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While the recent announcement of the expansion of Prince Rupert's Container facility is a definite boon to BC's economy, we all must consider the repercussions of the increased traffic of the CN rail yard here in Prince George.
We ask you to please think about the implications to the city's overloaded airshed, and also the long term increase in rail yard noise and how this will affect any future plans of improving Prince George's downtown core. Consider asking your local city councilors, MLA's and MP's:
How they feel this will impact the community beyond the obvious benefit to the economy?
How they plan to mitigate the increased burden of the diesel emissions and rail line cleaning\sweeping in an already compromised airshed?
Are there any plans in place to lower the excessive noise of an already busy railyard with sound barriers, or perhaps limitations for hours of operations?
Are there any plans to beautify the immediate surroundings of the railyards or keep it as the industrial waste land it is?
Dear Mayor Rogers and City Council Members,
Recently Premier Christy Clark announced a big expansion to the Asia Gateway, at the Ridley Port in Prince Rupert. Ms. Clark said by the end of this decade the Ridley port will be handling two million plus containers per year. Divided by 365 days, this equals to five and a half thousand containers per day.
These containers will then be transported into and through Prince George. They will go through the CN rail yards on First avenue.
It is my understanding that CN was originally supposed to build their Intermodal in the BCR site, but unfortunately it was built on First Ave, right down town. As twenty million dollars was spent to build this Intermodal downtown, I think it is highly unlikely CN will move it, to cope with this projected massive expansion in container traffic.
It is also my understanding, that CN is currently permitted to handle 700 containers per day and that they have now reached their capacity in this regard.
If CN is going to handle 5,500 containers per day in the next few years, it will need to increase its space and capacity. The only logical place for CN to expand to, is for CN or some other partner company, to purchase the now completely closed Winton Global Mill lands, which is adjacent to the Intermodal and make a mega sized Intermodal.
It does not seem to me to be a co-incidence, that a delegation of Chinese officials from COSCO (China Ocean Shipping Company), were recently hosted in Prince George and were told that Prince George has much to offer them. COSCO already ships by rail, large quantities of containers through Prince Rupert and Prince George.
Just after the Chinese delegation left, the announcement came that Winton Global workers would get their final severance pay, as the Mill is never going to reopen.
The massive increase in rail traffic from 700 to 5,500 containers per day, is going to create a significant air quality problem in the downtown, due to the parallel increase in emissions from the locomotives; the back loaded trucks and fugitive dust particles resulting from same.
In addition, the downtown rail yards noise pollution, at all times of the night and day, is going to be deeply disturbing for downtown and Millar Addition citizens.
Such an increase in air and noise pollution will make living in the downtown area a horrible experience, thus potentially ending the dream of re-vitalizing the downtown core.
The City of Prince George has no jurisdiction over CN, as it is a federally regulated.
The City of Prince George does however have the jurisdiction to controlling the re-zoning of certain properties within its borders, for example.....the Winton Global property downtown.
I am asking you all, to really consider the potential adverse air and noise quality consequences, when such an expansion in rail traffic occurs through the downtown, and ask how you as Mayor and City Councilors can prevent any more pollution occurring in our already overloaded air shed.
yours sincerely,
Marie Hay
President PACHA
People’s Action Committee for Healthy Air |
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