Eastern Ontario MPPs raising concerns over proposed high-speed rail line

A group of Ford government MPPs in eastern Ontario are raising concerns about the Carney government’s proposed high-speed rail line. It comes after Ottawa withdrew its support for the Ford government’s proposed expansion of Toronto’s Billy Bishop Airport.

Saying there are too many questions unanswered and too many voices ignored, 11 Ford government MPPs say:

“If ALTO is to proceed, local voices impacted by this project deserve to see their feedback reflected in the project’s planning, route selection and delivery.”

“The federal government must ensure that any potential future rail project minimizes impacts on farmland and is supported by the people affected.”

The MPPs include Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn, Labour Minister David Piccini and Government House Leader Steve Clark.

The proposed ALTO high-speed rail line would run about 1,000 kilometres, connecting Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City, carrying passengers at speeds of more than 300 kilometres per hour.

The Carney government says it is a nation-building project that will deliver better transportation and economic growth.

But ALTO is opposed by many in eastern Ontario, where large sections of land would need to be expropriated by the feds in order for it to be constructed.

And now, citing unnamed sources, The Canadian Press and other media outlets are reporting Ontario’s premier and his PC government are reconsidering their support, because of Ottawa’s decision on the Toronto Island airport.

READ MORE: Toronto island airport expansion killed by ‘fringe group’: Ontario minister

Yesterday, Ontario’s transport minister denounced the Carney government’s Friday announcement that it will not support the expansion of the airport to accommodate jets because of opposition from Torontonians.

“We’ve seen the federal government here listen to a small fringe group in Toronto,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Ontario’s transport minister. “If Prime Minister Carney and his team want to — if this is how they’re gunna treat bigger projects, I don’t think you’ll get much built.”

“That’s a threat from the province to the feds at a time when both levels of government are talking about a team Canada approach to getting major projects built in Canada,” said political analyst Keith Leslie.

Leslie says this is clear pushback from the province, citing reports Doug Ford and Mark Carney had a handshake agreement to exchange support for these two projects.

He adds that the Liberals’ decision to not support Ford’s much-desired expansion is about politics.

“And about five minutes after they announce that they were not going to support the Billy Bishop airport expansion, they announce three by-elections, including one in Beaches-East York which of course would be in the flight path of any airport expansion,” said Leslie.

But the provincial transport minister says the Ford government will continue to pursue the project, refusing to return lands recently expropriated from Toronto for the airport expansion, despite calls to do so from Toronto’s mayor.

“The waterfront belongs to everyone, not to some private Wall Street interests, and the people have spoken out,” said Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow.

When asked about the Ford government’s concerns raised by its 11 MPPs today, federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon says he hopes to continue to have collaboration on ALTO.

He added that collaboration with the Ford government on a number of other very important economic projects will continue.

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