member review panel has been formed to review the proposed Milton Logistics Hub Project in Ontario.  

 

The Canadian National Railway Company (CN) has proposed the construction and operation of the hub to facilitate the transfer of containers between trucks and railcars. The project would bring about a railway yard with more than 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of track in Milton, Ontario. 

Minister McKenna has selected Lesley Griffiths to chair the review panel, and Dr. Isobel Heathcote and William McMurray will serve as panel members. McMurray is a member of the CTA and has been tasked with deciding whether the proposed rail construction should be approved under section 98 of the Canada Transportation Act.

The Agreement to Establish a Joint Process for the Review of the Milton Logistics Hub Project, signed by Minister McKenna and Dr. Streiner, outlines the review panel’s mandate and authority and sets forth the procedures and timelines expected in the review process.

The agreement states that the panel will assess the project’s environmental impacts, consider Aboriginal tradition, note public feedback and mitigation methods; analyze any possible adverse effects of the project and identify any relevant follow-up programs to be carried out.

The scope of the review will also call for information to be gathered to assist the CTA in assessing the reasonability of the new railway lines’ the location, acknowledging the requirements for the railway operations and the surrounding environments that could be affected by the lines.

CN says the new logistics hub would include raised earthen berms home to native Ontario vegetation and trees to minimize issues due to noise.

Representatives say the potential addition of the hub is seen as an opportunity for Milton to play a key role in the transport of goods locally and globally.

CN expects that bringing the Milton Logistics Hub to fruition would invest $250 million into the local community and create at least 1,000 jobs in the area. The company also projects effects such as the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as a result of moving additional goods by train.

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