OTTAWA, April 16, 2019 /CNW/ - The Review Panel for the proposed Milton Logistics Hub Project has announced that the public hearing will begin with a general session in Milton, Ontario on June 19, 2019. Members of the public, Indigenous groups, governments, and other organisations are invited to participate in this next stage of the joint process for the review of the project.
On April 15, 2019 the Review Panel determined that the information received to date contains sufficient information to proceed to the public hearing. This information includes the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the application by the Canadian National Railway Company (CN) under section 98 of the Canada Transportation Act, and other supporting documentation including CN's responses to the Review Panel's eight packages of information requests.
The public hearing will take place over approximately a one-month period, and will begin on June 19, 2019 at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites at 2750 High Point Drive in Milton.
The Public Hearing
All hearing sessions are open to anyone wishing to observe the proceedings. The primary purpose of the hearing is to give interested parties (including the proponent, the public, Indigenous groups, governments, and other organisations) an opportunity to present to the Review Panel in person their views on the Project, its potential environmental effects, and how it may affect other local interests. The hearing allows the Review Panel to gather and test the information it requires to complete its environmental assessment of the project and for the Canadian Transportation Agency to make a determination, if required, regarding the CN's application under Section 98 of the Canada Transportation Act.
The Panel will hold the following public hearing sessions in Milton, Ontario:
- General hearing sessions will provide an opportunity for CN to present an overview of the Project and its anticipated environmental effects, and for registered interested parties to present their views and recommendations. The first general session will be held on June 19, 2019.
- Technical hearing sessions (topic-specific) will allow registered technical experts, including holders of Aboriginal traditional knowledge, to provide their views and analysis directly to the Review Panel, and will allow questioning from others with expertise or knowledge in the subject area.
Technical sessions are expected to be held on the following topics:
- Project description, alternative means, and railway operations and services
- Air quality, noise, vibration, light, and human health
- Geology, soils and geochemistry
- Hydrology and water quality (including surface water and groundwater quantity and quality, natural hazards and accidents and malfunctions)
- Fish and fish habitat
- Socio-economic conditions (including archaeology, truck traffic concerns and transportation, land use, economic and issues)
- Terrestrial environment (including migratory birds, species at risk, and other wildlife and plants)
Additional technical sessions may be held, if required by the Review Panel. The first technical session will be held in June 2019. A complete hearing schedule will be provided to interested parties by May 24, 2019.
How to Participate
The Panel will conduct the hearing in accordance with its Public Hearing Procedures. For all hearing sessions, the Panel requires persons who wish to make a presentation or ask questions at the hearing to register by May 10, 2019 using the registration form. Pre-registration is necessary so that the Panel can plan the hearing effectively.
For the general hearing sessions, participants may make an oral presentation or file a written submission, or both. At the technical hearing sessions, oral presentations must be accompanied by a written submission, with the exception of holders of Aboriginal traditional knowledge, who may choose to participate by way of oral presentation only.
For technical hearing sessions, written submissions must be sent to the Panel by May 29, 2019. Other submissions are expected by the last day of general and technical sessions.
All submissions received will be posted to the online public registry. To register, file a submission, schedule a presentation or for any other information, contact the Panel Secretariat at:
Review Panel Secretariat for the Milton Logistics Hub Project
c/o Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
160 Elgin Street, 22nd Floor
Place Bell Canada
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 613-699-6778
The Proposed Project and the Joint Process for the Review
The Canadian National Railway Company is proposing the construction and operation of a logistics hub, designed to transfer containers between trucks and railcars. The project would be located in Milton, Ontario on 400-acres of CN-owned land, and would include a railway yard with more than 20 km of track.
The joint process for the review of the Milton Logistics Hub was established to ensure an efficient single window process for the federal environmental assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, 2012 and the collection of information that may be used for a potential decision on the project by the Canadian Transportation Agency. To find out more about the process and the Review Panel's mandate see the Agreement between the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and the Chair of the Canadian Transportation Agency to establish the joint process for the review.
Where can I find more information about the Project, the Joint Process for the Review, and the public hearing?
All documents are available on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Registry website at canada.ca/ceaa-registry, reference number 80100, including the preliminary Public Hearing Schedule, the registration form, the Public Hearing Procedures or the Notice of Sufficiency of Information.
To be added to the distribution list and be kept informed of activities relating to the panel review process, provide contact information to: [email protected].
SOURCE Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
Media may contact: Shelley Rolland-Poruks, Communications Advisor, Milton Logistics Hub Project -- Review Panel, [email protected]
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