EOWC Concerns Re Alto High Speed Rail Cutting Through Eastern Ontario
Re: Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus Concerns Re: Alto High Speed Rail Network Project Cutting Through Eastern Ontario
Dear Martin Imbleau, President and CEO, Alto:
On behalf of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) and our 103 member municipalities, we are writing to raise our concerns on the Prime Minister’s announcement today regarding the Alto high-speed rail network development plan between Toronto and Quebec City.
While the EOWC supports transportation expansion across rural and small-urban communities as a long-standing priority, if built, this project will cut through our region’s communities without bringing benefits to local businesses, trail systems, tourist destinations, or our 800,000+ residents.
The EOWC region is about the same geographical size as the province of Nova Scotia (approximately 50,000 square kilometres). Although we recognize that a stop is planned in Peterborough, overall, the train network will still have little to no benefit for the region as a whole.
The EOWC is urging that additional train stop(s) be included across Eastern Ontario as part of the Alto high-speed rail system. Additional stop(s) will improve transit across our rural and small-urban communities as well as strengthen regional connections. However, we have long-standing concerns about the impact of the proposed rail route on the integrity of our recreational trail network as an economic driver, central activity, and transit network for our residents and tourists.
In April of 2023, the EOWC formally responded as a region to the VIA High Frequency Rail municipal consultations voicing these concerns, and has since held meetings with staff around the impacts across our communities. Moving forward, the EOWC would like to work together with Alto high-speed rail, across government, and sectors to encourage additional stop(s) and find a path forward to ensure that this project will bring economic and social benefits to our region, its communities, business and our residents.
About the EOWC
The EOWC represents nearly one quarter of the municipalities across Ontario, 103 to be exact. Our Board of Directors is comprised of the 13 counties and single-tier municipal governments across Eastern Ontario. We represent the geographical area between the City of Kawartha Lakes to the Quebec border, spanning nearly 50,000 square kilometres, and advocate for the needs of over 800,000 residents.
Our municipal elected officials look forward to opportunities to collaborate to strengthen our region’s transportation network, communities and local economies. The EOWC is committed to working with all federal and provincial government leaders, as well as private sector partners to ensure Eastern Ontario remains a vibrant, competitive and sustainable region.
We welcome your response and the opportunity to discuss our priorities and explore ways we can collaborate for the benefit of our communities.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Clark,
Chair, 2025
Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus
info@eowc.org
CC:
The Rt Hon. Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada
PM@pm.gc.ca
justin.trudeau@parl.gc.ca
The Hon. Anita Anand
Minister of Transport and Internal Trade
Anita.Anand@parl.gc.ca
Members of Parliament for the EOWC region
Rebecca Bligh
President
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
president@fcm.ca
Robin Jones
President
Association of Municipalities of Ontario
amopresident@amo.on.ca
Christa Lowry
Chair
Rural Ontario Municipal Association
romachair@roma.on.ca
Jeff Leal
Chair
Eastern Ontario Leadership Council
JLeal@peterborough.ca
John Beddows
Chair
Eastern Ontario Mayors’ Caucus
jbeddows@gananoque.ca
Meredith Staveley-Watson
Director of Government Relations and Policy, EOWC
meredith.staveley-watson@eowc.org
Cell: 647-545-8324
Alexis Doyle
Senior Advisor, Local Government and Community Partnerships – Ontario
Alto High Frequency Rail
alexis.doyle@hfr-tgf.ca
