Farm groups urge review of Alto rail project, citing costs and impacts

Martin Imbleau, president and CEO of Alto, second from right, points at Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe as Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Steven MacKinnon, right, looks on following an announcement about the next steps for high-speed rail during a press conference in Gatineau, Que., on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

MONTREAL — Farm organizations from Quebec, Ontario and across Canada are calling on Ottawa to revisit the proposed high-speed rail line between Quebec City and Toronto, saying the project could cost far more than projected and cause significant damage to agricultural land.

The Union des producteurs agricoles, Quebec’s largest farm organization, joined the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture to call for a new review of the Alto high-speed rail project. Experts and several representatives from the agricultural sector held a press conference on Monday in Berthierville, Que., in the Lanaudière region.

‘’We are not opposed to progress, but progress cannot come at the expense of the people and the farmland that feeds our communities and this country,’’ said Drew Spoelstra, president of the Ontario federation.

The groups pointed to a study published in September 2025 by three researchers from three universities: HEC Montréal, a business school affiliated with the Université de Montréal; Université Laval; and the University of Waterloo. The research was not commissioned by the agricultural organizations.

The study estimated the project would generate approximately $48 billion in economic benefits over 40 years. Researchers argued that figure falls well short of Alto’s projected cost of between $60 billion and $90 billion.

Alto did not immediately provide a comment.

Jacques Roy, a professor in the department of operations and logistics management at HEC Montréal and one of the study’s authors, pointed to the latest extension of France’s high-speed rail network between Bordeaux and Toulouse, which is expected to cost roughly $112 million per kilometre.

Applied to Alto’s proposed 1,000-kilometre corridor, Roy said that would translate into a cost of about $112 billion. He added that Ontario researchers have estimated the final bill could reach $140 billion.

Roy said additional expenses, including the challenge of bringing high-speed rail into the downtown cores of Montreal and Toronto, have yet to be fully accounted for. He estimated those costs alone could add at least another $10 billion.

The agricultural community also voiced concerns about the loss of farmland and forest land, as well as the fragmentation of land caused by the passage of the train.

‘’Our rail corridor will divide fields, separate farm building from farm land and create operational challenges that will last not just for years, but for generations,’’ said Spoelstra.

Although Alto has proposed overpasses and underpasses to maintain access, the agricultural organizations said many producers would still face lengthy detours to reach sections of land separated by the rail line.

Martin Caron, president of the Union des producteurs agricoles, said his organization is also asking Ottawa to release the analyses that led it to choose high-speed rail over a high-frequency rail option.

High-frequency rail would operate at lower speeds but could make greater use of existing rail corridors and require less new infrastructure, Caron argued.

“There are less costly solutions, easier to implement, that will disturb fewer people,” said Roy. “We just want them to be studied and for a transparent comparative analysis to be presented.”

According to figures cited by the Quebec farm union, the initial 200-kilometre segment between Montreal and Ottawa, expected to begin construction as early as 2029, would affect about 1,700 properties, including at least 500 agricultural properties, according to Alto.

Caron said farmers are speaking out because of the long-term consequences they believe the project could have on agricultural land.

“This is a cry from the heart we’re making today,” he said. “It’s a legacy we leave for generations and generations.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2026.

Pierre Saint-Arnaud, The Canadian Press