The official path of the federal government’s ALTO high-speed rail project may not be finalized, but the Member of Parliament for Hastings-Lennox and Addington-Tyendinaga said her constituents are becoming more vocal in their opposition.
Shelby Kramp-Neuman said there have been dozens of public meetings in her riding, and she hasn’t heard from a single person in favour of the project.
“There are all kinds of community groups forming, and these are not partisan Conservative groups. This is absolutely not a political issue and we are having all stripes coming together to oppose this.”
She added the route is still not finalized, and public consultations have been extended, something Kramp-Neuman said is a good thing.
“Clearly, the government is recognizing there is noise on this, and I think because the routes and timelines aren’t confirmed, it’s hard to justify how the government is so strongly defending the project.”
The government has suggested the project could create up to 50,000 jobs and add between $35 billion and $40 billion to the economy.
“This all sounds good, but there is so much uncertainty and the government is defending it so strongly when we don’t know what the final costs are. We don’t know what the routes are going to be. It is being framed as a long-term infrastructure project to remain competitive, but I argue the complete opposite.”
Kramp-Neuman added she would rather see the government commit to making Canada an energy superpower, something the country is fully capable of doing.
“We have everything the world needs from an energy perspective. We need to be more sovereign and more competitive. We have the means, but we don’t have the legislation to move that forward. We should be the wealthiest country in the world and we have the potential to be just that.”
She added the projected $90 million price tag is just too high when there is so much financial hardship across the country.
“I just don’t see the rationale for this right now. And equally important is the land expropriation. And that is a huge issue that people are rightfully getting frustrated. It’s too disruptive, too expensive, and it’s just not justified.”
She added ALTO is not providing sufficient information to the public, a situation she says is contributing to political gamesmanship and creating tension between big-city and small-town residents.
“People are getting even more confused, and too many decisions and policies are being made in the short term instead of the long term. The whole urban-rural divide is a concern here.”
