An Email From the farm where we get our meat and eggs. Feel free to share!
I feel like I’ve been living under a rock just hearing about this in the last few weeks.
Have you heard about the Alto High Speed Rail from Quebec City to Toronto and Bill C-15?
I attended an Alto information session last evening. My goal was to simply listen, learn, and understand the perspectives in the room. What I encountered was a wide range of voices – farmers concerned about generational land, property owners worried about uncertainty and others who simply felt uneasy.
I noticed a gap between technical planning and public understanding. Through conversations with other attendees I realized that most were not reacting to the concept of the rail in principle but with the uncertainty about land, livelihoods, timelines, and transparency.
In my opinion, better structure and clarity in communication on the part of Alto would have changed the tone of the meeting. Showing a preferred route alongside alternatives, explaining what stage the project is in, and speaking directly to property impacts would have helped people engage with facts rather than fears.
Clear communication wouldn’t remove disagreement but it sure would create the conditions for informed judgement and I believe that is what public consultation should strive to provide. The complete lack of transparency and lack of answers to even the most basic of questions has me very concerned. The Alto reps were acting like the decision has already been made but it’s like they got shoved at us without knowing many facts about the project.
So here is what I did learn. There are 2 proposed rail corridors 10 km wide. Our farm is in the northern corridor. I placed a red dot in the area where our farms are located.
From what little I got from the meeting, the Northern route is preferred. The exact location of the rail is unknown but my guess (along with some of the reps) is it will run along the main hydro lines. These lines run straight through one of my rental farms and would also block me from reaching my main rental farm (which has even more pasture than my own property) which I use to pasture my cattle. I need to get to them usually twice a day during the growing season. They may also need to take some of our farm to have access during the building phase because of a river that blocks them access. But I’m only guessing here. Like I mentioned above, the uncertainties of this project is next level.
What about Emergency service or fire access? These trains are not like other trains with vehicle crossings. The only way to cross a track is by overhead bridge or under ground which only happens along “main” roads and highways. What is their definition of “main”?
While I was talking with an Alto rep they explained to me how a project like this is difficult in a democratic country like ours compared to China. This is where Bill C-15 comes in.
Buried inside this bill, a 600-page omnibus budget bill, is the High-Speed Rail Network Act. First reading was November 18, 2025. It passed the House of Commons February 26th, 2026 and is now before the Senate – moving fast and deliberately under the radar.
Here’s what’s in it: Under normal Canadian law, the government has to try to negotiate with you before expropriating your land. Bill C-15 removes that requirement entirely for this project. They can take first, compensate later – on their terms. The bill also strips away standard notice obligations, meaning less warning and less time to respond.
So do I go ahead and build the barns and outbuildings I need or should I stop development? I don’t want to put more money into our farm if we’re going to be expropriated and given peanuts for it. Instead should I focus on saving all our income to put towards purchasing another farm? Will I be able to find or afford another farm?
Alto should not need this bill to pass if they intend to expropriate people in a respectful and lawful manner! This is my main concern.
People are about to lose their homes, their livelihoods, their farms (possibly us), everything. I believe this is an EMERGENCY! This is sickening. I learned last evening that this is a $90-$120 Billion dollar project. Why is it not splashed all over the news?
Please watch this video as it does a great job at expressing our (as well as our communities) concerns:
If you live in a small town or rural area between Toronto and Quebec City and if you are a land owner, it would be a good idea to learn more about this train approval.
Along with the feeling I got at the ALTO meeting, there are a few other red flags I’ve noticed about this project that I won’t get into here. It has me wondering if it could just be a large scale land grab? I wonder if this project will ever even begin construction. The Canadian government will still seize the land but it won’t be used for a rail line. Instead, they potentially could keep the land until they can quietly turn it into a protected wildlife corridor as part of their commitment to restore 30% of Canada’s developed land by 2030.
Where did I get this idea from? Remember in 1972 when 18,600 acres of mostly Class 1 farmland in north Pickering was expropriated by the Federal government for an airport that was never built? Bill C-15 makes the Pickering land grab look like a picnic.
If you are concerned about the potential impacts of the Alto high-speed rail project on our town, our rural roads, local businesses, and ultimately our tax dollars, I encourage you to sign this petition and contact the Senators who now hold final approval of Bill C-15.
Your message does not need to be lengthy or complicated. JUST SEND SOMETHING. You might simply state that:
You do not believe Canadians can afford a project estimated at $90–$120 billion, particularly given the likelihood of cost overruns.
You are concerned that Canada’s electricity grid is already under pressure and may not have the capacity to support this project.
You lack confidence that the government will deliver as promised, citing past projects such as the proposed Pickering Airport and the planned upgrades at CFB Trenton that did not proceed as originally presented and yet the land they expropriated was never returned to the original owners.
In government decision-making, silence is often interpreted as acceptance. If you have concerns, now is the time to make your voice heard.
This should make it easier for you to copy and paste for your email. Please take 5 minutes to help your farmer, your friends, your family, your neighbours and your fellow Canadians who need you right now. PLEASE SHARE THIS MESSAGE FAR AND WIDE!
Here is a list of the Senators that will most likely be voting on Bill C-15 very soon:
Willie Adams
Margaret Dawn Anderson
MargaretDawn.Anderson@sen.parl.gc.ca
Raynell Andreychuk
raynell.andreychuk@sen.parl.gc.ca
David M. Arnot
Michèle Audette
michele.audette@sen.parl.gc.ca
Yvonne Boyer
Diane Bellemare
diane.bellemare@sen.parl.gc.ca
Robert Black
Sharon Burey
Larry Campbell
René Cormier
Rodger Cuzner
Pierre J. Dalphond
pierrej.dalphond@sen.parl.gc.ca
Colin Deacon
Tony Dean
Dennis Dawson
Jean-Guy Dagenais
jean-guy.dagenais@sen.parl.gc.ca
Baltej S. Dhillon
baltej.s.dhillon@sen.parl.gc.ca
Pat Duncan
Renée Dupuis
Éric Forest
Brian Francis
Rosa Galvez
Marc Gold
Margo Greenwood
margo.greenwood@sen.parl.gc.ca
Stephen Greene
Nancy Hartling
Leo Housakos
Mobina S. B. Jaffer
Nancy Karetak-Lindell
nancy.karetak-lindell@sen.parl.gc.ca
Marty Klyne
Stan Kutcher
stanley.kutcher@sen.parl.gc.ca
Patti LaBoucane-Benson
patti.laboucane-benson@sen.parl.gc.ca
Tony Loffreda
Jane MacAdam
Paul J. Massicotte
paul.j.massicotte@sen.parl.gc.ca
Mary Jane McCallum
maryjane.mccallum@sen.parl.gc.ca
Marilou McPhedran
marilou.mcphedran@sen.parl.gc.ca
Marie-Françoise Mégie
marie-francoise.megie@sen.parl.gc.ca
Julie Miville-Dechêne
julie.miville-dechene@sen.parl.gc.ca
Farah Mohamed
Jim Munson
Thanh Hai Ngo
Ratna Omidvar
Flordeliz (Gigi) Osler
flordeliz.osler@sen.parl.gc.ca
Rebecca Patterson
rebecca.patterson@sen.parl.gc.ca
Chantal Petitclerc
chantal.petitclerc@sen.parl.gc.ca
Sandra Pupatello
sandra.pupatello@sen.parl.gc.ca
Pierrette Ringuette
pierrette.ringuette@sen.parl.gc.ca
Krista Ross
Raymonde Saint-Germain
raymonde.saint-germain@sen.parl.gc.ca
Paula Simons
Karen Sorensen
Scott Tannas
Wanda Thomas Bernard
wandathomas.bernard@sen.parl.gc.ca
Judy White
Yuen Pau Woo
Hassan Yussuff
hassan.yussuff@sen.parl.gc.ca
Thank you for your attention to this!
Although this is concerning and heartbreaking, we’re not worried or stressing too much about it (at least not to the degree some of our neighbours are). Our heavenly Father has proven over and over again that he will take care of our family so maybe it’s easier for us not to worry. May His will be done in all of our lives!
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