Not everyone is on board with the idea of a high-speed passenger rail line potentially traversing Prescott-Russell. Opposition and questions and questions are emerging from area residents about the proposed Alto project. A 10-kilometre-wide area across the northern part of Prescott and Russell counties is currently under consideration for the eventual route of the first section of the project. Trains powered by electricity are to travel the line between Ottawa and Montréal at speeds up to 300 kilometres per hour. No stops are planned in any local communities. The opposition and questions emerged during and following open houses held in Vankleek Hill on Thursday, January 29 that are part of the Alto public consultation process.
Vankleek Hill area beekeepers Andrea Glenn and Russell Gibbs have created a Facebook group called ALT-NO to demonstrate their concerns and attract support from citizens with similar opinions.
Glenn and Gibbs believe the open houses and the project were rushed, poorly thought out, and lacking basic transparency. They also question the financial viability of the project and said they were unable to obtain from Alto personnel a project fare, and were told that if Alto cannot be profitable, it will be subsidized by taxpayers.
Improvements to existing rail infrastructure is something Glenn and Gibbs would rather see. They are concerned about safety hazards associated with high-speed rail, particularly since a recent high-speed rail crash in Spain where 45 people died.
Glenn and Gibbs said Alto personnel could not answer how and where vehicles would be able to cross the Alto tracks and the impact that would have on the ability for emergency vehicles to respond wherever needed.
Major project legislation currently before the House of Commons would change the ability for the federal government to expropriate land for projects without negotiation with property owners. Glenn and Gibbs are also concerned about how that legislation could impact local landowners potentially affected by Alto.
“We are being asked to assume the highest risk, pay the highest price, and gamble with our livelihoods and quality of life — all for a project that cannot, or will not, present a clear business plan,” Glenn and Gibbs told The Review.
However, Glenn and Gibbs also emphasized they are not against passenger rail transportation.
“We are not anti-rail. We are opposed to the reckless endangerment of our community and the long-term financial burden this places on future Canadians. We oppose a project that claims to unite the country yet stops at Ontario and physically divides rural communities from nearby towns and services,” they said.
Glenn and Gibbs would like to see Alto paused and more research done to better determine the extent of the project.
Some residents are concerned that the Alto line will end up following the former Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) line, which is now the Prescott and Russell Recreational Trail. Stefanie Nielsen of Caledonia Springs said one of the maps she has seen gives the impression Alto will follow the former CP line, and that is concerning property owners along the trail.
“My family has a farm with 2,700 acres, including a new broiler chicken barn and 1,000 acres north of the trail that we would be cut off from if the train goes on the Prescott Russell trail. My brother’s house also backs onto the trail,” Nielsen said.
“With regards to the chicken barn, we are also concerned about the noise and vibration (from the construction, train passing, access road, maintenance, etc.) which may prevent us from being able to continue to grow chicken,” she added.
Nielsen also expressed concerns about potential expropriations, emergency vehicle access, disruptions caused by construction, the impact on recreation, and effects on environmental conservation.
Jason Feasby owns property on Greenlane Road East, and until recently owned a farm on Dandy Road, indicated concerns about Alto.
“Is it going to be profitable and pay for itself he asked?”
No Alto stops are planned for Vankleek Hill or Hawkesbury. Feasby said no local stops will not benefit area residents wanting to travel by rail.
“If you had to drive an hour to get to the train, wouldn’t you just drive to where you are going?” he remarked.
Michael Simpkin and Crystal Faqiri of Vankleek Hill strongly believe there should be an Alto stop in Hawkesbury. To promote their case, they have formed Hawkesbury on Track to convince Alto planners that there should be a stop in Hawkesbury. They believe a local stop would better connect surrounding communities to jobs in larger cities, provide access to post-secondary education and specialized healthcare, including children’s hospitals, support rural-urban integration across Ontario and Québec, and promote tourism in the surrounding areas.
Vankleek Hill area farmers Scott Allen and Al Nixon also questioned the local benefits of Alto.
“It costs too much money, and who’s going to use it?” Allen said.
Nixon similarly questioned if Alto would benefit the local community.
Champlain Township Mayor Normand Riopel was one of several municipal leaders who attended the Vankleek Hill open house. He also noted how there are no plans for a local stop. As for local public acceptance of the Alto project, Riopel wants the public to decide if it will benefit the township.
“My opinion matters, but theirs matter more,” he said.
