HawthorneVillager.com

I think your best defense is an environmental assessment.

Is there a Rent-A-Jefferson franchise in this area?

Oh well! I understand that the only way to tell a Jefferson from a common salamander is with DNA testing.

Yup, west of Boston Church and north of James Snow. Even if things need to be moved around a bit so that east side of Boston Church is included to accommodate an equal size area, the land is there, it exists. Google and look at the satellite view if you can't drive there, tons of land there so I suggest going to the meeting on Tuesday at the Lions Club and asking the question.

For the CEAA feedback, yup, sounds about right, but there will be feedback from town and hope the Tuesday meeting addresses that.

Again, we need to have a VERY LOUD voice and things like what Counsellor Duvall did going on CTV to get the message out helps http://canadaam.ctvnews.ca/ontario-town ... -1.2289277

I am also encouraging you all to make comments when news articles are posted. I see comments supporting CN and although some may sincerely feel that way, companies will hire people to make social media posts like that, so we need to drown any supportive comments with the one I posted in the Canada AM link (author "Vid") and rebuttal to a "Heather" person saying "buyer beware" while totally side stepping the environmental impacts and the illogical idea to place something like this far from CN clients.

A very useful collection of information regarding this project has been posted by the Region, including the process for providing comments and voicing concerns throughout the initial stages of the project.

Members of the public will have 20 days from the date the project description is posted to provide comments to the CEAA, who will then determine whether a federal environmental assessment is required for the project. Members of the public who wish to provide comments should monitor the CEAA website and add their comments to the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry when the project is posted.

Learn More at: http://www.halton.ca/cms/One.aspx?porta ... eId=130136.

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John Pollard
Town Councillor (Ward 6)
ward6@johnp.ca
(647)921-2583
http://johnp.ca

Does CN own that land or is it private land that has to be expropriated?

If next door to the dump with access to the 401 and 407 isn't a good place, I can't see north of the 401 being much better.

CN owns that land - has for over a decade.

In looking at the map for north of the 401 and adjacent land east of the tracks if started at the JSP extension and north to 5 side road there is not enough length, only a K and a bit. CN wants 2 to 3 km. From 5 side road to the golf course would work but a lot of country homes would need to be bought up. There are a lot creeks running though that land as well, not good.

Also remember the "Great wall of Milton" where there are, obviously very influential people that will be screaming NIMBY for sure.

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Thank you for posting this

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Jeff and Priscilla

Good of you to post this

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Jeff and Priscilla

Well a solution without any negative outcomes would be ideal, but that is unlikely. There is also a creek running in the CN lands but in the north, both industrial development and a quarry are there but major housing developments and Kelso are not.

The point is, it can be done and allow Milton to become a strong, well integrated town that can be a good partner to CN. Industrial zoning has already happened in the north, moving the CN development there would complement the development. If current northern residents need to be compensated, they should be, but the health of the town depends of some pain for a much larger gain.

To understand the Environmental Assessment (CEAA) process, and the opportunities for public input, have a look at the link:
https://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/default.asp ... 59-1#gen05

For those with a better understanding of the CEAA, would it be possible to do a "Regional Study" for the CN intermodal proposal? In the link, it states:

" A regional study may be appropriate for areas with significant development potential and multiple federal interests."
"Regional studies provide opportunities for partnerships with other jurisdictions."

Is the Halton region/milton considered "other jurisdictions?"
Is there a way to convince the CEAA to do this additional regional study for CN's intermodal proposal?
The additional regional study may expose the detrimental impact of the intermodal better than the regular approval study.

So you're good with building this in Milton as long as it's in somebody else's backyard and not yours. Makes sense.

In looking at sat maps of the rail line corridor north of the 401, the only bit of land where this could possibly go is between 5 Side Rd. and Glencairn Golf Club. Nothing even close to big enough south of 5 Side Rd.

I'd say there's as close to a 0% chance of this happening up there as you could expect, but it's worth a stab to prove it.

The buyouts of the necessary farms and houses would be insanely expensive. Those people would not entertain the offer of a land swap, who in their right mind would do that?

The proximity to possibly THE toniest golf club in the area would be enough to kill this idea. One raised eyebrow from that crowd, and there's your answer. They wouldn't even need to flog the Internet to do it.

This plot of land is even closer to the Escarpment than CN's existing plot. However stringent the environmental assessment process that may be necessary below Britannia would be even more so up there. Let's assume the skink / salamander population is constant through the whole region. Mattamy has never found any have they?

The topography of the lands up there are quite uneven, rolling meadows at the foot of the Escarpment. This would be a landscaping nightmare to convert this into an industrial hellscape like they will want to do. One reason they are in love with their current plot is that it is very much closer to flat as it is. That's why McMattamy loves Milton too, all they need to do is scrape off the 10,000 year old salable topsoil, replace most of it with clay and boom, let's build some houses. Easy peasy.

I wonder if this was planned in general theory way back when Milton got saddled for the HWMS in the early 90's? Where better to put such a pollution-generator (constant diesel exhaust) than right next to a dump. "Blindsided" my ass, Mr. Krantz.

I think if this goes through at all in Milton, it should go there. We would be much better to use whatever bargaining power we can muster to force a transportation plan for the 1000+ of trucks per day this site will saddle us with. How about a new dedicated road leading to a dedicated 407 access?

The "roads" aspect of Intermodal is far and away the most important one, the "rail" part is simpler and pre-existing. Our piddling little road network can't even support US, let alone the Ontario trucking fleet. Can you imagine them using the Lower Base Line, to access the 407? What, they're going to use Henderson Road, or clog up the dogleg intersection of 25/LBL?

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This one thing probably never goes away
I think this one thing is always supposed to stay
This one thing doesn't have to go away

The more I look at this, the more I feel that the real failure is the town of Milton for not planning around the inevitable and foreseeable. There’s only so many places something like this can be built, and that’s not a bad area to put a bunch of light industrial zoning. There’s already a filthy garbage dump in the area. So why the hell is the town so insistent on making it residential?

It’s probably for the same reason that they insist on not building right turn lanes.

So who's the town planner again? I mean it would be his department that would have "overlooked" this right? His department would be the one that sent planning proposals with recommendations for approval to council right?

Has he answered a question on this yet? Has anyone reached out to him?

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