Opposition to the Alto high-speed rail development is growing, with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) the latest group to speak out against it.
The OFA and its Quebec counterpart released a joint press release today asking for a pause to the project, which will link Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and Quebec City.
The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and l’Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) are calling for a cautious, transparent approach. The proposed rail alignment is currently planned to be built through areas that include some of the most productive farmland in Ontario and Quebec.
“Farmers have significant concerns. There is a lot of good, high-producing land in those areas,” said OFA President Drew Spoelstra. “We are asking for this pause to take a good look and focus on the agricultural impact of the project.”
The OFA has been active behind the scenes with ongoing conversations with elected officials at the provincial and federal levels.
“We’ve had some good discussions with Alto as well. We met with them as a board a week or so ago and asked our questions. We are looking for more answers.”
Some area politicians have publicly called for a halt to the project, including Hastings-Lennox and Addington-Tyendinaga MP Shelby Kramp-Neuman.
“Ontario’s farmland is a strategic provincial and national asset, and the highest and best use of our arable land is for agriculture,” added Spoelstra. “Let’s not forget that agriculture and agri-food are cornerstones of Ontario’s economic prosperity. This sector, which is built around productive agricultural land, contributes $51 billion annually to the provincial economy and employs about 10 per cent of Ontario’s workforce.”
Specifically, the OFA and UPA are urging provincial and federal governments and Alto to stay out of prime agricultural areas, avoid breaking farms into smaller pieces, keep fields and farm operations whole and protect farm drainage systems that are essential for crop production.
The groups are also urging farmers’ concerns over construction impacts and ongoing costs, including fencing and the construction, upgrading and long-term maintenance of safe farm crossings for equipment and livestock, be addressed.
If the project proceeds, Spoelstra said full access to farmland, maple groves, and woodlands would be maintained, and properly sized agricultural and forestry crossings (minimum 10 metres) would be created as required.
He is also calling for farmers to receive fair, proportional compensation in recognition of the permanent and significant impact of the rail corridor compared to highways or transmission lines.
