Statement on Alto's high-speed rail route in eastern Ontario

I call on the federal Minister of Transportation to study a new route in eastern Ontario for the high-speed train project known as Alto. This would determine whether there is an alternative which hews more closely to existing infrastructure, especially the highway 401 corridor, in contrast to the existing proposals which cut through rural eastern Ontario.

I understand that the current mandate of Alto does not include this, and that is why I am appealing to the Minister of Transportation, Steve MacKinnon, rather than Alto.

Over the last few weeks, I have been paying attention to rural eastern Ontario voices and voices in Kingston and the Islands with regards to the Alto train route.

From the point of view of the City of Kingston, the importance of a stop in Kingston is clear. A Freedom of Information request showed that Kingston, in 2018, was the fifth busiest Via Rail station in Canada, after Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa and London.

The issue which has been raised more recently is the effect of a high-speed rail line on rural eastern Ontario.

The high-speed line would be fenced along its length. This means that there will be no level crossings, only underpasses or overpasses as costs permit. There will be many dead ends where existing non-arterial roads meet the track, which would split existing communities and sever transportation links.

Agriculture will be affected because it is common for farmers to farm different parcels of land to achieve an economically viable size. Their fields are often non-contiguous, and they often need to move their machinery a considerable distance. I know that Alto is engaging with the Ontario Federal of Agriculture, which means there is agricultural impact expected.

Concerns have been brought to my attention of the impact on wildlife that a new fenced barrier through the middle of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere may cause.

I am hearing from rural Ontarians, who are concerned about the process by which the required 60m-wide right-of-way will be acquired.

I am not arguing the Major Projects designation of high-speed rail connecting Quebec City, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto. Instead, I am calling on the federal Minister of Transportation to hear the groundswell of concerns in rural eastern Ontario, and to at least do a study which would allow the consideration of a route which hews more closely to existing infrastructure in the 401 corridor.

If you would like to comment on the high speed rail proposal, I recommend that, in addition to responding to Alto’s current consultation (altotrain.ca), that you write federal Minister of Transportation Steve MacKinnon (Steven.MacKinnon@parl.gc.ca) and copy federal MP and Government Whip Mark Gerretsen (Mark.Gerretsen@parl.gc.ca).