Notice - Canadian Pacific Vegetation Management Program

05/24/2013

The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke (MCK) wishes to inform the Community that Kahnawà:ke will again participate in the Vegetation Management Program at the request of Canadian Pacific (CP). The program is required to ensure the safe operations of passenger and freight trains and to maintain the structural integrity of the railway lines, preventing derailments.

Spraying will take place on the ballast section of the tracks only (gravel between the rails) on Tuesday, May 28th (rain date: Wednesday, May 29th) using specialized equipment that includes shrouds that prevent spray drift by 90%. The application will happen only once this season and should take approximately one hour to complete.

There are concerns that the MCK could be held liable in the case of a derailment due to lack of proper maintenance (i.e. weed growth). While both the MCK Community Protection Unit and the Environment Protection Office have concerns about spraying, it is agreed that safety must remain a priority.

“This procedure always puts us in a somewhat difficult position,” said Chief Kenneth McComber. “We are naturally very protective of the environment and would much rather use other methods but, unfortunately, there is no better method available at this time.”

Over the past several years other options, such as, removal by hand, steam, fire, etc. have been tried, but proved to be ineffective. 

The MCK wishes to remind residents living in the area of the Adirondack rails to err on the side of caution and keep away from the tracks during spraying and for approximately 24 hours afterward. Railway tracks are an inherently dangerous place to be, which is why public access and any activities are, in fact, prohibited.