Farmers Forum staff
OTTAWA – The federal government’s plan to spend $90 billion on regional high speed rail that is opposed even by Canadians able to take the train, according to federal focus groups in Eastern Ontario and Québec who called the venture costly and unnecessary.
“Participants residing in the Ottawa-Montréal corridor were asked questions related to the federal government’s plan to develop high speed rail in their region,” said a federal report by the in-house Privy Council. “Asked whether they had seen, read or heard news related to the Government of Canada and major infrastructure projects, a number recalled hearing about discussions.”
All participants had heard about a plan to develop high-speed rail from Toronto to Québec City, said the report titled Continuous Qualitative Data Collection Of Canadians’ Views. “While participants believed this project would be helpful in making it faster to travel along the corridor from Toronto to Québec City, a number were concerned about what they viewed as the high financial costs associate with the construction of a major transportation project such as this.”
Among participants, “the view was expressed that there were already numerous ways to transit between Toronto and Québec City relatively quickly with some feeling that there were likely other projects that represented more urgent priorities for the Government of Canada” to focus on.
The federal government was not quick to disclose the focus group concerns. The report was made public on July 30 but was dated March 3, days after the Commons’ February 26 passage of the High Speed Rail Network Act. The Act granted new expropriation powers to Alto Corporation, the Crown agency overseeing the venture.
Cabinet proposes to build an electrified, 300-kilometre per hour rail line from Toronto to Peterborough, Ottawa, Laval, Montréal, Trois-Rivières and Québec City. The first leg of construction, Ottawa to Montréal, is projected to take seven years.
Alto Corporation, which was set up to oversee the project, has spent $265.9 million of $4.3 billion budgeted in start-up costs and hired 13 vice presidents, 44 directors and 7 managers including the Minister of Finance’s wife. Conservative MPs to date sponsored 26 Commons petitions signed by 27,036 taxpayers opposed to the venture.
In a June 22 What We Heard Report drawn from meetings and questionnaires with the public in Ontario and Québec, Alto acknowledged wariness over costs. “Many participants raised questions about the project and its timeline and were skeptical that the project could be delivered within the anticipated budget and schedule,” the Alto report said.
Landowners also feared expropriation.. “Apprehension about land acquisition was voiced, especially in rural areas,” the report said. “Farmland protection and preservation of agricultural connectivity were raised as concerns.”
Residents have reason to worry. The federal government decided to go ahead with the project without public consultation and passed a bill to make land expropriation easier. At the same Ontario repealed the Endangered Species Act, which would also cut down on project delays.
