Through you, Chair Badawey, good afternoon, everyone. It is truly an honour to have been asked to speak to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities this afternoon.

I must start my comments by stating that the city of Thorold is very fortunate to have excellent representation from MP Vance Badawey, a true champion of Niagara. I would also like to thank him as he continues to work for our city, the region and the private sector to create a new era in rail and marine transportation.

Thorold's new multimodal hub will help Niagara lead a sustainable industrial expansion in Ontario while promoting rail, road and marine transportation and creating a welcoming and sustainable environment for industry. The major regional facility will grow trade in a more sustainable way and contribute to Ontario's quality of life by reducing congestion while supporting key industries and creating new and innovative jobs.

Now more than ever, Canadians are realizing the importance of supply chains and transportation efficiency. These logistical assets within the city of Thorold and the Niagara region rely on access to efficient and safe rail systems. The implementation of new rail infrastructure and the refurbishment of aging rail lines will be a catalyst in supporting and expanding existing and future supply chain requirements while making safety paramount and bringing it to the forefront of every decision.

Transloading operations are becoming more commonplace along canal-fronting lands in our community, and they require attention to every conceivable detail through policy adaptation and development. These policies will ultimately protect those working on site as well as all citizens in the communities in which these rail assets and multimodal operations exist.

Successful communities are able to manage the impacts of growth, but I would like to take this opportunity to share some serious issues that have arisen because of increased railway activity in our community. These issues affect local residents on a daily basis and unnecessarily put our citizens at risk.

The community of Port Robinson East is situated between the Welland Canal and the CN rail line and has only two means of egress. When the rail crossings at Canby Street and Biggar Road are blocked due to slow-moving or stopped rail traffic, residents and businesses are blocked until the rail traffic has cleared. Recently, longer trains—those of more than 100 cars—have extended the response times for emergency services, disrupted delivery times for local businesses, and created a great deal of inconvenience for residents, tourists and cyclists wishing to access the Greater Niagara Circle Route. Our suggestion here as a solution is to restrict the total length of the cars travelling through this portion of the community to a maximum length of 945 metres. That will free up the distance between the two rail crossings so that they won't both be blocked at the same time.

Number two is shunting activities at the Port Robinson yard, which have increased measurably over the last five years. Blocked roadways, dust, noise and vibration from the coupling of railcars severely impact the quality of life and mobility of our residents in this community. Our solution is to move the shunting activity outside the residential area of this small village and/or to install noise barriers to reduce the impact of operating activities on the east side of the Port Robinson yard.

Number three is that empty tanker and railcar storage is occurring for extended periods of time on spur lines that criss-cross our city. In particular, the rail line currently leased by GIO Railway Incorporated from CN, just south of Lynden Street and close to our downtown business district, has created concerns for area residents by decreasing their enjoyment of their property and attracting undesirable activity. Our solution is to improve communication with the City of Thorold fire chief regarding the contents of the stored materials and to relocate long-term storage to outside of the city's urban area.

While we understand that the infrastructure that exists today was in many cases built years ago to support industry and goods movement of that time period, in many cases, that infrastructure no longer supports present and future safety needs. Citizens today and future generations expect more from us in that regard.

[Technical difficulty—Editor] rail systems will continue to connect us to the North American and ultimately global marketplace, and they will help fuel the economic recovery. However, [Technical difficulty—Editor] cannot come at the expense of families, friends and loved ones. We must remember that every decision we make affects the lives of those around us. We cannot be complacent in our efforts to ensure a safe and livable working environment.

Economies through time always bounce back. Those families who have suffered from disasters of the past now have only the memory. [Technical difficulty—Editor] makes safety paramount in that we do. There is a need to take every precaution, as this mindset ultimately contributes to a sustainable, resilient and safe way forward for all businesses and citizens.

Please know that you have a willing partner and champion in me and the City of Thorold as we work in partnership to implement better planning and policy [Technical difficulty—Editor]. Thank you for your time and consideration of the above and this opportunity to speak to you today.

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