There is no appetite for Alto in Kingston says opponent

Save South Frontenac recently held a meeting at Legion Branch 560 earlier this month.

One of the leaders of a group opposed to a proposed high-speed rail line feels there is not much support for it in Kingston.

Save South Frontenac held a meeting about Alto at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 560 on September 10. They expressed their concerns about the project to close to 70 people in attendance.

Katie Koopman says around two-thirds of them were Kingston residents and some got an eye-opening look at what this line will do to their city.

The non-disclosure agreement that the City of Kingston agreed to is for a term of five years expiring July 10, 2031. It prevents any city staff or elected official to share information they receive from Alto about the project to the public.

This is the first time that Save South Frontenac has held a meeting in Kingston. As they did in previous meetings, the group had a number of speakers discussing the impact the proposed line would have on agricultural and environmentally sensitive land.

Koopman notes that Alto has not even hosted a public information session in Kingston.

The initial route of the train line would travel approximately 50 to 100 kms north of the 401 by-passing Kingston altogether. Mayor Bryan Paterson, MP Mark Gerretsen, and MPP Ted Hsu have advocated the federal government to consider putting a stop in Kingston, something federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon agreed to look into at an appearance in the city back in June.

Local business groups and organizations have said not having an Alto stop in Kingston would have a negative economic impact to the city.

But Koopman says there is not much of an appetite for a high-speed rail line in Kingston as many would believe.

The route would consist of 1,000 kms of dedicated rail between Quebec City and Toronto with stops in Montreal, Laval, Ottawa, and Peterborough. Trains would travel upwards of 300 km/h.

Story by Ken Hashizume