For decades Canadian National Railway's Stuart St shunting yard has been a contributor to Hamilton's dangerous air quality in some of Hamilton's Code Red neighbourhoods. Even as their industry counterparts, around the world, have converted to clean electric power, CN continues to use some of the most carcinogenic forms of fossil fuel to power, even its operations adjacent to residential neighbourhoods. 

In recent decades evidence has mounted that diesel engine exhaust is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, as well as lung and bladder cancer, and is now classified as a Group 1 "carcinogenic to humans" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). 

In fact, CN Rail cited the health and safety consequences of its own diesel engine emissions and noise, as a reason to prevent the construction of affordable housing, at the former Jamesville housing complex.

Internationally, countries like India, and even Russia, have led the charge in electrifying high percentages of their rail systems (99% and 52% respectively), achieving significant reductions in pollution along with quieter operations. Meanwhile, electrification of Canadian rail systems has reduced to a paltry 0.2%.

It wasn't always this way. From 1923 to the early 1930s, when publicly owned as a Crown Corporation, CN Rail operated fully electric Z4A locomotives, and even an electrified subsidiary, Canadian National Electric Railway.

Today, CN Rail is a privately owned, publicly traded corporation with Bill Gates owning nearly 10% stake in Canada's logistical backbone. With annual profits of $5 billion, it's clear that a lack of money is not what stands in the way of electrification. Its primary obligations are clearly to its shareholders, not the communities that  it operates within.

Given that the  City of Hamilton often brands itself as “The Electric City” and has a lost history of being Canada’s leading electric passenger-rail hub, once spanning out from its downtown core, to Oakville, Vineland and Brantford, Hamilton's shunting yards are an appropriate place to begin a national electrification effort. Which would demonstrate Canada’s commitment to international climate goals and technological progress and also encourage innovation and potentially create jobs in the green tech sector, further boosting our economy.

This is why North End Neighbourhood, Beasley Neighbourhood and Central Neighbourhood Associations call on the federal and provincial Transport and Environment Ministers to compel CN Rail to follow its international counterparts by starting the electrification process with the Stuart Street shunting yard in Hamilton and other rail operations near residential homes.

By showing CN Rail that Canadians value clean, reliable, and modern transportation, we can set a precedent for change across our beautiful country. Please sign this petition to protect our environment and improve our communities.