Latest news with #CNrail
CBC
a day ago
- Climate
- CBC
Wildfire evacuation orders to lift Tuesday in Yellowhead County
Albertans forced out of Yellowhead County due to fast-moving wildfires will soon be allowed to return home. Two fires have put three communities in the county under threat, triggering a string of evacuation orders and displacing around 500 people. Yellowhead County Mayor Wade Williams said all evacuation orders in effect in the region will lift at noon Tuesday. Shortly before 8:30 p.m. MT Friday, the county told people living in the communities of Mercoal and Robb, each roughly 280 kilometres west of Edmonton, that they had to flee. The fire, now six kilometres west of Mercoal and 16 kilometres southwest of Robb, remains classified as out of control and has spread across 320 hectares. Evacuation orders were issued for Peers last Thursday, a hamlet about 180 kilometres west of Edmonton. On Friday evening, the county expanded the evacuation zone as the fire, driven by powerful winds, multiplied in size and moved dangerously close to the remote hamlet. The fire burning to the south of Peers, which now straddles Highway 32, continues to burn out of control and has consumed around 730 hectares. During an interview Monday, Williams detailed the battle to save the remote communities as conditions grew increasingly explosive during record-breaking temperatures and severe winds last week. Williams said Peers, which sits just north of a CN rail track, was "very much under threat" on Friday as winds pushed flames north. He said crews were able to hold the line with help from helicopters, CN Rail's Neptune firefighting train, and a series of sprinkler systems that had been set up in advance to dampen the fire's approach. "That fire took a run at Peers late Friday evening," he said. "Had all that equipment not been set up and in place, it would have been devastating for that community. "Crews were able to stop that fire right at the tracks, right on the very southern border of the community." He said the fire near Mercoal was also considered an imminent threat due to high winds and dry conditions. A swath of the nearby forest had been killed off by mountain pine beetle infestations, leaving it tinder dry, he said. "Fire can travel extremely quickly," he said. "For the safety of residents, we had to evacuate." After hot, dry weather last week fanned the flames of fires burning across the province, cooler temperatures and rain over the weekend helped dampen the wildfire risk. Williams said he is grateful to firefighters and thankful that residents will soon be allowed back home. He said the community is familiar with the danger of fire on the landscape after a string of fires ignited across the county in 2023, closing highways, triggering a wave of evacuations and burning dozens of homes to the ground. He said the devastation seen that summer has helped the county better prepare for the worst. "This time around, we've got two fires burning in the county. Last time we had 13. It was two totally different stories, but we learned an awful lot from 2023. Things went much, much smoother this time." Losses in Chipewyan Lake The fires in Yellowhead County are among more than 50 burning across the province Monday, more than half of which remain out of control. A dozen communities remain under evacuation orders and an estimated 4,500 Albertans have been forced from their homes. While communities in Yellowhead County have been spared, other evacuees are beginning to learn about the damage caused by last week's volatile conditions. Officials in Chipewyan Lake announced over the weekend that an estimated 27 structures in the remote northern Alberta community have been destroyed. A fire moved in late last week, damaging firefighting equipment and temporarily trapping a crew overnight, as the flames flared and burned trees fell like matchsticks, blocking the only road out. Some of the community's most critical infrastructure, including the water treatment plant, health centre, school and church, were lost to the flames, officials said. The fire continues to burn out of control at 132,167 hectares.
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Overnight train horns silenced at Kitchener rail crossing
People living in the Lancaster and Victoria Street area of Kitchener might find they're sleeping a bit better at night. Metrolinx has announced they're silencing the overnight train horns that have been honking since mid-April at the Lancaster and Victoria Streets rail crossing. The transportation agency says it has issued a temporary solution for the overnight hours. "Beginning [Friday], May 30, at 10:00 p.m. there will not longer be train whistles during overnight hours (between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.)," said a statement from Metrolinx. "We have re-activated three of the four multi-train warning signs at the crossing and will have a security guard during overnight hours to support at the fourth location." But Metrolinx said people will continue to hear the train whistles during daytime hours until that work is complete. Lane Burman lives near the area and said he was "happy with this result." "Even today, as I work 300m from the intersection, we have noticed a difference in volume. The real problem was the overnight horn blowing at increased decibels. Safety is safety is safety, but the volume was overkill." The train horns began making noises almost six weeks ago. Area neighbours question the work Metrolinx issued a construction notice on April 17 saying it had "temporarily disconnected the dynamic train warning signs at the railway crossing" while their freight partners, CN rail, had completed infrastructure work on a nearby property. Metrolinx added in its construction notice that people living in the area would notice an increase in train horn use, solely as a safety precaution to remind people that a train was coming. But people in the area complained as they heard the horns during all hours of the day and night. People also noted the temporary measures listed in the April 17th document had lasted six weeks, so far. Ryan Porter lives near the intersection. He told CBC K-W the horn blasts were taking a toll on his physical health, only allowing him to get four hours of sleep a night. He contacted Metrolinx with a list of questions about the work being done: "What is causing this work to be delayed past initial estimates? Who specifically (or what role / committee) within Metrolinx was the owner or decision maker that determined the most effective way to deal with the problem at hand was to simply have trains blow their horns?," asked Porter. "Why was an interim site plan not put in place during construction that did not put the well being of community members at risk? What government body, outside Metrolinx, reviewed this project scope before execution, including interim site plans? Kitchener building dept?" he asked. For area neighbours Michelle Stelter and Jennifer Laurie, they say they're looking ahead to future railway work and wonder if there will be any disruptions to people living nearby. "For me it's not just about the short term solution about construction," said Stelter. "I'm also curious to know what can be done for the long term for reducing train noise in these inner city neighbourhoods ... I imagine with more development," she said. "My hope is that we can ensure Metrolinx, the city, and the region, can make future decisions that take into consideration the quality of life of residents near the tracks," said Laurie.
CTV News
18-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
CN investigates after trains ‘sideswipe' each other in northern Alberta
CN rail trains are shown at the CN MacMillan Yard in Vaughan, Ont., on Monday, June 20, 2022. (Nathan Denette/THE CANADIAN PRESS)
CTV News
13-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Canadian grain giant Viterra says no one injured in train derailment at Saskatoon terminal
Viterra Canada says no one was injured when four grain cars derailed near its terminal in Saskatoon on Saturday. Photos from the scene shared with CTV News show one CN Rail grain car tipped off the track just east of the Viterra terminal, located on 11th Street adjacent to the Montgomery neighbourhood. Saskatoon derailment (Courtesy: Michelle Linklater) CTV News contacted CN Rail about the incident and was told to direct questions to Viterra. In a statement to CTV News, a Viterra spokesperson said the cars were empty at the time of the derailment, and operations resumed shortly after. The company said it's still looking into the cause.
CBC
09-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
This herbicide is banned in Montreal, but residents worry about its continued use along railways
CN rail uses glyphosate-based products to keep plants from growing on its tracks. But Montrealers living nearby want to see the chemical phased out because of the potential health risks.
