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Rahul Gupta

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air quality, Board of Health (2), city hall (12), Georgetown Rail Corridor, Health (3), Metrolinx (3), pollution (2), Transportation (10)

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Peter Morgan considers himself to be a healthy man, but he’s increasingly short of breath these days.

Each morning, as the resident of Roncesvalles travels to his job, he notices how the commuter trains travelling north along the Georgetown rail corridor from Union Station affect his neighbourhood’s air quality. He breathes in as little of the noxious metallic fumes emanating from their diesel engines as possible and wonders what’s going into his body.

Now, Morgan’s concerned that the proposed expansion of diesel trains along the Georgetown corridor will increase air and noise pollution, in addition to creating major health problems for residents who live close to the railway tracks.

Morgan and other concerned residents shared their unease at a Board of Health committee meeting at City Hall Monday afternoon.

In his presentation to the board, the city’s top medical officer expressed serious reservations on the transit scheme, which calls for 500 trains to run along the Georgetown rail corridor per day.

“The projected increase in the volume of diesel trains along the Georgetown corridor will lead to a dramatic increase in air pollution as well as health risks,” Dr. David McKewon said.

McKewon’s recommendation called on Metrolinx, the provincial transit body in charge of the expansion, to immediately forgo diesel trains in favour of cleaner running electrical trains.

Metrolinx’s plan currently calls for electrification of the corrdior within 15 years.

Electrifying the tracks was a unifying thread throughout the meeting.

Lin Grist, from the Environmental Health Association of Ontario, referred to a California study which found that kids are much more susceptible to permanent lung damage caused from air pollution.

“I’m passionate about this issue because I had the luxury of growing up in a relatively clean world, but my children and grandchildren don’t,” she said.

Mike Sullivan, from the Weston Community Coalition, said that his group had only just become aware of a private study commissioned by Metrolinx last year on the feasibility of electric trains that has never been released to the public. He called on the committee to pressure the Ontario government to release the study’s findings.

“Metrolinx’s plan only benefits the people living in the 905 region,” he said. “Electric trains will help the people living in the corridor who rely on public transit.”

Sullivan said that the planned expansion contradicts the province’s building code, which defines rapid transit as being powered by electricity.

Several deputants criticized the lack of regard shown by Metrolinx to community concerns.

“We’ve been told to close our windows to reduce the noise and air pollution,” Cherri Hurst of Weston said. “They’re telling us how to live.”