N EWS BIG CROWD FOR ALTO INFORMATION MEETING
THE NEWS
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN news@eap.on.ca
to get more specific information from ALTO about what impact the project high-speed rail project could have on the Prescott and Russell Trail. Collard noted that the popularity of the recreational trail continues to grow over the years among both residents and visitors from across Ontario, Quebec, and other places. The 72-kilometre trail is open year-round and is popular for hikers, cyclists, birdwatchers and others during spring, summer, and autumn, and with snowmobilers and ATV riders during winter. The non-profit group’s monitoring of trail usage showed that last year’s visitor total was more than 120,000, which supports the group’s assertion that the Prescott and Russell Trail has become a major benefit to the regional tourism economy. The group has invested almost $1 million during the past five years, using grants and other sources of revenue, on maintaining and improving the trail. Collard indicated that one of the group’s concerns is whether the final rail-line route ALTO decides on for its project could end up dividing the trail and making it less attractive for recreation use. Jean Lemay, board chair for the Conseil scolaire de district catholique de l’Est onta- rien (CSDCEO), expressed concern about the impact that a high-speed rail project through Eastern Ontario could affect school bus transportation routes and also pick-up and drop-off schedules for students. Along with the difficulty of rearranging student bussing schedules, Lemay noted that school districts receive provincial support funding for student transportation to and from schools and that funding could also be affected. Michelle Dignard, president of the Union des cultivateurs francophone de l’Ontario (UCFO), also expressed frustration at his group’s lack of success in getting more specific details about how ALTO’s project could affect farmlands. He noted that UCFO and representatives for Quebec’s farming sector together met with ALTO to discuss the issue. The UCFO has now formed a consul- tation committee to gather information about rural concerns, including municipal drainage areas, that could be affected by the high-speed rail project. The committee will also look at the issue of compensation for farmland owners who have their properties expropriated for the rail project. Camille Ingarao and Adina Georgescu, lawyers with Borden Ladner Gervais in Ot- tawa, explained how the current government regulations and guidelines work for land expropriation. They said that expropriation is done through a public process, and includes guidelines for landowners to appeal an expro- priation order and also dispute the proposed settlement offer for expropriated land. Quick clay During one of the general question periods of the evening’ presentation, Bourget resident Kelly King expressed concern about the risk that leda clay deposits in the region pose for any proposed rail routes. “People are forgetting,” said King, adding that leda clay was blamed as the cause of the Lemieux landslide near Bourget. The Village of Lemieux was located between Casselman, Saint-Isidore and Bourget. It was founded in 1850 as part of the growing local forest industry. In 1971 a landslide occurred about five kilometres from the edge of the village. More
than 28 hectares of land collapsed and slid into the South Nation River, damming up a long stretch of the river for months and affecting local fish and wildlife habitats. The Village of Lemieux was abandoned and the residents relocated. Leda clay deposits are credited as the main reason for the landslide. Leda clay, also called “quick clay”, is very unstable and
when subjected to stress liquifies. Potential stresses that could cause leda clay deposits to liquefy include earthquake tremors, and excessive rainfall soaking into the soil and the clay beneath. King expressed concern how the constant vibrations of a high-speed rail line could affect any leda clay deposits that may exist either below or adjacent to the rail route.
A crowd of between 200 to 300 people showed up at the Bourget Community Centre earlier this month for a public information meeting about the proposed high-speed rail project. Boisés Est hosted the June 3 event and the regional conservation group`s president Jean Saint-Pierre expressed satisfaction with the results. “The only reason we did this was so that more people would know about the project,” said Saint-Pierre, adding that Boisés Est’s primary focus remains conservation work and promoting the protection and enhan- cement of woodland areas in Prescott and Russell and other parts of Eastern Ontario. He noted, referring to all the presentations made during the evening, that the project has a potential “global impact” on many aspects of community life in the region. The Crown corporation ALTO wants to build a high-speed rail system from Toronto to Quebec City, linking seven urban centres along the route, including Ottawa and Mon- treal. ALTO has held public information sessions for the past several months as part of its process to determine which of several possible routes will become the final preferred route for the rail line. A large number of municipalities and citizens groups have raised concerns about what impact the project route could have on rural communi- ties, on farmlands, wildlife habitats, nature trails, and local traffic plans. Saint-Pierre noted that similar public information sessions on the ALTO project have taken place in other communities in Eastern Ontario, with some bilingual content available but most of the presentations done in English. The Bourget information event that Boises Est organized was in French for the benefit of the large francophone com- munity that exists in Prescott and Russell. “It`s important,” said Saint-Pierre. “We have to make an effort to let everyone in our community know what the project is all about.” Talking about the project Mario Zanth was one of several guest speakers at the June 3 event as both mayor for Clarence-Rockland and the current War- den of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR). He represents the UCPR at the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus (EOWC), which represents 13 regional governments throughout Eastern Ontario. Zanth received some of the loudest cheers of all the speakers when he explained to the audience that the EOWC made its objection to the ALTO project unanimous in a resolution approved earlier this year. “All the (regional) mayors of Eastern Ontario are against the train,” said Zanth. He also noted that the UCPR rejected a request from ALTO for access to all the public lands that the UCPR owns or manages. The company is seeking access to certain properties, both public and private, within the Prescott and Russell area for the environmental, hydrogeological and other types of information surveys that will help it determine possible routes for its high-speed rail project. Eric Collard, executive director for Sentier recreatif Prescott and Russell Recreational Trail (PR Trail), told listeners about the non- profit recreation group’s unsuccessful efforts
Craig Russell of Ettyville displayed his opposition to a high-speed rail project for Eastern Ontario as he and a large crowd gathered in the Bourget Community Centre Wedesday evening, June 3, for a public information session about the project that ALTO wants to build. (Gregg Chamberlain, EAP)
Camille Ingarao and Adina Georgescu, lawyers with Borden Ladner Gervais in Ottawa, explained how current government regulations work for land expropriation during the June 3 meeting about ALTO’s high-speed rail project. (Gregg Chamberlain, EAP)
Eric Collard of the Prescott and Russell Trail group expressed concern during the June 3 information meeting in Bourget about the potential impact that ALTO’s proposed high-speed rail project could have on the popular recreational trail. (Gregg Chamberlain, EAP)
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