To: Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency 55 St. Clair Avenue East, Suite 907 Toronto ON, M4T 1M2 Fax: 416-952-1573 From: Adolfo Aranda and Ludmila Aranda << personal information removed >> Emails: << personal information removed >> << personal information removed >> Telephone: << personal information removed >> Ref: Milton Logistics Hub Project Our concerns regarding what aspects of the environment may be affected by this project and what should be examined during the environmental assessment: We do not support the establishment of this project in this location. It is so close to The Greenbelt which is a permanently protected area of green space, farmland, forests, wetlands, and watersheds. The Greenbelt is part of the protected countryside of The Niagara Escarpment. There are not many such naturally beautiful places like Milton Mountain and Mount Nemo around the GTA. Why we have to add this ugly mammoth yard of rail tracks at the bottom of Mount Nemo? So much train and truck pollution will be added. The 401 highway is narrow and absolutely incapable of supporting the extra trucks to be added between Milton and Toronto. CN has been the victim of several scary derailments which scares many people off. Immense thanks for taking our concerns into consideration. Adolfo and Ludmila Aranda, Milton, ON June 19, 2015 [email protected] To Whom it May Concern, Re: Milton CN Intermodal I am currently living in Mississauga while my brand new First Home is being built. Exciting right? I was very excited when I initially bought my brand new town home by myself, proud of my independence and excited that I would be in an area of Milton that I truly loved. I enjoy driving down Britannia Road daily to my job, as a teacher in Halton, and passing by farms, cows, horses, old barns and seeing the escarpment in the distance. I was especially excited when I met with my lawyer and he told me the other side of Britannia was considered green space that could not be built on, perfect! A view of trees from my balcony. However, my excitement quickly faded to anger and outrage and I questioned why I bought my house. Why? Because of the news of CN building an Intermodal just down the street from my not yet built, brand new home. As a first time homebuyer, I’m sure you can imagine my frustration and sadness knowing that I’d now be surrounded by ugly noise pollution, air pollution, lights from the Intermodal on 24/7, and the sight, sounds and danger of 1200+ transport trucks passing by my house on the daily. I could not believe CN could allow this to be built in such an agricultural area and SO close to residential houses!! As an Educator, I know and understand how important CN Rail is to our Country and Economy. However, as an Educator I DO NOT understand how CN can think this location is okay. Literally being placed next to people’s houses and farms who have lived there for years, and being placed across the street from current and future residential is disgusting. To think of all of the families who will be outside playing breathing in the freshly polluted air, listening to the noise and dangers of transport trucks traveling through roads that are in NO WAY ready for the surplus of truck traffic that will be using them (ie. Britannia Rd. Bronte Rd., Tremaine) and the view I will have from my balcony of the Intermodal ‘light show’ day and night is so saddening. I write this to you to please hear my concerns; there is better land in Milton further away from the Escarpment, residential houses, schools, and farmland. The CN Intermodal MUST be moved to a different location, closer to the 401, in an industrial area where trucks can enter quickly without traveling on small one lane roads such as Britannia, Bronte, and Tremaine. What are my exact concerns? • Traffic increase: 1500+ additional trucks daily to START! • Water Pollution & Contamination • Health Impacts • Traffic Safety, how will our streets be safe with all of those trucks on them 24/7?! • Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year • Safety concerns. CN says they are building bike trails. Who will want to ride these trails in the midst of all of the transport trucks? • Incompatible to current and future land zoning • Increase in train length • Delays at rail crossings • Road deterioration • Increase in taxes to support the additional cost for infrastructure development and repairs required due to intermodal terminal traffic • Health and safety implications due to unknown content of intermodal containers stored at yard and passing through • Noise, Light and Air Pollution so close to residential houses, farms, schools and the escarpment • Trucks idling at the yard or on the roads with diesel emissions: a Class One Carcinogen, known to increase cancer risks • The disturbance of noise to the residents of Milton will be detrimental to our health, peace and enjoyment of our homes and park areas. The Proposed CN Milton Logistic Hub Project is to be placed alongside thousands of new homes in Milton. This site will affect thousands of residents directly. • The disturbance of very bright lighting will be detrimental to the residents of Milton health. Light at night is known to affect sleep patterns of residents living near a highly lighted yard. The Proposed CN Milton Logistic Hub Project is to be placed alongside thousands of new homes in Milton. This site will affect thousands of residents directly. • The disturbance of very bright lighting will be very evident to the many varieties of birds that nest and stop on their migrations north and south at the pond just east of Tremaine Road. It is known that bright night light changes the breeding calls of birds in the area. CN has reported a Species at Risk on the Proposed Site. Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna) and Barn Swallow. • According to Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting, Frogs have been found to inhibit their mating calls when they are exposed to excessive light at night, reducing their reproductive capacity. • According to Ecological Consequences of Artificial Night Lighting, the feeding behavior of bats also is altered by artificial light. Researchers have blamed light pollution for declines in populations of North American moths, almost all small rodents and carnivores. “We just now understand the nocturnality of many creatures,” says Chad Moore, Night Sky Program manager with the National Park Service. “Not protecting the night will destroy the habitat of many animals.” • Spawning fish, which swim from Indian Creek, across the creek under Tremaine Road, through the pond, then by stream across the proposed CN Terminal Site and continue across under First Line will be affected by CN’s plans to change the creek or completely cover the creek. This is unacceptable. • Water based life forms living along Indian Creek will be affected by CN’s plans to change the creek or completely cover the creek. This is unacceptable. • Emergency Preparedness: increase for safety times for emergency responders • Proximity to residential development: noise, lights, vibrations, safety concerns and air pollution • Increased traffic volume makes local roads less safe for everyone. These roads are already quite busy during rush hour full of cars with families. • View from the escarpment will change forever • Increased commuting time • Diminished quality of life • Possible loss of tourism in Milton • Decrease in property values. As a First Time Home Buyer this is extremely discouraging. • Preliminary construction of a 400 acre Intermodal Rail Terminal with potential for growth to ?.. I truly hope you take into consideration what the town of Milton is saying as one voice. Please, DO NOT allow this Intermodal to be built in this Residential and Agricultural location. Sincerely, Alessandra Travali From: Alison Griffiths To: Logistics Hub / Pole Logistique (CEAA/ACEE) Subject: comment on CN"s Milton"s intermodal proposal Date: May 28, 2015 1:13:26 PM To Whom It May Concern: While intermodal hubs are essential aspects of railway operations in Canada, I believe it is vital to locate them properly to avoid negative impact on the environment and nearby housing and schools. I am familiar with switching yards and logistics hubs across the country and all those I have viewed are largely located in industrial areas. Those that are not were pre-existing in some form and housing\park projects arrived later. The plans for the development of south Milton have been in place for years. While train tracks do bisect the planned development the noise will be mitigated by fencing, landscaping etc. However, the impact of the 400 acre intermodal terminal cannot be mitigated in any way to avoid affecting hundreds of homes, nearby schools and, equally important, the views and recreational pleasure from the surrounding escarpment lands. Noise, light and air pollution will be constant. Additionally, the sensitive Carolina forest lands adjacent to the terminal will be ruined. Nothing CN says will change this. If you examine CN's corporate culture of cost cutting in order to boost profits and shareholder value it is very clear that once the hub is constructed CN's promises to mitigate, clean and calm will wither. I am a CN shareholder and have vigorously demanded that CN develop far better good corporate citizenship. I also do not believe that there are no other appropriate lands for this development. When CN's plan was to develop an over 1,000 acre parcel for an intermodal facility in 2000, it was probably true that the railway did not own a parcel of that size near or in industrial lands.