A series of individuals opposed to the proposed Alto high-speed passenger rail project spoke at a demonstration in Chute-à-Blondeau on Thursday, March 6.

The demonstration was under the umbrella of Alt-no, the group which has emerged as the main opposition to the proposal. Alto, a federal crown corporation, is currently planning the first line in the project which will connect Ottawa and Montréal, and eventually Québec City and Toronto.

Many area residents have different reasons for opposing the project, but land and how the Alto agency is managing the planning process were the two main reasons speakers shared at the  Chute-à-Blondeau demonstration.

“We demand a real consultation, real information, and a real business case!” said Élisabeth Arbaud. She owns the CàB Café in Chute-à-Blondeau and was involved with organizing the demonstration, which began outside her business and ended at the Chute-à-Blondeau Community Centre.

Arbaud said planners need to recognize the contributions farmers and local entrepreneurs make to rural communities in Ontario and Québec.

East Hawkesbury Mayor Jacques Tranchemontagne urged people work together in their opposition.

“We have to stick together.”

“We’re going to have to fight against the federal government.”

Sylvain Ethier was one of many demonstrators who traveled from Mirabel to participate. Residents in that area are also opposing Alto because it is also in the area under consideration for the route. Memories of the expropriation of farmland for the Mirabel Airport in 1969 are still very fresh for many residents, including Ethier, who remembers when his family’s farm was expropriated when he was nine years old.

Ethier said he wants solidarity and community against the high-speed plan.

The directors of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) in Québec have adopted resolutions in opposition of Alto. UPA Deux-Montagnes President Philippe Leroux spoke at the Chute-à-Blondeau event and said agricultural land must be protected for future generations.

Arbaud said another demonstration against the Alto project is being planned for Vankleek Hill. The time and date are still being determined.

Photos: James Morgan