What are Alto and the Minister in Charge Saying about Expropriations
Federal Minister of Transportation Stephen MacKinnon said recently that Alto will pursue an aggressive timeline, and that once the final corridor is identified at the end of 2026 or the beginning of 2027, expropriations will proceed almost immediately. It is unclear whether MacKinnon was speaking only about the Montreal to Ottawa portion of the project, which is slated to be the first to be built, starting within the next four years, or throughout the entire route.
In an appearance before the Senate Committee on Transportation in December, Alto President and Chief Executive Officer Martin Imbleau, talked about two consultation phases, and about the procurement process.
“At least two consultation phases will take place, not just one. The first consultation phase will focus on a relatively broad corridor, to gather opinions, reposition the corridor and move things around in response to their requests, objections or recommendations. After that, we’ll present what’s called a well-defined route, and then the procurement process will start.“
Concerns have been raised about the possibility that excessive amounts of land could be expropriated or blocked from development for this project, and then left fallow for decades. Alto opponents point to what happened in the Mirabel area near Montreal, and earlier, for airport projects that were either never built (Pickering) or did not reach the anticipated scale (Mirabel). In both cases, farm land was lost.
Again, at the Senate, Imbleau said the following about the corridor:
“The little Saint-Hyacinthe boy in me always remembers the value of farmland. We know that every square metre is worth something. We’re keenly aware of this reality. Our approach is based on best practices. I’ll talk about the human reality next.
“First, we’re trying to follow along a piece of existing infrastructure, such as a highway or a power line. When we need to branch off to cut pieces of land, we try to follow the water’s edge, so the property lines, to avoid cutting into land. It’s only when we have no other option that we unfortunately need to cut a piece of land. For a high-speed train, when we choose one place, it affects dozens of kilometres to the east and west. We want to make the line as straight as possible.
“This involves the acquisition of 60 metres of property. This isn’t on the same scale as the requirements for Mirabel. I need 60 metres of right of way just for a few kilometres to install the two railway lines. This probably amounts to a few hundred properties. Our approach is to present options, to listen to individuals, to minimize the impact, to provide fair and reasonable compensation and to have compassionate people who appreciate the sensitive nature of this unique location.”
The projected timeline for the Alto project is for construction to begin on the Montreal to Ottawa line in 2030, and take four years to complete. Construction of two other sections, Quebec City to Montreal, and Ottawa to Peterborough, would begin before the initial section is completed.
For the Alto timelines to hold, there can be no major delay in either the political or technical aspects of the project. The proposal from Kingston Mayor Bryan Paterson, supported by South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal and the Save South Frontenac leadership, has some major hurdles to overcome, chief among them being the Alto mandate.
Alto's mandate is to link 7 cities, including 3 in Ontario: Ottawa, Peterborough and Toronto. To change the route, would be to either change Alto's mandate, or abandon it entirely, and start the entire process over again.
The second, related, hurdle, is the aggressive timeline being pursued both by Alto, and the federal government.
If anything as major as a shift in focus to the 401 corridor, in place of a direct link between Ottawa and Peterborough, is contemplated, those timelines would expand by several years.
It seems unlikely that shovels will hit the ground for this project in less than four years in any case, even with the shortcuts that are being put in place for administrative approval.
The technical requirements, and the logistics of getting on and off the island of Montreal and in and out of Ottawa have not yet been addressed. The timelines for the light rail projects in both Montreal and Ottawa are also instructive cases.
What is apparent is that after March 29, the official conversation about Alto in our region will end. Groups like Save South Frontenac are considering what that means for them. It also appears that a second consultation period is in the cards for early next year, focusing on a narrow corridor of land.
In the interim, it is unclear if the entire Alto debate will cast a short or a long shadow over the local economy in Frontenac County, and the rural townships in Lennox and Addington County. A strong real estate market has been a major economic driver since 2021, when Toronto and Ottawa based buyers began combing the landscape seeking the peace and quiet of county living. Even if the market slows, it will be hard to tell the cause of that slowdown
