High speed rail. Sounds great, but at what cost?
Now $150 Billion+*. Still no published business case. No transparency. You deserve better.
We support effective, sustainable transportation solutions.
However, with an estimated price tag of 90 billion dollars, the ALTO proposal raises serious concerns while placing an unfair burden on rural and regional communities in the rail corridor.
* Source: The Globe and Mail, “Toronto-Quebec high-speed rail project could cost $150-billion over 40 years, document shows,” Aug. 31, 2026. Read the article.
Impact
The proposed ALTO High Speed Rail line from Toronto to Quebec City runs almost 1000km in length. It requires a grade-separated finished corridor that is 60 metres in width and fully fenced to a minimum height of 10 feet.
There are no grade-level crossings.
As of August 2026, there is no indication of the distance between over/underpasses in rural areas. ALTO has committed only to over/underpasses on federal and provincial roads.
View the map to find out what this means in your area.
ALTO will directly impact every person in every community along the corridor, cutting farmers' lands in half, diverting school buses, transportation, and emergency responders, inhibiting wildlife migration and adversely affecting sensitive ecological areas, drainage and more.
Compensation will be offered to those who are expropriated, but what about those who are left behind?
60-90
Billion Dollars
Estimated cost for the ALTO high speed rail project which is expected to pay for itself in year 47 of its operation. An additional proposal is currently in circulation that would bring the initial cost to 150 BILLION
1500
Families who stand to be displaced by the ALTO project in the Ottawa to Montreal corridor alone.
Are YOU in the corridor? Check the map.
0
Number of residents in the smaller communities along the corridor who will benefit from the project. There is only lasting harm to our land, our wildlife and our community.
Our demands
An established rail corridor already exists and is currently operated by VIA Rail. The project has not demonstrated why upgrading or optimizing existing infrastructure would be insufficient. Improving current rail service could deliver benefits sooner, at lower cost, and with fewer environmental and agricultural impacts.
The ALTO project is being advanced prematurely despite unresolved concerns around land use, cost, demand, and community impact. Communities are being asked to absorb permanent impacts without clear evidence the project is viable or necessary.
The proposed route threatens prime agricultural land, generational farms, and family-owned businesses that are irreplaceable to the region’s economy and identity. Comprehensive, transparent studies assessing environmental, agricultural, and long-term economic impacts have not yet been completed. Proceeding without this due diligence risks irreversible harm to farmland, ecosystems, and rural livelihoods.
There is currently no clear or public information on:
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Total project costs
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Expected public subsidies
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Ticket pricing and affordability
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Ridership projections and demand analysis
Without this data, the business case for ALTO remains weak. Residents are concerned the project will rely heavily on public funding while serving a limited, higher-income ridership, resulting in taxpayers paying twice—once through subsidies and again through local environmental and land-use impacts.
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Bill C-15 has allowed expanded powers to the government and its agents to complete this project, including changes to the Land Expropriation Act.
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Your land could be expropriated – no negotiation required
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Your objections can be ignored – no public hearings
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You could be blocked from using your property – no renos or new construction for years
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Any sale must be offered to the government first – lowering property value
At the very least, Land Expropriation should not come before impact studies.
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Agricultural & Environmental Impact
These lands are irreplaceable, yet the project is advancing without completed, transparent environmental and agricultural impact studies.
Fragmentation of rural ecosystems and farmland, disruption to drainage and wildlife movement, and the long-term effects on farm viability have not been adequately assessed, raising serious concerns about irreversible damage to the rural landscape.
Where's
the Data?
There is no clear disclosure of total costs, expected public subsidies, fare affordability, or ridership demand for a project that will permanently change rural infrastructure.
Without transparent data and a credible business case, the project appears to be moving forward on assumptions rather than evidence, leaving taxpayers and affected communities unable to assess whether the investment is justified.
High Costs
Zero benefit
Rural communities along the corridor would bear the environmental, financial, and land-use impacts of the ALTO project without receiving meaningful transportation benefits.
A project that delivers high costs and minimal local benefit fails to meet the basic test of fairness or public value.
Bill C-15 gives the federal government exceptional powers to fast-track the high-speed rail project by overriding normal approval, land-use, and expropriation processes.
Responsible infrastructure requires evidence, transparency, and public trust.
The rushed ALTO project does NOT yet meet those standards, especially in light of the alarming extraordinary powers Bill C-15 grants the government to accelerate this project.
Bill C-15 was passed by the Senate and received royal assent on March 26, 2026. It allows:
1
Faster approvals: Cabinet can designate the rail corridor early, limiting later challenges or changes.
2
Land access & expropriation: The government can more easily enter, acquire, or expropriate land needed for the project.
3
Reduced oversight: Some usual environmental, planning, and regulatory steps can be streamlined or bypassed.
4
Less local control: Municipalities, conservation authorities, landowners, and communities have fewer formal levers once the corridor is approved.
Overwhelming public opposition calls on Ottawa to re-evaluate Alto plan.
Essential ALTO Reading
Want to get involved? Connect with an opposition group in your area.
