In the last several months opposition has been growing regarding the proposed project to build a high-speed train that would link Québec City and Toronto, with stops in between.

It’s not that citizens opposed to the project are against high-speed rail — but more that they are concerned that the corporations involved are not accountable and not transparent, and that Canadians across the country will be left footing the bill for a high-speed rail system that is badly designed, environmentally unsustainable, and disruptive and economically damaging to agricultural communities and residents.

And while it is stated that Alto will be owned and managed by the federal government, who knows what the future will bring. Readers do not need to be reminded that the Carney government is planning on privatizing Canadian airports.

Once you take a look at the details, I would say those in opposition have thought through their list of grievances. We owe them a debt of gratitude, I think. While most of us might have been thinking that a high-speed rail system is an environmentally sound idea, Alto does not appear to be that at all.

The estimated $90 billion dollar project led by a consortium called Cadence has been holding limited consultations, but the process is seen to be opaque and not public or extensive. And to boot it could cost double or triple the estimated amount by the time it would be completed.

Both the National Farmers Union (NFU) and the Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec (UPA) organized and led a demonstration on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, June 9 — one of several protests in recent months. There are more actions to come.

An online Parliamentary petition which closed on May 28, has garnered close to a whopping 18,000 signatures.

In part that petition to the House of Commons states:

Bill C-15 includes provisions granting the federal government extraordinary powers to designate rail corridors and expedite approvals, potentially limiting full environmental review and meaningful consultation with affected landowners, municipalities, and communities;

The Alto high-speed rail project is estimated to cost approximately $90 billion, which would equate to roughly $9,000 per Canadian family of four, yet the project would serve only a small fraction of........

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