Douro-Dummer mayor Heather Watson passed the gavel to deputy mayor Harold Nelson at the March 17 regular council meeting so she could table a motion regarding ALTO high speed rail.
The issue came up under section 12.3 of the agenda which was a letter crafted by the Township of Rideau Lakes and referred to Alto High Speed Rail Project (Bill C-15 Budget) Concerns.
Watson told council that she first heard of the ALTO project at a conference last Fall and initially she was excited, but as she discussed the issue with ratepayers across the county she became less excited after hearing their concerns.
Watson said she recently contacted MP Emma Harrison’s office to inquire if she was listening to Douro-Dummer residents and extended an invitation for her to come to the township offering her a free venue so she could talk to residents.
Harris passed on the invitation and told Watson she was trying to get ALTO to hold another public consultation in Norwood.
Harris also gave Watson a letter to share with council which offered a web address (altotrain.ca) which gives up-to-date information and an FAQ page.
The letter also stated that ALTO has extended the on-line consultations until April 24.
Watson said she is bringing this motion forward at this meeting because absent a voice from our MP, we have to address what’s happening in our back yard.
Watson was not the only one concerned with the ALTO project at the March 17 meeting.
Nadine Ellis-Maffei took advantage of the public comment period and addressed council regarding ALTO and listed a number of concerns.
At the top of Ellis-Maffei’s list of concerns are that our elected officials are not speaking on behalf of the Douro-Dummer ratepayers.
She said she was tired of hearing the phrase “our hands are tied” by both municipal and provincial representatives and has only received a generic email response form Harrison.
Peterborough-Kawartha MP Dave Smith was also present at the council meeting and when he was asked about the ALTO project he reiterated that this was a federal project and that the best way to be heard is to contact not just your MP, but all the MPs through the corridor.
The motion tabled by mayor Watson as is follows:
Resolution – ALTO High Speed RailWhereas the proposed ALTO High Speed Rail (HSR) project has been initiated by the Government of Canada and identified as a Project of National Significance as part of a nation-building strategy;
And Whereas Council recognizes that major national transportation infrastructure projects may provide economic and mobility benefits at a regional and national level;
And Whereas the project was not initiated by the Township of Douro-Dummer or requested by its residents, yet the municipality may experience significant impacts depending on the final corridor alignment;
And Whereas ALTO has stated that municipal leaders play an important role in representing the concerns of their residents throughout the planning process;
And Whereas the Township has invited the local Member of Parliament to attend and hear directly from residents regarding concerns related to the proposed corridor, and that invitation has not been accepted;
And Whereas residents have raised concerns regarding potential impacts including the severance of township roads, increased municipal infrastructure costs, impacts to farms and emergency response times, potential land expropriation, including the potential impacts on private property rights, and disruption to rural land use;
And Whereas a significant portion of the preliminary corridor through Douro-Dummer contains environmentally sensitive lands, including areas designated within the Provincial Natural Heritage System, provincially significant wetlands, highly vulnerable aquifers, important white-tailed deer wintering habitat, and habitats supporting rare, threatened, and endangered species;
And Whereas routing High Speed Rail infrastructure within or adjacent to existing transportation corridors may significantly reduce impacts on rural communities, agricultural lands, municipal infrastructure, natural drainage systems, wildlife habitat, and recreational trail networks;
Therefore Be It ResolvedThat the Township of Douro-Dummer express its significant concerns regarding any proposed ALTO High Speed Rail alignment through the municipality;
And Further That Council indicate it does not support an alignment through Douro-Dummer at this time unless and until the Government of Canada, ALTO, and the local Member of Parliament provide clear assurances that the concerns raised by residents and Council will be addressed;
And Further That Council strongly encourage the Government of Canada and ALTO to prioritize routing High Speed Rail infrastructure within or adjacent to existing transportation corridors, including provincial highways, wherever possible in order to minimize impacts on rural municipalities;
And Further That the Township request confirmation that any costs associated with road realignments, crossings, infrastructure modifications, emergency access requirements, or other municipal impacts resulting from the project will be fully borne by the Government of Canada and/or the project proponent, and not downloaded onto the municipality or its taxpayers;
And Further That this resolution be forwarded to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Minister of Transport, the local Member of Parliament, and ALTO.
Councillor Tom Watt told council he was fully in support of this motion particularly the section that refers to compensating the township for expenses incurred by this federal project.
The motion passed.
