Some communities in Eastern Ontario are worried about plans for high speed rail

OTTAWA — As Alto commences its plans for construction on a high speed rail line between Toronto and Quebec City, many in smaller Eastern Ontario communities are concerned about the proposal.

Conservative MP Philip Lawrence, who represents Northumberland—Clarke, said he has received two or three phone calls by citizens of his riding in tears, and asks the question in regard to communication between the ministry of transportation and those affected, in the commons transportation committee, Feb 23.

Lawrence told the committee that citizens are concerned their communities will be bisected by the high speed rail, “children will be separated from their classrooms, workers that will be separated from their offices, farmers will be separated and patients separated from their hospitals.”

MacKinnon said the corridor will be only 60 metres maximum, however the crossings could make commutes painful for rural residents of Eastern Ontario, even if the corridor was just a metre, Lawrence said.

“The fact that there is no crossing means instead of it taking 20 minutes to get to a hospital, it is now going to take an hour or two hours,” said Lawrence to the committee.

MacKinnon said he is in the process of consultation with community voices to ensure there are no collisions. This consultation, in collaboration with Alto President Martin Imbleau, ran between January to March and consists of eight virtual visits.

“There will be lots of contact…and people will be on the ground to meet with property owners(of the affected land),” said MacKinnon to the committee.

MacKinnon and Alto have also tried to address concerns about interfering with Indigenous land.

“The launch of public consultations is an important milestone for the Alto High-Speed Rail project,” said MacKinnon in a press release on Jan. 15. “By engaging Canadians early, and by working in partnership with Indigenous communities, we are ensuring this project is shaped by local knowledge, environmental responsibility, and shared priorities.”

Amongst the opposition to the Alto Project, is AltNO, who on its website, lists five demands for government and project leaders: start somewhere else, use existing infrastructure, complete environmental, agricultural and economic impact studies, release transparency of ridership data and reject powers granted in the 2025 budget.

AltNo’s concerns with Bill C-15 consist of expropriating land, lowering property value and the project blocking residents from their property.

Andrea Glenn and Russell Glenn from Vankleek Hill, Ont., adjacent to the piloted Ottawa-Montreal line are amongst those active in AltNo.

“We don’t think this project has a strong business case,” said Andrea and Russell Glenn to the Review, suggesting that there are many environmental and social costs not accounted for.

National Post

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