Alto High Speed Rail Project

Consent Agenda Item

At its meeting held on January 12, 2026, Council received an email from Joel Wiebe the Senior Advisor, Community Relations-Ontario for ALTO regarding upcoming community engagement events. 

• Meeting materials and minutes: Council Meeting - January 12, 2026

Notice of Motion - Agenda Item 11.1

Councillor Milligan requested support to put the following motion forward. Council was supportive of the request.

Resolution 15-702-2026

That staff be directed to contact ALTO to request that a representatives attend a future Council meeting to discuss the proposed Southern Route for the High Speed Rail Project.

Motioned By: Councillor Milligan
Seconded By: Councillor Woodcock
CARRIED

• Meeting materials and minutes: Council Meeting - January 26, 2026

Alto Delegation to Council

Representatives of Alto attended the Regular Council Meeting on February 9, 2026 to provide information to Council regarding the proposed project.

• Presentation materials: Alto Delegation to Council - February 9, 2026

Direct Motion - Agenda Item 11.2

Councillor Milligan requested support to make a direct motion, which was supported by Council as follows: 

Resolution 5-703-2026
Motioned By: Councillor Milligan
Seconded By: Councillor Lalande

WHEREAS the Government of Canada, through Alto (the federal Crown corporation responsible for high-speed rail planning), is currently undertaking route planning and consultation for a proposed high-speed rail corridor between Toronto and Québec City; and

WHEREAS one of the proposed alignments under consideration is a “southern route” option that may pass through or directly impact rural municipalities in Eastern Ontario, including lands within or adjacent to the
Township of Stone Mills; and

WHEREAS the Township of Stone Mills is a rural agricultural community whose residents, farms, and natural environment may be significantly disrupted by the construction of a new high-speed rail corridor; and

WHEREAS the southern route option raises serious concerns regarding:

 • the potential expropriation of private property and farmland
 • the fragmentation of agricultural operations
 • long-term impacts on rural road networks and community access,
 • noise, vibration, and safety impacts associated with high-speed rail infrastructure, and
 • adverse effects on environmentally sensitive lands, waterways, and wildlife habitat; and

WHEREAS the Township has significant concern that this alignment would impose substantial local and regional harm without any corresponding benefit to Stone Mills residents, particularly in the absence
of any proposed station stop or service access within the community.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
1. Council for the Township of Stone Mills formally opposes the proposed Alto high-speed rail southern route alignment through or near the Township due to the unacceptable impacts on residents, farmland, the environment, and the rural character of the community. 

2. Council strongly objects to the use of expropriation powers for this project where it would result in the loss of fragmentation of productive agriculture land and rural property, without corresponding local benefit or service access to the community.

3. Council calls upon Alto and the Government of Canada to remove rural municipal lands from consideration where communities will experience disruption without service benefit.

4. Council directs the Clerk to forward this resolution to:

• Alto High-Speed Rail Project Office
• The Honourable Minister of Transport, Government of Canada
• The local Member of Parliament (MP)
• The local Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP)
• The County of Lennox & Addington
•  Nearby municipalities impacted by the proposed corridor
• The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) 

5. Council further directs staff to explore opportunities for cooperation with neighboring municipalities to ensure a unified regional response opposing the southern route alignment.

Deputy Reeve Davison requested a recorded vote.
Councillor Milligan- For
Deputy Reeve Davison- For
Councillor Fenwick - Absent
Councillor Lalande- For
Councillor McDonald - For
Councillor Woodcock -For
Reeve Wise- For
CARRIED.

• Meeting materials and minutes: Council Meeting - February 9, 2026

Agenda Item 11.1 - Notice of Motion

Councillor Milligan received support for the following direct motion:

Resolution 19-705-2026
Motioned By: Councillor Milligan
Seconded By: Councillor Lalande

WHEREAS the Government of Canada has announced the proposed ALTO High-Speed Rail Project connecting Toronto to Quebec City;

AND WHEREAS one of the proposed routing options would establish a new rail corridor through rural communities including the Township of Stone Mills;
AND WHEREAS the development of a new greenfield corridor would require the acquisition and potential expropriation of private land, including productive agricultural land and environmentally sensitive areas;
AND WHEREAS; improvements to existing rail infrastructure to support high-frequency passenger rail service may provide significant transportation benefits while minimizing new land acquisition,
environmental impacts, and disruption to rural communities;
AND WHEREAS large-scale infrastructure projects with significant environmental, agricultural, and community impacts warrant comprehensive federal review;
AND WHEREAS the scale, potential environmental effects, impacts on agricultural land, and possible federal involvement in the proposed ALTO High-Speed Rail Project may meet the criteria for a designated project requiring federal review under the Impact Assessment Act;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
The Council of the Township of Stone Mills:
1. Request that the Government of Canada require a full federal Impact Assessment for the proposed ALTO High-Speed Rail Project to evaluate the environmental, agricultural, economic, and social impacts of the project and its routing options;
2. Urge the Government of Canada to fully evaluate the option of developing high-frequency passenger rail along existing rail corridors, including the existing corridor owned by the Canadian National Railway, as a lower impact alternative to constructing a new rail corridor;
3. Request that the Government of Canada pause the advancement of the ALTO high-speed rail corridor provisions contained within Bill C15 until a full federal impact assessment has been completed.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
That staff be directed to forward a copy of this resolution to:

• Mark Carney, Prime Minister of Canada
• Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario
• Shelby Kramp-Neuman, MP for Hastings-Lennox & Addington Tyendinaga
• Ric Bresee, MPP for Hastings-Lennox & Addington
• Steven MacKinnon, Federal Minister of Transport
• Julie Dabrusin, Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change
• Terence Hubbard, President Impact Assessment of Canada
• Members of Senate Transport Committee
• Project leadership of the ALTO High-Speed Rail Project
• Neighboring municipalities

CARRIED

• Meeting materials and minutes: Council Meeting - March 23, 2026

Consent Agenda Item 10.3

Township staff attended an inter-municipal roundtable discussion hosted by ALTO regarding the proposed High-Speed Rail project on March 26, 2026, in Harrowsmith. A staff report was presented to Council to provide an informational update on matters discussed at the meeting

• Meeting materials and minutes: Council Meeting - May 11, 2026

Item for Council Consideration

At its meeting held on August 10, 2026, under Items for Consideration, Council discussed a "Confidential Information Sharing Agreement" received from Alto. Council discussed the agreement and opted not to enter into or execute any non-disclosure agreement, confidentiality agreement, or similar arrangement with ALTO or its representatives regarding the proposed pro

• Confidential Information Sharing Agreement : Alto High-Speed Rail Project Staff Report

Consent Agenda Item 9.3 

Council received a letter circulated by the Southern ALTO Corridor Heads of Council for information expressing their unified opposition to the project and request they reconsider the project. 

• Letter to PM Mark Carney from Southern ALTO Corridor Heads of Council 

Notice of Motion - Agenda Item 11.1 

Councillor Milligan provided a Notice of Motion at the July 13, 2026 Regular Council meeting and was passed at the August 10, 2026 Regular Council meeting as follows:

Resolution 48-713-2026

That Council direct staff to create and maintain a dedicated ALTO information page on the Township of Stone Mills website; AND

That the page be used to provide residents with factual, up-to-date information related to the ALTO project, including Township resolutions, Council decisions, public notices, meeting dates, links to official government and ALTO resources, and other information deemed appropriate by the CAO;

AND

That the purpose of this page be to improve communication, transparency, and public access to information regarding the proposed ALTO project and its potential impacts on Stone Mills Township.

Moved By Councillor Milligan
Seconded By Councillor Lalande
CARRIED

• Meeting materials and minutes - August 10, 2026