Alto
I back rail, every kind that fits. I oppose Alto as proposed. I won't back a route that cuts a farm in two: over, under or around our farmland, never through it.
What we know
- Alto puts its cost at $60 to 90 billion. It has not finished its business case. Source: Alto news release, 20 Aug 2026, Council agenda 8 Sep 2026.
- Council voted 5-0 for routes on corridors we already have, like Ontario's highways. It asked that our costs get paid in full. Source: Resolution 103/26, 14 Apr 2026.
- Alto studies two routes. Both run through the Township. It expects to narrow them here early in 2027. Source: altotrain.ca, consultation page.
- Federal law lets Alto buy or take land. That can come before the federal impact study gets a ruling. Source: High-Speed Rail Network Act, s.7; Transport Canada, Q&A on the Act, Jun 2026.
What I'll work to pass
Council can't veto Alto. Federal law treats it as approved (High-Speed Rail Network Act, s.5). Council does control its own land, records, vote and voice. I'll use all four.
- A Council vote for rail, against Alto as proposed. It makes five calls. Show the business case, and get it an outside review. Use the 401 or corridors we already have. Cut no farm in two. Buy or take no land before the impact study gets a ruling. Fix VIA first, with rail jobs here.
Who decides: Council passes it. Alto and Ottawa decide what to do with it. - Nothing handed over without a vote. No Township land or records go to Alto without a public vote. The Township signs no deal to keep things secret without one either, and it posts the deal's text.
Who decides: Council alone. Source: Tyendinaga adopted this rule, Resolution 231-2026, 12 Aug 2026. - Post every meeting with Alto or a developer. List who met, when, and on what. That goes for Council and senior staff.
Who decides: Council alone. It needs no by-law. - Crossings that carry a combine. Plan them with farmers, through a standing farm voice at the Township.
Who decides: Council, for Township roads. The rest we ask of Alto and the County.