The Alto crown corporation will not be allowed on land owned by the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry (SDG) to perform studies related to the proposed high-speed rail project.

On Monday, June 15, SDG Counties Council unanimously rejected the request from Alto to gain access to SDG-owned land for environmental and technical study purposes. Council also rejected a request from Alto for SDG to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) which would prohibit councillors and staff from discussing any details of meetings and other communications between the counties and Alto with the public.

The two properties Alto was interested in accessing are two tracts of county forest land between Highway 417 and the boundary between North Glengarry and Champlain Township.

Warden François Landry said he, along with North Glengarry Mayor Jamie MacDonald, North Glengarry Deputy Mayor Carma Williams, former SDG Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Maureen Adams, and new CAO Jamie Fawthrop had a virtual meeting with Alto. The presentation Alto personnel gave to the municipal officials

In May, Landry, MacDonald, Williams, current and former CAO met virtually with Alto. A copy of the presentation from that meeting has been shared by SDG Counties with the public. The presentation documents indicate that sampling work from properties across the corridor are due to take place during the fourth quarter of 2026 and information gathered from that work will be used in the preparation of the impact assessment. The components of the field surveys include wetlands, forests, avian wildlife, and fish and wildlife habitats. Archeology and cultural heritage, and so-called “sensitive receptors” properties such as parks, schools, and hospitals will be examined as socio-economic components. Physical components to be examined include noise and vibration, hydrogeology, soil quality, and surface water.

Landry said the Eastern Ontario Warden’s Caucus (EOWC) will be discussing Alto at a meeting in Kingston in July.

MacDonald recently shared his opposition to the project in a video on social media and again emphasized his opposition at the June 15 SDG Council meeting.

“I’m entirely opposed to it. I think there’s a better option to go through on existing corridors,” he said.

MacDonald also emphasized the need for municipal leadership to be accountable to citizens and criticized Alto’s request for the NDA, which would have prevented that from happening.

“Here they’re telling us we can’t share any information in them,” MacDonald commented.

Council had three options for the Alto property access/NDA request. One was to grant full access, the second option was partial access, and the third option was no access at all.

MacDonald said he did not want Alto to have any access to SDG Counties-owned property.

South Glengarry Deputy Mayor Martin Lang agreed.

 “It’s a terrible thing for the farm community,” he said. Lang then added he believes the project has no local advantage.

There was no further discussion about which option to choose before council unanimously voted to reject Alto’s request for property access and the NDA.

In May, United Counties of Prescott and Russell Council also rejected a request from Alto to access counties-owned property and for an NDA.