Mr. Speaker, I rise today to address an issue that may affect other rail communities like mine. Transcona's new Plessis underpass opened on October 31, 2015, making the daily commute easier for many people. However, for residents of Mission Gardens, the new underpass has had significant, unforeseen costs.
CN has used the underpass as a means to extend the operational area of the Transcona yards and is now building and staging trains behind the homes in Mission Gardens. Some residents have been in the area for 40 years and are for the first time experiencing diesel fumes in their living rooms, sleep deprivation from the noise, and damage to their homes from train vibrations.
Community residents are facing the prospect of having to fight for their homes against experienced, well-resourced CN lawyers. When there is a big power imbalance between two groups with competing interests, government should step in to make it fair.
I urge the government to require that CN restrict the reach of its yards to the east side of Plessis Road instead of forcing the residents of Mission Gardens to play David to CN's Goliath.