Peterborough city council has unanimously passed a resolution expressing its strong support for Peterborough being one of the seven stops on the proposed Alto high-speed rail project.
The resolution was brought forward by councillor Kevin Duguay at council’s general committee meeting on Monday night (March 23).
That happened to be the same day that the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) — chaired by Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark — released an unanimous resolution from March 19 that opposes Alto “in its current form.”
Councillor’s resolution backs Alto stop in Peterborough as regional opposition continues
“The City of Peterborough has been selected by a nation-building project to be one of the three train stations in Ontario, one of seven between Toronto and Quebec City,” councillor Duguay said when introducing his motion. “We didn’t ask for this, we didn’t apply for it, but we were selected.”
After noting that Brockville city council passed a resolution “saying that that part of the province, Brockville, they deserve an Alto train station, and not my city,” he said “It’s time to be blunt.”
“I’m very, very disappointed with a resolution from the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus,” Duguay said. “I’ve read it very carefully and it’s my interpretation that the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, including our county warden, has said that Peterborough does not deserve an Alto train station.”
“If you follow their wording, it’s saying the route’s going to go somewhere else, and it’s going to disrupt another part of this province, apparently, but Peterborough would be bypassed. I simply cannot support that. The Alto train station brings a unique opportunity to the city. The closest example that I can think of that we’ve ever experienced was when (our city) was awarded the MNR office building. That’s a major employer, and it’s had a major impact on our community.”
Eastern Ontario wardens cite rural impacts and lack of details in opposing Alto
In part, the EOWC resolution states “there is only currently one proposed stop across the (EOWC’s) 50,000 square kilometre region, benefiting urban residents at the cost of rural residents and lands” and “advocates that the federal government and Alto fully explore train route options along existing infrastructure corridors, such as VIA Rail and/or Highway 401.”
kawarthaNOW has confirmed the resolution was unanimously supported by all EOWC board members, including chair and Peterborough County warden Bonnie Clark, vice-chair and Lennox and Addington County warden Nathan Townend, Hastings County warden Robert Mullin, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville warden Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Northumberland County warden Robert Crate, Haliburton County warden Dave Burton, Lanark County warden Richard Kidd, Frontenac County warden Bill Saunders, City of Kawartha Lakes mayor Doug Elmslie, Renfrew County warden Jennifer Murphy, United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry warden Francois Landry, and United Counties of Prescott and Russell warden Mario Zanth. One EOWC board member, Prince Edward County mayor Steve Ferguson, was not present at the meeting and did not vote.
The EOWC resolution also states that “portions of the proposed project will traverse and impact eastern Ontario communities, infrastructure, residential and agricultural lands, municipal trails, and environmentally sensitive areas, and with no long-term economic benefits” and that “Ontario municipalities and residents have not received sufficient detailed information regarding potential local impacts, including land use, environmental effects, municipal infrastructure interfaces, and long-term financial or operational implications.”
Peterborough County warden explains her support of EOWC motion
In response to a question from kawarthaNOW, Warden Clark provided a statement in email to clarify her position.
“I have consistently supported improved passenger rail and recognize the importance of nation-building infrastructure that strengthens connectivity across Canada especially when Peterborough is included as a station,” she writes. “That position has not changed. However, the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus board of directors voted to formally oppose the Alto high-speed rail project in its current form, and I supported that motion because the proposal, as it stands today, raises significant concerns for counties across our region.”
“As municipal leaders, our responsibility is to ensure major projects are implemented in partnership with rural communities. Eastern Ontario currently lacks critical details on local impacts, including land use, municipal infrastructure, emergency service risks, and long term costs, while seeing limited regional benefit from a project that crosses the region with only one stop. This vote is not anti-investment or anti-rail; it is a call for meaningful, two-way consultation, transparency, and a fairer approach that includes exploring alternative routes along existing corridors. Like the EOWC, I remain open to this project if these concerns are addressed, but today, standing up for Eastern Ontario means being clear that more work is needed.”
Councillors voice support for Alto’s ‘transformative’ impact on Peterborough
At Monday’s council meeting, councillor Duguay concluded the introduction of his resolution by asking council for “unanimous support of this motion” and to “convey this motion to all decision-makers, to our community, to remind the Prime Minister and others that Peterborough is firmly behind the entire program, including the Peterborough station.”
In his remarks, councillor Matt Crowley said he “was incensed when I read about communities close and far that were coming out against Peterborough having a stop, whether it’s Brockville, Kingston, or somewhere closer” — an apparent reference to a resolution against Alto recently passed by Douro-Dummer Township council.
Crowley called Alto “a transformative project” that is “going to change Peterborough.”
“It is a financial boom for us. It’s a population boom. It brings infrastructure. It brings business and industry. It rebuilds our city. It is a generational good for our city, and to have people stand up against us and line up against us and say that we shouldn’t get it, we shouldn’t have it — whether you are in the city, or just on the outskirts — it’s inexcusable, really.”
“As a member of this council, I will fight to ensure that they know that I am in full support and that we are in full support of this. If there are cities and municipalities closer to the 401 that feel like they want a high-speed rail train, talk to the province and extend the GO train, but we are getting this high-speed rail Alto train and I’ll fight for it as long as I’m on this council.”
Mayor Jeff Leal said he was “very disappointed” with the wardens who supported the EOWC resolution.
“Every elected official from Toronto to Quebec City should be standing up and supporting it,” the mayor said, pointing out that the “coded language” in the EOWC resolution that states that only urban residents would benefit from Alto. “It’s not political leadership in my view to pit one region against the other. Every community from Toronto to Quebec City is going to benefit from this project.”
Councillors highlight economic benefits and environmental benefits
Councillor Don Vassiliadis noted Peterborough’s history in advocating for the return of passenger rail service, from the Shining Waters Railway initiative to the VIA Rail high-frequency project that eventually led to Alto.
“It’s no fluke, it’s definitely not a mistake that that we’re getting the passenger service here,” Vassiliadis said. “Those cities that aren’t getting it should have been paying attention in the past few years like we were. We believed in this, we constantly said ‘Yes, we want a stop, we want a stop,’ so we’re getting a stop and that that’s based off of a lot of hard work and people paying attention.”
“Peterborough sits in the heart of rapidly growing region, so we serve as an economic anchor for communities across the Kawarthas and Eastern Ontario. Having this high-speed rail will increase work mobility, enhance access to employment across Toronto, Ottawa, and the Montreal corridor. That will boost tourism too … I think it’s a great benefit for the region, and I do want to emphasize again, we are an economic anchor for the communities around us so that can only benefit those communities around us.”
Councillor Joy Lachica also spoke in favour of the motion from an environmental perspective, noting that high-speed rail “is going to lower our greenhouse gas emissions exponentially.”
“We’re getting people out of cars,” she said. “We’re getting them moving quickly to places they need to be, and we are not burning the fossil fuels that we would be if individuals were driving to Quebec City.”
Councillor Keith Riel said “this is the closest that I have seen the realization of high-speed rail” after years of announcements about bringing passenger rail service to Peterborough, and speculated that the reason Peterborough was chosen as one of the seven stops was its catchment area of “probably 300,000 people” where people could use high-speed rail.
“It wasn’t just that they put a name in the hat and picked out Peterborough and said ‘Geez, that’ll be a great spot for train station’ — they did their homework.” Riel said. “Is there going to be some disruption when they build the rail? Absolutely, and I guess if I was a farmer or whatever and I would think it was going to impact my land, I would be upset. But at the end of the day, the federal government will make a decision on what is the best thing for the country, and that is the Alto rail going here.”
Councillor calls for collaboration with neighbouring communities
While councillor Alex Bierk said he supported the motion, he added that “I don’t believe this needs to be in a fight.”
“I believe that we need to have an understanding and tolerance of their viewpoints,” he said of communities objecting to Alto. “They’re our neighbors and the people that I’ve talked to that live in outside of Peterborough, they have valid concerns — mostly based on misinformation. They’re worried about their family farm being expropriated for this and that, and I’ve had people come up to me thinking they were they were going to be on that line.”
Bierk said the city’s economic development department should “plead the case” to the region around Peterborough about “what an economic driver this is going to be for everyone.”
“I want us to make the right steps and right choices as we see this decision through, and not to alienate ourselves from other communities that we could find to help us advocate for this if need be.”
In response to Bierk’s comments, councillor Duguay said the intent of the motion was “not to be adversarial,” but that “there are others who have started matters that position us where we almost have to be defensive.”
Mayor Leal echoed Duguay’s point, saying that Peterborough is not “picking a fight with somebody,” but added that Alto CEO Martin Imbleau has made it clear that Peterborough is going to be one of the seven stops and that, as mayor, he will continue to advocate for that.
“If anybody’s dumping on Peterborough, I’m going to defend the interests of the city of Peterborough,” Leal said. “If that means picking a fight, well, there will be a fight to pick.”
After councillor Gary Baldwin also expressed his support for the motion, council voted unanimously 10-0 to support councillor Duguay’s motion (councillor Lesley Parnell was absent from the meeting).
Items endorsed by general committee will be considered by city council for final approval on Monday (March 30) when registered delegations will be heard.
