February 1, 2024

Meeting Summary

Welcome and Introductions

• T. Flynn commenced the meeting at 7:01 p.m.

• Committee Introductions included a welcome to new members of the Committee Marsh Smith, Halton Environmental Network (HEN) and France Moreau, CN, followed by general introductions of each of the Committee members for the new participants.

• L. Patterson noted that F. Moreau will be replacing her on the Committee.

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Land Acknowledgment

• M. Smith provided a Land Acknowledgement.

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Safety Moment

• In keeping with CN’s meeting protocol to commence with the safety briefing, F. Moreau shared a safety message regarding taking care of oneself by keeping up with medical appointments, paying attention to your own health needs, and watching for signs that you might need a break or help.

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​​Approval of Agenda

• T. Flynn asked for additions or changes to the agenda. No additions or changes were registered.

• Motion to approve the agenda moved by S. Carruth and seconded by A. Ehrlick.

• Agenda approved.

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Approval of 7 December 2024 Meeting Summary

• T. Flynn asked for additions or changes to the meeting summary. D. Reynolds noted there were some minor additions to the first version of the meeting summary shared with the Committee. The revised version was shared with the Committee prior to the meeting.

• Motion to approve the meeting summary moved by W. Roberts and seconded by A. Ehrlick.

• Meeting summary approved.

 

Quarterly/Annual Reports Update

• D. Reynolds asked Committee members to share any feedback on the 2023 Q3 quarterly report by February 7 and stated that the 2023 Q4 quarterly report will be circulated by email soon for Committee feedback.

• D. Reynolds stated that the 2023 Annual Report is currently being prepared and will be submitted to IAAC by the March 31, 2024 deadline. D. Reynolds noted that the purpose of the annual report is to demonstrate how CN has met, is in the process of meeting, or will meet the conditions of approval for the Project and to provide any update on the previous year’s construction season, including any modifications on the Project schedule (Schedule 15.2).

• D. Reynolds noted that the Committee will receive notification once the 2023 Annual Report has been submitted to IAAC.

 

Review of Action/Decision Tracker

• Soil management plan

  • E. Thome referenced a discussion on soil management during the previous meeting and suggested the topic could be discussed in more depth at a future meeting; Committee members agreed. D. Reynolds confirmed that soil experts would be invited to present at a future meeting.

  • A participant requested that testing of the soil quality now to create a baseline for future reference.

• Snake Habitats

  • Baseline assessments were done on site in 2015 and 2017 of species anticipated to be found or were found on site; Milk Snake was anticipated but none were found; Eastern Garter Snake were observed.

  • Preconstruction surveys were done to identify snakes in the construction areas; the intent of exclusion fencing is to isolate work areas and remove snakes (and any wildlife) in the area; ongoing monitoring by environmental monitors on site as well as on-site wildlife training for contractors in case of sightings.

  • Some Milk Snake and Eastern Garter Snake sightings throughout construction in the Project Development Area (PDA); despite exclusion fencing, snakes can find their way through the fencing; snakes discovered in the PDA are identified and reported accordingly then removed and put back in the appropriate side of the exclusion fencing.

• Traffic Data/BA Group

  • ​D. Reynolds confirmed discussions are ongoing with BA Group, CN’s traffic consultants, to identify what new data is available relative to the work that was done in the original Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

 

Project Update

• D. Reynolds provided an overview of recent construction activities with accompanying site images, including:

• Completion of Phase 1

  • Realignment of mainline; the bulk of the track is built offline and reconnected to mainline during intensive 12-hour work period; notices of night construction issued for November 28 to December 4, 2023; no noise complaints received during night construction activities.

  • Construction of eco-passage near Britannia Road that will serve to allow the truck access road to go over top and Tributary A to flow through; its size will facilitate wildlife movement; Tributary A is an intermittent stream: during spring and times of heavy rain there will be flow; at times such as in the middle of summer it is expected to be dry.

  • Completion of Culvert 2A once the track was diverted to new alignment; eventually the pad of the terminal will be over top of this entire culvert. A participant asked if all the track and sleepers are new or taken from old lines. D. Reynolds confirmed that all new materials are used for the mainline realignment.

  • Dewatering work included fish rescue in advance of work; approximately 30 fish were rescued from isolated work areas and successfully released downstream in Tributary A.

  • Final placement of seed to grow new vegetation in areas that were worked on at the two connection points for the Indian Creek cutover; final placement of (biodegradable) matting for stabilization and any other environmental features being added to the area including tree plantings; these areas are expected to grow in as has been the case in Tributary A and offline sections of Indian Creek done earlier in the year; the work in this area is complete and the creek is running in its new alignment.

  • Wildlife fencing will be reconfigured for Phase 2 with much of the environmental enhancement now complete; the aim is to have wildlife in these areas and away from new construction areas.

  • Lower Base Line culvert work to facilitate work for the underpass.

  • Regional bypass drainage system: water that is falling outside the facility will drain through a ditching system that goes around the terminal to keep it in its natural state and the culvert installed as part of that system; will help the flow of water around site with any rainfall event; temporary measures straw bale to prevent sediment from migrating downstream throughout construction.

  • Description of the size and scale of the culverts to manage the high flow of water to prevent back-ups and flooding and ensure good movement of water around the facility.

  • Site photographs demonstrate the value of the floodplain that has been created to manage high water flows from rain events as they were designed to do.

  • Phase 1 was effectively completed at the end of 2023.

• Details of Phase 2 work

  • After CN’s procurement process for Phase 2 work, Dufferin Construction has been retained for Phase 2; Dufferin has a good understanding of the Project requirements and CN’s expectations; the Project has successfully moved forward without non-compliance issues raised by the regulators.

  • Installation of exclusion and silt fencing suited to the work to be done in Phase 2.

  • Three primary components of Phase 2 construction in 2024: installation of Lower Base Line underpass; truck entrance overpass; and mainline extension north of Britannia Road to Derry Road.

  • Continuous grading, drainage, and ditch work will happen throughout Phase 2 (Item P2-B per Schedule 15.2).

  • Milton Hydro pole relocation work is complete; will return once the underpass is built and the road is replaced to relocate the poles to the new road (Item P2-E per Schedule 15.2).

  • ​E. Thome requested aerial maps/photos in advance of the next site tour and suggested visiting new areas directly related to Phase 2 work. A participant suggested that it would be helpful to look at the overall site plan for the Project and highlight which facilities have been completed and which ones are in future phases, making the construction progress easier to visualize.

  • A participant noted that the construction of a second track moves north of Louis Saint Laurent, it will enter a well-populated area and enquired if residents on either side of the tracks be notified of the impending construction.

  • A participant noted there is a service entrance to the tracks in Willmott Neighborhood Park and that although there is a noise wall there are two gaps:

    • At the north end of the park, there is a gate leading from the pedestrian path around the stormwater detention pond. During the construction, will this gate need to be used and if so, will the Town need to be notified so they can close the pedestrian path?

    • At the centre of the park, between the pond and the soccer field, a chain link fence replaces the noise wall. During construction, will/could a higher fence be installed, even if only temporarily, to discourage people from getting too close?

  • D. Reynolds stated that the primary access for the work planned for that section will be working from Britannia north; trucks will access from Britannia Road overpass; materials will be delivered via the railway itself and unloaded at the side of the track; the intent is to minimize the intrusion on the neighbouring properties in terms of access; there is an access point currently used for maintenance at Derry Road overpass; there is no plan to use the access point in the park for this work.

  • A participant noted an increase in railway noise in the area recently and enquired whether there has been a change in activity. D. Reynolds stated there have been no changes to operations further stating that it is a heavily used corridor from a rail perspective. D. Reynolds will look into this further.

  • In terms of the schedule of activities for Phase 2, D. Reynolds noted that the construction of the administration building and maintenance garage (Item P2-I per Schedule 15.2) will commence in 2025 instead of 2024; shifting the timing on this work is to incorporate changing and advanced technologies and to take advantage of opportunities for more sustainable approaches to building.

• Site tour for April

  • E. Thome sought feedback from the Committee regarding the proposed date and time of the site tour, noting that participating at the August 3, 2023 site tour was lower than expected as well as whether the site tour should be a stand-alone event or followed by the Committee meeting. Committee members did not object to the date and time of the site tour and indicated a preference that the meeting immediately follow the site tour.

 

Committee Communication Channels/Vehicles

• Targeted outreach (multicultural/homebuilders)

  • T. Flynn followed up on previous discussions on Committee outreach and communications and noted that targeted outreach would be undertaken by the Committee Co-Facilitators; T. Flynn and E. Thome will reach out to Halton Multicultural Connections, West End Homebuilders Association, and Schlegel Villages to provide a briefing on the consultation process, not on the Project, and will report back on this outreach.

  • T. Flynn invited Committee members to share names of organizations that might be interested in learning more about the consultation around the Project.

• Website (limited)

  • T. Flynn suggested developing a basic website to create a central place to retrieve information about the Committee and to present the work of the Committee, such as meeting summaries.

  • A participant enquired if there is information that could be shared on their own organization’s websites. T. Flynn stated the semi-annual newsletter could be shared.

  • T. Flynn stated that a mock-up of the proposed website would be shared at the April 4 meeting.

 

Parking Lot Questions/Issues/Other Business

• Next meetings:

  • 4 April 2024 (in-person, site visit)

    • Meet at CN Milton office for site tour 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

    • Return to CN Milton office for meeting 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

  • 6 June 2024 (virtual)

    • 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

• D. Reynolds stated that CN welcomes invitations from community organizations to present on the Project, reiterating the point that there is no expectation for Committee members to field enquiries or correct information on behalf of CN.

• D. Reynolds thanked A. Ehrlick for coordinating a meeting for CN to present to the board of the Halton Hills Chamber.

• D. Reynolds shared aerial maps of the Project site and discussed the components of the site design.

• A participant asked how much on-site parking there will be for trucks. D. Reynolds stated there will be limited parking on site for trucks; the general philosophy of the terminal is to have containers move quickly.

• A participant noted that the subject of terminal design and parking was raised in one of the earlier Committee meetings, adding that there is a need to consider some overflow parking if drivers run out of their hours and need mandatory rest time on site as there are not any surrounding rest areas. The participant added that trucks will be parked along the roads if there is not a rest stop they can use, noting this poses a safety hazard on the road. The participant noted that along with this there are concerns about truck storage lots and these lots are not properly zoned and/or permitted for parking use. These topics have been raised with the Town of Milton council.

• A participant enquired how CN’s Brampton facility handles truck parking. D. Reynolds noted that Brampton is more built up with more third-party infrastructure support than Milton.

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Adjournment

• T. Flynn thanked all members for their continued interest and participation in the Committee and for their input during the meeting.

• E. Thome thanked L. Patterson for her involvement in the Committee.

• Next meeting: 4 April 2024 at 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

• The meeting concluded at 9:10 p.m.