Salesmen of Pay-the-Rich Rail Project Face Wall of Opposition

Local Communities Oppose Pay-the-Rich Schemes Related to Alto High-Speed Rail Network

– Christine Dandenault –

Action in St. Augustin, March 7, 2026

All along the proposed route of the federal government's high-speed rail line (Alto), communities in Quebec and Ontario are organizing, informing themselves, supporting each other and making their voices heard in opposition to the project declared to be of "national interest." A constant stream of information exchange, questions, and meetings is growing daily. In Quebec, besides Terrebonne, people are organizing in communities like Mascouche, Lachute, Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Brownsburg-Chatham, Mirabel, and Berthierville. In Ontario, groups such as Concerned Citizens Against the Alto Southern Route, Northern Route Discussion and Awareness, Save Stone Mills, Rideau Lakes Against Alto High Speed Train, Save South Frontenac -- No Alto Train, and Tyendinaga Citizens against Alto have been established.

Farmers, professionals, engineers, geologists, maple syrup producers, municipal officials, researchers, families and many others are closely following developments concerning the projected train network. Concerns are numerous. People are questioning the impacts on communities (loss of road access, impacts on emergency services, water sources and recreational areas, expropriation and harm to local tourism economies). They are raising issues about the environmental impacts (obstacles to wildlife and water flow, loss of biodiversity and endangered species, and impacts on protected areas). Agricultural impacts are also matters they are discussing (expropriation, trauma and impoverishment of those potentially affected, loss of prime farmland, decreased land values, disruption of farm access and disturbance of drainage systems).

They question how serious the project proponents are about very cold winter conditions knowing the difficulties the Réseau Express Métropolitain (REM) faces during Montréal winters as has VIA Rail. Others reject outright the infrastructure decisions already made that prioritize speed, private interests and political opportunism.

Municipalities in Quebec and regional county municipalities (RCMs) along the Quebec City--Montreal--Laval corridor have expressed negative positions or deep concerns regarding the project. The spirit of these communities is to defend what is right, to oppose anything that undermines their knowledge and accumulated experience -- in the case of Indigenous Peoples since time immemorial and in the case of Quebeckers and people of Ontario since settlement -- as well as the fruits of their labour and their sense of justice and social responsibility toward their peers and those around them. All of it is invaluable and deserves everyone's support.

Municipal councils in Ontario, including those of Frontenac South, Rideau Lakes, Belleville and Tyendinaga, have adopted motions opposing the proposed route, its impacts on agricultural land, the environment and small municipalities, or calling for heightened vigilance.

Meanwhile, Alto has undertaken phoney public consultations which the people see as cynical marketing campaigns. These phoney consultations are conducted by the Crown corporation Alto created by the federal government in 2025 and mandated to consult the public on the proposed high-speed rail network Alto HSR.

The Alto website states: "What is a public consultation? A public consultation is a special opportunity for citizens to learn more, ask questions, and share their ideas about a major project. It is a space for dialogue between the public and decision-makers, allowing for the collection of community opinions, concerns, and aspirations before final decisions are made.

"In the context of the Alto project, this process aims to enrich the analyses of the corridor under study, ensure harmonious integration into living environments, and strengthen mitigation measures, particularly environmental ones."

This is typical of the consultations governments conduct today. The decisions have already been made. The goal of the consultation is to achieve social acceptability.

This was very clear during a virtual information session organized by Alto on March 15. Four specialists representing Alto were present: one for the environment, one for technological aspects, one for communications and public relations, and one for project management. There were four presentations on these topics, followed by a question period. Everything was well-prepared. The specialists were clearly knowledgeable.

However, important questions remained unanswered:

QUESTION: What will the cost of this train be? No answer. [In fact, on February 26, during the third reading of Bill C-15, Budget Implementation Act, 2025 in the House of Commons, Scott Reid, MP for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston, said he estimated the cost to be the equivalent of $9,000 for every Canadian family. "How can this project be considered to be in the national interest if it risks harming so many people?" one of the contesting groups asked.]

QUESTION: What about relations with Indigenous Peoples?

ANSWER: We will discuss, respect their history, take note of their requests, and see what can be done.

QUESTION: What about farmers?

ANSWER: We will be as careful as possible not to harm them.

QUESTION: Will there be expropriations of land?

ANSWER: Yes, but as few as possible. But we can't be against progress.

Faced with such absurdity, people are organizing all along the proposed high-speed rail line between Quebec City and Toronto. Their questions aim to clarify what is happening. Who will benefit from it? What is the experience of such projects around the world? With our winters, is a high-speed train viable and reliable? Who will truly benefit? If land is damaged, people are displaced, the environment is affected, the noise becomes a nuisance, and the cost is unknown, isn't it in the national interest to reject this project?

The discussion is continuing and people are speaking out and taking their place in it.