"$56"-*5 4r/&84 AN UPDATE REGARDING ALTO’S HIGH SPEED TRAIN PROJECT BENOIT CASTONGUAY nouvelles@eap.on.ca
addition of a station in Kingston, the need for a lower-impact route through the Mirabel area, the protection of the Ontario biosphere, and concerns regarding the Prescott and Russell Recreational Trail. "DDPSEJOHUPUIF$&0 UIFJOGPSNBUJPOBM sessions raised strong concerns regarding DPNNVOJUZGSBHNFOUBUJPOj8FBSFEFBMJOH with three broad categories of landowners: people in municipalities, suburban residents, and the agricultural community. It pained me to hear claims that we would divide municipalities and sever land so that people couldn’t get around; that is completely false,» he insisted, emphasizing that Alto is seeking the lowest-impact route to prevent disruptions. )FBMTPBTTVSFEUIBUMBOEBDRVJTJUJPOXJMM be handled to avoid any loss in productivity and reiterated his desire to work alongside farmers. «Compensation will be fair, reasonable, and based on fair market value, not only for the land today, but factoring in projected revenues over 100 years. Our aim is to leave farmers in a virtually identical position,» he announced. Next steps *NCMFBVFYQMBJOFEUIBUUIFàSTUDPOTVMUB - tion phase focused on a study area roughly 10 kilometers wide. Those consultations have led to the identification of a revised corridor several hundred meters wide, which will be released this fall. ALTO will follow up with geotechnical BOBMZTJT UP QJOQPJOU UIF FYBDU UP NFUFSSJHIUPGXBZSFRVJSFEGPSBDRVJTJUJPO UISPVHIPVUm MFBEJOHVQUPUIF start of construction in 2029. Alto also FYQFDUTUPSFMFBTFQSFMJNJOBSZEFUBJMTGPS the Toronto–Ottawa route by spring 2027. Citizen Pushback Approached for comments following these recent developments, the non-parti- TBODJUJ[FODPBMJUJPO"-5/0TUBUFEUIBUUIF federal promoter is still failing to provide clear answers to residents. For the coalition, touting consultation metrics and construction milestones does not address real on-the-ground concerns. "-5/0SFNJOETEFDJTJPONBLFSTUIBUQVCMJD consultation must not simply be a procedural SFRVJSFNFOUPOUIFXBZUPBQSFEFUFSNJ - ned outcome, but a transparent process anchored in meaningful scrutiny and genuine accountability. “The government is racing ahead with CJMMJPOT JO UBYQBZFS EPMMBST XIJMF SVSBM communities are being asked to sacrifice UIFJSMBOE MJWFMJIPPETBOEGVUVSFT"-5/0JT demanding proof that this project is worth the cost—because once these communities are torn apart, there is no putting them CBDLUPHFUIFS vTBJE"-5/0TQPLFTQFSTPO Kathleen O’Connell.
In recent weeks, the ALTO high-speed rail (HSR) project, aimed at connecting Quebec City and Toronto, has drawn significant interest from multiple stakeholders. Between the independent review by the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO), the newly elected Quebec govern- ment’s firm opposition, and Alto’s 2026 annual public meeting, the future of the rail corridor remains contested. A revised price tag On October 1, 2026, Parliamentary Bud- get Officer (PBO) Annette Ryan released an independent report assessing the construc- tion costs and economic impacts of the baseline route proposed by Alto. 8IJMFUIFGFEFSBMHPWFSONFOUJOJUJBMMZ estimated the work between $60 billion and $90 billion (in constant 2024 dollars), the PBO’s analysis concluded that actual costs will more likely range between $75 billion and $113 billion. This estimate does not include the poten- tial addition of a route serving Kingston that is currently under study. Drawing from an analysis of 94 inter- national projects, the study highlights that procedural hurdles, litigation, or manage- ment challenges similar to those seen in the United States or the United Kingdom could substantially increase costs. However, the PBO notes that Canada has put measures in place to limit such cost escalations with the adoption of Bill C-5 and Bill C-15. These laws declared the project to be in the national interest, unified environmental assessments under a single review process, BOEBNFOEFEUIFGFEFSBM&YQSPQSJBUJPO"DU to grant Alto a right of first refusal along XJUIBOFYQFEJUFEMBOEBDRVJTJUJPOQSPDFTT According to the report, each additional kilometer of tunneling incurs a median cost increase of $169 million, while an elevated kilometer adds $153 million. Furthermore, each year of construction delay would lead to an estimated cost inc- SFBTFPGBQQSPYJNBUFMZCJMMJPO For the initial segment linking Ottawa and Montreal, planned for construction between 2029 and 2033, the PBO projects a cost of $20.9 billion. The works would support roughly 4,300 jobs in 2029 and up to 9,000 by 2033. Unlike the segment between Ottawa and Peterborough, which crosses the Cana- dian Shield, the Montreal–Ottawa route is considered far simpler, running primarily across flat terrain through the Ottawa River lowlands. Opposition Takes Shape in Quebec
Au cours des dernières semaines, le projet de train à grande vitesse (TGV) ALTO, visant à relier Québec à Toronto, a suscité un vif intérêt de la part de nombreuses parties prenantes. (ALTO)
This upward cost revision aligns with statements made by Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, who was elected on October 5 to lead a minority government in Quebec. In a campaign press release, Plamondon warned that the project could spiral toward $200 billion, and announced his intention to withdraw Quebec from the initiative. «At the Parti Québécois, we have been fighting against waste for years,» he sta- ted.» I cannot justify to Quebecers that their money be invested in a pharaonic project that, according to studies, will have little impact on road congestion and carries a high risk of becoming a massive financial fiasco, The sums involved are so immense that we could instead refurbish nearly all our aging infrastructure: schools, hospitals, roads, and public transit networks.» For his part, Canadian Prime Minister .BSL$BSOFZ RVFTUJPOFEEVSJOHBO0DUPCFS press conference in Sherbrooke, reaffirmed Ottawa’s intent to proceed with the project. «This is a project that will create more than 50,000 jobs during construction, half of them here in Quebec, and it is a project that has the support of a majority, both in the polls and in the federal votes of Quebecers. So we are going to continue,» he insisted, advocating for a collaborative approach with the governments of Quebec and Ontario. ALTO Project Update 0O8FEOFTEBZ 0DUPCFS "-50IFMEJUT 2026 annual public meeting to review the QBTUZFBS PVUMJOFOFYUTUFQT BOEBOTXFS RVFTUJPOTGSPNUIFQVCMJD $SPXODPSQPSBUJPOFYFDVUJWFTNBJOUBJO
that high-speed rail will alleviate road congestion while stimulating regional eco- OPNJDHSPXUI"-50$IJFG&YFDVUJWF0GàDFS $&0 .BSUJO*NCMFBVOPUFEUIBUUIJTDPSSJEPS aims to serve a region accounting for 40 per cent of Canada’s GDP, markets that, in his view, operate in silos. "DDPSEJOHUPUIF$&0 UIFUSBJOXJMM transform regional integration by offering seamless, fast, and affordable service, with EFQBSUVSFTSVOOJOHBTGSFRVFOUMZBTFWFSZ 20 minutes. «The opportunity does not lie solely in what Alto enables once operational; it lies in what Canada gains by building it, and what Canadians gain by using it,» he said. «Construction will support roughly 50,000 KPCT8FXJMMTFFTUSFOHUIFOFE$BOBEJBO supply chains, new technical skills and FYQFSUJTF BOEJNQSPWFEBDDFTTUPFNQMPZ - ment and education.This is one of the most significant projects ever built—comparable to the St. Lawrence Seaway or the James Bay Project.» Public consultation outcomes Between January and April 2026, ALTO held its first round of public consultations with government, municipalities, First /BUJPOT BOETUBLFIPMEFSTBMPOHUIF.PO - treal–Ottawa corridor. j8FDPOEVDUFEJUPWFSNPOUIT days,» Imbleau said. «More than 250,000 people reviewed our information online, we received 15,000 comments and sug- gestions, and that genuinely transformed several aspects of the project.» .Summarizing the key impacts of these consultations, he pointed to the potential
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