‘I am opposed to both routes’: Lanark, Leeds and Grenville area MPs react to recent Alto announcement

MPs Scott Reid (left) and Michael Barrett

Two eastern Ontario MPs say concerns remain about the proposed Alto high-speed rail project, even as officials signal a preference for a route that could avoid parts of Lanark County and serve many more residents than originally thought with a “hub” stop in Kingston.

At an announcement in Kingston on Monday, June 22, Canada’s Minister of Transport Steve McKinnon and Alto President and CEO Martin Imbleau indicated support for studying a southern route option through eastern Ontario, which could allow Kingston to become a hub station connecting passengers from surrounding communities.

The announcement comes after months of concern from rural residents along proposed routes, including worries about potential impacts on homes, farmland and environmentally sensitive areas.

However, Lanark–Frontenac MP Scott Reid told Lanarkist that the possible shift away from a large area of his riding does not change his overall concerns with the project.

“I am opposed to both the northern and the southern route,” Reid said. “Regardless of the route chosen, many rural roads will be severed, many homes and farms will be expropriated, and the rules under which those expropriations take place will remain brutally unfair, systematically reducing the ability of property owners to defend their interests.”

At the Kingston announcement, McKinnon said a Kingston stop could improve access to high-speed rail across eastern Ontario. He explained that with a station in Kingston, approximately 80 per cent of the population east of Peterborough would live within 25 minutes of a high-speed rail station.

Reid questioned how much a Kingston hub would benefit residents in Lanark County and area.

“Kingston is at least an hour away, for people from almost all of Lanark County,” he said. “Google Maps shows it being one hour and 10 minutes from Perth, one hour and 12 minutes from Smiths Falls, one hour 34 34 minutes from Carleton Place and one hour, 43 minutes from Almonte. So I am unsure of whom Minister McKinnon is speaking when he says that the majority of eastern Ontario will be within 30 minutes of a station.”

Leeds–Grenville–Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes MP Michael Barrett also expressed opposition to the project, saying he has heard concerns from residents about the potential impacts.

“I haven’t met any residents in our community who support the Alto rail project going through their homes, their farmlands or the sensitive environment of our region,” Barrett told Lanarkist.

Barrett said he believes investments should instead focus on improving existing rail infrastructure.

“I don’t believe in pushing this costly and disruptive project through anyone’s backyard, especially when it doesn’t serve our communities and does nothing to improve transportation or help people get around,” he said.

“We already have existing Via Rail service connecting communities like Brockville, Gananoque, Kingston, and Smiths Falls,” Barrett continued. “I support long-term capital investment in Via Rail infrastructure and service improvements that would deliver practical benefits for passengers, including more frequent trains, improved reliability, better on-time performance, and stronger connections for the communities that already rely on the system.

“Federal transportation investments should be focused on improving the services people use today.”

During the Kingston announcement, McKinnon acknowledged concerns from residents and landowners, saying the route selected would aim to have the least impact possible and that any land acquisition process would be handled with sensitivity.

A final decision on the route is expected later this year.

Barrett said he will continue to push for answers as the project moves forward.

“At a time when Canadians are facing real pressures, people deserve to know why the government is pressing ahead with Alto’s plan to slice roads, farms, and communities in half while putting homes and environmentally sensitive areas at risk. I’ll continue to stand with our community in opposing this project and will keep pressing the government and Alto for transparency, accountability, and meaningful consultation.”

Lanarkist will continue to follow this story as it develops.