Full Notification

On Monday morning, April 29, 2024, I began receiving multiple phone calls from concerned residents about a road closure on Wil Carleton Road near South Huron Road. Residents, rightfully so, were upset with us that no prior notice was given to them regarding this closure. We were as surprised as your were!

Unfortunately, we were given no prior notice regarding this closure which not only affects the residents’ morning commute, but also affects the way we are able to deliver time critical emergency services to the community.

This morning, I drove to the closure site and contacted employees with the Canadian National Railway who were actively working on the railway. They provided me with a contact number for their supervisor. The supervisor advised me that the issue was the fault of Wayne County who did not timely approve permits for this project. He further stated that CN Railway deemed the project an emergency without permits because “they had the right to do so” and made the decision to close the road last week Thursday. I explained that I was not arguing for or against the project and that my concern was their failure to notify the local jurisdiction(s) who are responsible for both public safety planning and community notifications. I asked specifically why CN didn’t or couldn’t have notified local jurisdictions last week when the decision was made, to which he had no answer why not. He continued to blame Wayne County as a continued deflection method. The supervisor ultimately advised that the road closure would last until AT LEAST Saturday, May 4th, 2024 (6 days).

I realize the inconvenience this brings to the community. Please know that we see this as a clear public safety concern.

Supervisor Glaab advised me that he intends to provide this information to our county, local, and state representatives to attempt to stop this from happening in the future.

Please feel free to contact the Canadian National Railway at the numbers provided on this post and voice your displeasure with their communication methods. I have already done so.

Respectfully,

Everette Robbins
Director of Public Safety/ Chief of Police

Instructions:

Please feel free to contact the Canadian National Railway at the numbers provided on this post and voice your displeasure with their communication methods. I have already done so.