Farmers and rural landowners in the eastern region of Ontario are now facing requests for land access from Alto, the Crown corporation overseeing Canada’s proposed high-speed rail line, causing concerns among the affected individuals.
Marcus Haefele, a farmer managing over 1,000 hectares of land near Vankleek Hill, revealed that he recently received three letters from Alto in a single day. The letters indicated the corporation’s interest in conducting field studies on various sections of his family’s land, including an area where Haefele had recently constructed a $7 million chicken barn. The proposed access would span a period of three years, between 8 a.m. and midnight, with a promised 48-hour notice before any visit. However, Haefele expressed uncertainty regarding the specific nature of the studies Alto intends to carry out.
According to Haefele, the letters detailed a variety of potential activities, such as soil and vegetation sampling, drone surveillance, and the installation of temporary monitoring equipment. The imminent planting season raises concerns for Haefele, who deems the presence of surveyors during this critical period as potentially hazardous.
The apprehension extends beyond individual landowners, as Jean Saint-Pierre, the president of Boisés Est, an association representing woodlot proprietors in the area, highlighted the distress among his members upon receiving similar requests from Alto. Concerns primarily revolve around the environmental and economic repercussions of clearing vast swaths of forest and farmland for the rail project, with a lack of clarity on compensation strategies exacerbating anxieties.
Despite the unease, Alto’s CEO, Martin Imbleau, emphasized the preference for amicable land transactions over coercive measures like expropriation in a recent interview. Imbleau acknowledged the necessity of acquiring considerable land parcels for the project, potentially involving thousands of properties. However, he reiterated that expropriation would only be considered as a last resort if landowners were unwilling to negotiate sale terms.
Responding to the mounting concerns, Alto clarified in a statement to CBC that the ongoing surveys are part of preliminary planning efforts to evaluate the environmental, economic, and health impacts associated with the proposed rail route. The corporation assured that participation in the field studies is entirely voluntary, ensuring that no surveys will proceed without explicit permission from the landowners. Additionally, Alto emphasized that receiving a request for land access does not automatically imply compulsory acquisition for the project’s advancement.
In light of these developments, Haefele expressed his current stance of withholding permission for access to his land as the situation unfolds.
