Council calling on CN to fix tracks

closed session

by Colin Smith

Morinville Council is calling on CN to fix up its tracks running through town that pose a hazard because of their poor condition.

At its May 14 meeting Councillors passed a motion to have Mayor Barry Turner send a letter to CN’s District Operations Manager about problems with the railway tracks crossing the trail and at 100 Avenue/Highway 642 near the post office.

Councillor Stephen Dafoe, who made the motion, said he has had concerns about the tracks on 100 Avenue expressed to him by members of the public and area business people.

“It came up recently, it came up last year, and it came up the year before,” Dafoe said. “I’m concerned, as I’m sure you are concerned, and others are concerned about the potential dangers with pieces of metal and so on.”

A similar problem was raised by Councillor Nicole Boutestein.

“The track as you are crossing the trail that runs and west, it’s really, really bad,” she said. “I mean there are chunks of wood missing. If you’re on the trail rollerblading or pushing a stroller, someday someone’s going to get caught in there and it’s not going to be pretty.

Turner said he wrote to CN last year about other track issues and that did lead to the company making some improvements.

In addition to the letter from the mayor, the Administration was directed to be in touch with CN on the matter and to report back to Council at its June meeting about any response.

The occasion for discussion of the issue was a letter received by Council from CN about vegetation control work to be done along its tracks in the area this summer.

The railway has contracted Asplundh Services to do the vegetation control work, which is scheduled to take place between June 3 and July 31 in Morinville and Sturgeon County.

For more information go to www.cn.ca/vegetation, contact the CN Public Inquiry Line by telephone at 1-888-888-5909 or email contact@cn.ca.

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