Residents of Mercier in Montreal’s east end received an alarming notice from the City this week. CN Rail would be spraying its train tracks along Souligny Avenue, a residential street, with a number of herbicides including glyphosate, which is banned in the City of Montreal.
The Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough’s notice to citizens arrived in mailboxes less than 24 hours before spraying was scheduled to commence on August 5. It advised residents, many of whom live less than 30 metres from the rail line, to stay away from the area and keep their windows closed. Temperatures in Montreal during the spraying reached over 30 degrees with humidex.
CN is exempt from municipal bylaws on herbicide use because rail transport lands fall under federal jurisdiction. The City’s notice assured the public that the borough would nonetheless intervene “to the maximum extent of its capabilities.”
Indeed, the borough administration did back a group of concerned citizens in opposing the CN’s herbicide operations in the Boise Vimont, a wooded area next to a section of the tracks. After talks between the borough and CN, spraying was cancelled in that area, but not in the residential zone further east.
The most controversial chemical used by CN is glyphosate, also known by its brand name, Roundup. CN assures the public that glyphosate presents no risk to human health when used correctly. The World Health Organization, however, says it is probably carcinogenic. Health Canada says glyphosate can also irritate the skin and eyes, cause nausea and vomiting and respiratory effects such as asthma.
CN Rail’s website indicates it uses both mechanical and chemical methods to manage vegetation along its tracks. CN did not respond to The North Star’s query about the methods chosen for other Montreal-area train tracks, such as those in wealthier neighbourhoods such as Westmount and Outremont.
The City of Montreal indicated only the section of tracks in Mercier would be sprayed with herbicides. CMHC data from 2021 show an average household income in Mercier of $78,500, placing it among the poorest neighbourhoods in the city. Westmount and Outremont had average household incomes of $277,600 and $187,600 respectively.
CN Rail is on the federal Environmental Offenders Registry. In 2021, the company twice pled guilty to unauthorized herbicide use along waterways in British Columbia, resulting in fines of $2.5 million and $100,000. CN’s profits in 2024 were $9.25 billion.