OTTAWA — The Federal Court of Appeal has pressed pause on a lower court decision to halt construction of a massive rail-and-truck hub in the Greater Toronto Area.
The stay means Canadian National Railway Co. can continue to build the facility in Milton, Ont., which would see the company double its existing line of tracks and construct a terminal for containers to be transferred between trucks and freight cars.
The judge said while a halt to work on the $250-million project would have no effect on CN’s long-term viability, any delay is “detrimental to the public interest.”
Final word on whether work can proceed will rest on a later ruling from the appeal court.
The initial decision in March highlighted health concerns around air quality, noting the 800 diesel-powered trucks that would make daily round trips to the terminal in Ontario’s Halton Region.
That decision set aside the green light issued by cabinet in January 2021 and sent the project back to Ottawa for reconsideration — a court ruling that is now under review.
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