The community has a number of significant concerns, regarding the expansion including but not limited to the following:

 

Local and regional environmental impacts:

• Damage to Waterways including the Katzie Slough, Pitt River, and Fraser River

• Permanent loss of viable agricultural land

• Damage to surrounding farms

• Permanent loss of vital habitat for local and sensitive wildlife

• Flooding

 

Serious health and safety concerns:

• Serious and potentially fatal fire hazards

• Air pollution 

• Exposure to chemical toxins including diesel fumes leading to increased risk of cancer

• Noise and light pollution

• Exposure to extreme vibrations

• Sleep disruptions leading to serious physical and mental health issues

• Significant impacts on quality of life as a result of shunting from building of trains in residential areas

 

Additional concerns:

• Ability to remove land from the Agricultural Land Commission without due process

• Increased truck traffic in locations already suffering from congestion issues

• Residences within metres of heavy industrial rail yard

• Disregard for community amenities in close proximity such as the Pitt River Greenway Dyke trail and municipally owned BMX track

 

Lack of respect for meaningful public engagement. No advance notice was provided for the public engagement process and CP chose to do “engagement” during a pandemic with public health orders preventing public gatherings while people were in the midst of Christmas preparations. CP took full advantage of a public health crisis and thus limited public engagement. 

 

• Appearance that CP Rail is taking advantage of their special status (i.e., tax structure - CP pays commercial rate of taxes NOT INDUSTRIAL) with new way of doing business (ie. storing fuels/distribution facility with Maersk etc.)

• Scale of expansion in Pitt Meadows

• Transportation corridor being turned into rail yard

• Limited access to governing authorities for residents to be heard in a meaningful manner - lack of accountability

• Legislation is out of date to protect communities

• Community to bear costs for increased risks (ie fire department)

• Heavy industrial does not belong in residential areas