Add The Nation Municipality to the local council’s adopting resolutions in opposition to the Alto project in its current form.
On Monday, April 13, The Nation Council adopted a resolution in support of the resolution adopted by United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR) Council on March 25, which had been developed by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) on March 19, opposing the proposed high-speed passenger rail project as it is currently being presented.
Mayor Francis Brière said municipalities are receiving information about the plan at the same time as ordinary citizens.
“We get it at the same time as everybody else,” he remarked.
“Too many people are going to be negatively impacted by this,” Brière said of the project.
He said the municipality will do everything within its jurisdiction to represent concerns of residents, and to influence the outcome of the project if it goes ahead.
Ward 1 Councillor Tim Stewart, who represents the northeastern part of the municipality, said the potential of negative impacts on his ward is huge. He has received many telephone calls from worried, upset, and anxious residents.
“I share these concerns because they are real,” Stewart said.
He thanked UCPR Council for taking a lead on the Alto issue and said the level of information and understanding of the public’s concerns by the Alto organization is not there.
“They feel like they’re not being heard,” he said of the concerned residents.
Stewart highlighted several of the issues residents identify when they speak with him. The most significant is the potential loss of farmland and the future effects on the economic viability of remaining farmland.
“The bigger damage to the agricultural community is real,” Stewart said.
He added that possible use of properties is affecting plans agricultural landowners are making for improvements on their properties. Stewart said the notices some property owners have been recently receiving from Alto requesting permission to gather environmental data have created a lot of unease.
“There’s more people getting the permission to access (notices). The phone calls are coming in and people are concerned,” he said.
Stewart also highlighted continued concerns about road closures and effects on emergency response times.
“That’s going to have a huge effect on how we respond to people’s emergencies,” Stewart said.
He added that even for properties not directly affected by the construction of a rail line, the values of adjacent properties could also be affected, leading to a reduction in municipal property tax revenue.
