The exact path that the proposed Alto high-speed rail line may follow through the Township of North Glengarry is still unknown, and Mayor Jamie MacDonald said public feedback is largely opposed or concerned, particularly from farmers and residents in the township.

“We’ve had the presentation from Alto at our council earlier on, as well as at the Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry (SDG) Counties council. Originally, it appeared the train would run directly through North Glengarry, following the VIA line. Now, it really looks like it may only hit the far northeast corner of North Glengarry,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald raised concerns about the loss of farmland and homes, the lack of local economic benefits for rural communities, and the potential impact on the existing VIA Rail service in Alexandria, saying, “We have a VIA service that stops in Alexandria to go to Ottawa or Montréal. At this point, I can’t see VIA Rail service surviving if the high-speed rail is available.”

“As rural municipalities, the train’s not stopping here,” MacDonald noted. “We’re the ones that have to deal with residents and the loss of farmland, homes. In the long term, it really doesn’t help us in our area.”

He said there is a 10-to-20-kilometre corridor of land where the line could potentially be built, adding, “I think it’s worrying a lot of people for nothing. They should have pinpointed more accurately where it would go and dealt with the associated municipalities and residents in those areas.”

MacDonald said that while he supports nation-building projects, “I just don’t know if, rurally, this is going to advance us very much.”

He acknowledged that the municipality has limited influence over the project, saying, “We probably have very little influence on where the project will go. Politics is politics—if you have a strong enough contingent that gets together and works together, though, I think you can get the government to listen.”

“I truly believe that speaking in volume will get some attention. Even though it may only come through a section of our township, we take it seriously because we’re the eastern region and we need to stick together,” MacDonald said.