The Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke wishes to advise the community that Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC—formerly Canadian Pacific Railway) is authorized to conduct the annual Vegetation Control measures to ensure the safe operation of the trains.
The authorization for CPKC was passed by majority decision at the July 7th duly convened Council meeting after lengthy deliberations, with nine (9) Ratitsénhaiens in favor, two (2) against (Jeremiah Johnson and Jeffrey Diabo), and one (1) absent.
In the best interest of public safety, the spraying is approved to take place on Thursday, July 24, with a rain date set for Friday, July 25, 2025. Spraying will take place in the morning, and the process is expected to last approximately 20 minutes. The authorization was granted with conditions that in future instances of vegetation management, safer measures and alternative products are explored in the immediate future, to be presented well in advance of next year’s scheduled spraying.
Additionally, as part of the conditions imposed by MCK, CPKC is required to conduct and/or contribute to environmental testing immediately following the spraying and in the subsequent weeks and months, allowing the community to collect independent data on any potential environmental impacts.
CPKC must follow Transport Canada’s Rules Respecting Track Safety and needs to spray the track to control vegetation. All products used by CPKC have been approved by the Health Canada Pest Management Regulatory Agency. Vegetation control products will only be applied to track ballasts, which are 16 feet wide.
“Vegetation management is essential, as it allows certified track inspectors to regularly assess the condition of the railway tracks,” said Ratsénhaiens Ryan Montour. “Keeping the tracks free of vegetation allows for proper drainage of the ballast (the rocks that hold the ties in place) to minimize degradation of the tracks and overgrown vegetation, which impedes proper function of electrical switches. The most important issue here is to prevent the possibility of a train derailment and to protect our people,” continued Montour.
For more information on CPKC Vegetation Control measures, please refer to the information below.
Canada-Visionmax-Eng-Fr-Label-8-30-21.pdf
