The Member of Parliament for Hastings-Lennox and Addington-Tyendinaga said more residents are voicing their opposition to the federal government’s ALTO high-speed rail plan.
Shelby Kramp-Neuman said her staff have received more calls opposing the project than on any other issue during her time in office.
“The biggest reason why people seem to be against this is the land expropriations that could happen in some of the grey zones.”
A grey zone generally refers to an area where the rail route could eventually wind up. Kramp-Neuman added her constituents are also concerned about the project’s lofty budget.
“There is a $90 billion price tag, but from my perspective, that’s just a fraction of what it would actually cost.”
The MP recently attended a pair of ALTO open houses, one in Tamworth and the other in Madoc Township, where several concerns were raised.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s the cutting of rural roads, access to emergency services, the disruption of school bus routes, or the environmental damage and disruption. Two weeks ago, I came out in opposition to both the north and south routes because both could potentially go through the riding.”
In her statement, Kramp-Nueman said after researching the project through meetings with constituents, stakeholders, municipalities, and ALTO representatives, she can’t support it in its current state.
“For the federal government and ALTO to have the agency proceed responsibly with this project they need to first secure the support and trust of the people and communities most affected. To date, they have fallen well short of that threshold.”
She added the issue won’t be going away any time soon, mainly due to the financial risk involved.
“Livelihoods could clearly be destroyed. I don’t want to be perceived as standing in the way of progress and infrastructure, that’s not the case. This is stripping away the property rights of everybody who lives in the path.”
The proposed high-speed line would run between Toronto and Ottawa through Peterborough, then continue east to Montréal and Québec City. There are currently no stops proposed in Kramp-Neuman’s riding.
