On June 10, hundreds of protesters gathered on Parliament Hill, calling on the federal government to halt the proposed Alto high-speed rail project that threatens Ontario and Quebec farmland.
Why it matters: Farmers and those living in rural areas are worried about how high-speed rail will affect their communities and farming activities, including access to affordable farmland and the burden of infrastructure costs being passed on to local governments.
The Alto high-speed rail project aims to connect Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City, spanning over 1,000 kilometres through rural areas and valuable farmland. Photo: Jonah Grignon
The protest was organized by l’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) and brought together farmers, rural residents, community organizations, and industry representatives from both provinces to express their concerns about the privately managed rail line owned by the federal Crown corporation Alto.
The planned route would link Toronto with Quebec City while crossing more than 1,000 kilometres of rural communities and productive agricultural land.
With a projected cost of $120 billion and a completion target set for 2043, opposition has been growing since the project was announced in February 2025.
Demonstrators are urging the federal government to cancel the initiative due to fears of land expropriation that could isolate them from markets and damage sensitive environmental sites. Photo: Jonah Grignon
Farm groups contend that this rail line poses a threat to farmland due to possible land expropriation, could hinder access to markets and farming operations, and raises serious environmental concerns for rural communities along its path.
The organizers of the protest believe this event marks just the start of a larger movement aimed at ensuring farmers and rural communities have a strong voice in future developments.
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