The following is an edited version of a letter sent by Dr. Allan Simpson to Directors of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) urging them to adopt a resolution opposing the proposed Alto high-speed rail project.
To the Editor,
I request in the strongest manner possible that citizens “Object” or “Register Disapproval” to this project!
At the local “Consultation” meeting in Vankleek Hill over 200 farmers attended along with some rural non-agricultural homeowners. Alto followed the time-tested philosophy of divide your opponents and conquer them! There were no factual presentations, no minutes recorded, lots of smiling young people mouthing generalities, but couldn’t even promise to reply to written questions.
My opinion remains that it was a professional polite “smoke and mirrors” performance to fulfil the mandate of “consultation”. They would not discuss economics as this is a federal project, therefore its inclusion in the federal budget. Our government will pay for it to be built and then subsidize it for operation as there is no chance it will ever break even on an annual basis.
There will be no at grade crossings. It will run very flat (grade <.1% i.e. 1 metre per 1,000) according to an engineer at our meeting. It will be very straight with a radius of curves being several kilometres. These two characteristics mean trenching of hills, filling of hollows and lengthy oblique bridges for major obstacles such as the Ottawa River and smaller ones like the South Nation and numerous creeks in Prescott-Russell.
Many farm units rely heavily on an intact land base to produce forage and grain for their own use and the land base for disposal of manure. If Alto cuts the land base the farm loses its nutrient source plus losing its manure disposal site, resulting in another economically unviable business. I expect wide no-spread-limits along the corridor for manure and/or sludge.
Alto will DISRUPT, physically, financially and socially every one of these units it bisects! It will also “disrupt” many neighbouring ones due to termination of side roads, laneways and equipment corridors.
Devaluation of property is the second big “D” even though your property may never be used or blocked!
Damage is the third big “D”. In addition to the damage to farm business units, there is damage to our natural environment. I will acknowledge and only touch on wildlife movement, referring to deer, moose and others, whose habitat is rapidly being degraded, and was degraded by Highway 417.
Much of the agricultural land between Ottawa and the Québec border to the east, is a thin crust of Bearbrook or “fertile” clay overlying an ancient seabed of “LEDA” clay. This “bluish pudding” influences eastern Ottawa Valley agriculture in many ways!
The potential for subsidence and upwelling of LEDA is a well documented fact of the Ottawa Valley. We don’t need another repetitive energy source in this “pudding.”
In addition to ground vibration is the concern that this is an electric powered unit. The neutral or in ground electrical sink will move with the train. The Dairy Farmers of Ontario and the University of Guelph have data on irregular “tingle” or “stray” voltage, potential (0-10 volts) which can drastically reduce milk production and reproductive capacity in dairy barns.
The final big “D” regards Disrespect. The head of Alto and his representatives claim the organization will negotiate with those impacted. He also acknowledges his people carry the “big stick” of expropriation as explained in Bill C-15.
Please say “Disapprove” in a clear voice to this project!
Respectfully,
Allan Simpson
For further information about Bill C-15 and a legal interpretation of changes to the federal Expropriation Act, please see the story What is Bill C-15 anyway? In this week’s edition of The Review.
