A group of town councillors is urging residents to mobilize their efforts to stop CN from building an intermodal terminal in rural Milton.
On Tuesday night, an estimated 300 residents gathered at the Milton Lions Club Hall for a meeting hosted by Ward 1 Councillor Robert Duvall, Ward 7 Councillor Rick DiLorenzo and Ward 8 Councillor Zeeshan Hamid. The intent of the meeting was to keep residents up-to-date on CN Railway’s plans to build a 400-acre intermodal terminal bordered by Tremaine Road to the west, Britannia Road to the north and Lower Base Line to the south.
The politicians highlighted the power CN has through the Railway Act 1887 — which allows the company to supersede provincial and municipal legislation — but said the one thing it’s not exempt from is public opinion.
“Public perception means a lot. When their (CN) reputation turns sour, it impacts them. They were stopped in 2008 and I believe with the voice of Milton, we can do that again,” said Duvall to the crowd.
The day CN announced its plans to build the terminal in Milton, it also made a $500,000 donation to Wilfrid Laurier University.
“They care about public perception, so we have to make sure they hear from us,” said DiLorenzo at the meeting.
CN wasn’t invited to attend, the councillors said, and it’s unknown if there were any representatives from the company in the audience.
Rita Post, president of Residents Affected by Intermodal Terminals (RAIL), and Stacey Newman, who heads a group called Milton Says No, were called before the crowd to encourage Miltonians to make their voices heard. They suggested signing petitions, writing or calling Minister of Transport and Halton MP Lisa Raitt, visiting CN’s information centre on James Snow Parkway, registering for a yard sign or contacting the Canadian Transportation Agency to lodge a complaint.
Newman said no matter what method is used, the bottom line is to “act properly, professionally, respectively and effectively.”
Duvall made it clear to the audience that councillors aren’t against future development in the area, nor are they against CN. They are against the location and the process.
“It is not conducive to what we are trying to make Milton become,” he said, adding the area is surrounded by residential properties, a development slated to house 50,000 more residents (Boyne Survey) and the Milton Education Village.
Mark Hallman, CN’s director of communications and public affairs, told the Champion in an email Wednesday morning, “CN believes its Milton intermodal and logistics hub project is consistent with Halton Region’s long range economic development.”
Duvall told the audience he wanted CN to consider areas north of Hwy. 401, where he believes an industrial development of this magnitude would make more sense.
In the email, Hallman wrote that the company commissioned a study to examine GTHA site options for the terminal. He indicated a minimum area of 400 acres of flat greenfield land along CN’s main line near existing highways was essential.
“CN examined sites in Clarington, Aurora, Brampton north, Halton Hills, as well as expanding its Brampton Intermodal Terminal; none were feasible.
“CN’s Milton property of 1,000 acres is flat, greenfield and close to markets and highway infrastructure. Because of this, Milton is CN’s only viable option for the new hub.”
Local and Regional Councillor Colin Best said at the meeting that he’s worried about how increased truck traffic would affect road infrastructure in the proposed location.
According to CN’s estimates, the Milton terminal would see roughly 1,500 trucks a day at a facility operating 24/7.
Hamid told the crowd he’s concerned CN doesn’t plan to file an application to the Town or Region for an Official Plan amendment.
In previous interviews with Sean Finn, CN’s executive vice-president of corporate services and chief legal officer, he stated CN has been in talks with the Town and Region for the past year and since the terminal will create jobs, any change to the Town or Region’s Official Plan is unnecessary, as it complies with zoning for strategic employment.
But it’s not just about applications, zoning and legislation, Duvall commented at the meeting. He said he fears Milton will no longer be able to balance residential growth with employment opportunity. For every two residents, there should be one job, according to the Town’s Official Plan. CN has promised 1,000 direct and indirect jobs for the 1,000 acres of land it owns. That’s one job per acre. Duvall compared this with a Canadian Tire store, operating on half-an-acre of land and employing 60 people.
“This is the situation we’re being dealt here and the word ‘indirect’ worries me a lot,” he said to the crowd.
The intermodal facility will only employ 100 people directly, while the indirect jobs include truck drivers, crane operators and construction workers.
“A lot of these jobs are being driven right out of Milton,” added Duvall.
An information package will be presented at the next council meeting Monday.
In the meantime, Hamid, DiLorenzo and Duvall have promised to keep residents posted, provide up-to-date information on their websites and work diligently to make sure this terminal isn’t constructed in the proposed location.
CN has stated during presentations, emails and interviews that it’s committed to mitigating any adverse impacts of the project and is looking forward to engaging with Halton, Milton and their residents to find constructive solutions to any concerns.
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