On August 11, 2022, the Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows News published an article announcing that Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) had submitted its application to the CTA for the proposed Logistics Park in Pitt Meadows. This article contained several quotes from CP’s application that the City categorically disagrees with and feels compelled to respond to in order to set the record straight.
The proposed industrial park will consume 100 acres of prime agricultural land and add a rail, transload, and distribution facility adjacent to the Vancouver Intermodal Facility (VIF) in Pitt Meadows. This includes the transportation and storage of three high-hazard commodities: fuels and ethanol, agricultural products, and automobiles. The Logistics Park poses high-hazard health, safety, and environmental risks to the Pitt Meadows community.
Insufficient Emergency Response
It is inaccurate for CP to state that they have “heard and addressed comments from the City about concerns regarding the ability of Pitt Meadows Fire and Rescue Service to properly service the proposed facility.” The City has clearly and on multiple occasions communicated to CP that Pitt Meadows Fire and Rescue Services (PMFRS) is volunteer-based and lacks the personnel, equipment, infrastructure, or specialized training to respond safely to the vast majority of emergency scenarios arising from the proposed CP Logistics Park. CP’s commitment in their CTA application to “deliver training to personnel associated with emergency response” is insufficient and fails to address the City’s concerns.
Despite ongoing requests from the City, CP has not granted PMFRS training opportunities and has not provided adequate information pertaining to either their existing operations, or the proposed Logistics Park. It appears that CP is minimizing the extensive risk that will be created by the Logistics Park and they continue to propose insufficient mitigation measures. This will place Pitt Meadows residents, PMFRS staff/volunteers, CP employees, and various public and private properties at extensive risk during an emergency scenario.
CP’s Detailed Response to City Comments and CTA Application
Since CP announced the proposed Logistics Park in late 2020, the City has provided extensive good faith feedback to CP’s Comparative Site Evaluation, Terms of Reference, Environmental Effects Evaluation and conducted numerous independent studies and third party reviews to provide CP with an opportunity to better understand and mitigate local issues and community concerns. Despite these efforts, both CP’s detailed response to the City as well as their CTA application are fundamentally flawed, do not take into account the City’s feedback in a meaningful way, and have not adequately identified or mitigated many significant detrimental impacts that the Logistics Park will have on the Pitt Meadows community including, but not limited to:
• Drainage systems including the Katzie Slough and Kennedy Pump Station;
• Noise and vibration;
• Transportation including Lougheed Highway and Proposed McTavish Connector;
• Air quality and human health;
• Emergency services;
• Local agriculture; and
• Water quality, wildlife, fish, and vegetation.
The City is currently preparing an extensive rebuttal to CP’s application with the intention to submit to the CTA, CP, and various ministries and agencies.