Halton municipalities appeal Ontario court decision on proposed CN truck-rail hub in Milton

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Published September 13, 2022 at 10:22 am

Halton Municipalities and Conservation Halton have both appealed the decision of the Ontario court about CN’s proposed truck-rail hub in Milton.

The Court rejected CN’s claim that as a federally regulated rail project, it was exempt from all provincial and local laws designed to protect people and the environment from harmful impacts that would be caused by the facility.

The Court decision did however leave it to the Halton Municipalities and Conservation Halton to take the steps to enforce the over 65 local and provincial laws that apply to this proposed hub.

Back in August, while a provincial court decision gave additional power to Halton municipalities and Conservation Halton to fight the proposed hub in Milton, the Ontario Superior Court didn’t grant Halton’s request for an immediate injunction.

This left the door open for the local entities to continue enforcing their laws in the public interest.

The Halton Municipalities and Conservation Halton are bringing this appeal forward as they strongly disagree with this decision.

The appeal being brought forward seeks to correct key errors, which include mistakes about the province’s land use planning system that should concern all municipalities and Ontario.

The Halton Municipalities are also continuing litigation in the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal in order to challenge decisions by the Federal Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, the Canadian Transportation Agency and the Cabinet to approve federal aspects of the CN Project.

These cases challenge federal approval of CN going forward with the truck-rail hub in Milton based on findings that it will cause significant harm to air quality and human health.

To view the Ontario Court’s decision and learn more about the Halton Municipalities’ position on the project, click here.

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