A victory for the residents in the Toronto Junction area who have been suffering from daily pile-driving for months:

The Canadian Transportation Agency has ruled that GO Transit’s pile driving activities at the West Toronto grade separation project breach their duty to cause only reasonable disruption to the community around the work site.

The Canadian Transportation Agency finds that GO Transit is in breach of its obligation under section 95.1 of the Canada Transportation Act to cause only such noise and vibration as is reasonable, in relation to GO Transit’s pile-driving activities at the West Toronto Diamond. The Agency found that, in the circumstances, the prolonged exposure of the local citizens to the noise and vibration generated at that location is unreasonable.  The full order is not yet final because GO Transit has been given 14 days to respond, following which the complainants (a local citizens’ group and the City of Toronto) have a further 5 days to counter whatever GO may file.

Brian Iler