TLTI council rejects Alto info-sharing deal

The Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands has decided it will not enter into a confidential information-sharing agreement with Alto, as the federal Crown corporation continues to examine potential routes for a proposed high-speed rail line through eastern Ontario. 

The decision puts TLTI on the outside of a process Alto says is intended to give municipalities early access to developing technical information about possible rail corridors. 

But for township council, the potential benefit of receiving that information came with a significant tradeoff: agreeing to restrictions on what the municipality could subsequently share publicly. 

Council had already taken a formal position on the proposed rail project earlier this year, voting in March to oppose Alto's high-speed rail project in either of the two route locations under consideration at that time. 

The latest decision was not a new vote on whether TLTI supports high-speed rail. 

Instead, council was asked whether it wanted to sign an agreement governing confidential discussions with Alto while the corporation continues evaluating potential routes. 

A choice between information and confidentiality 

According to a report prepared for council, Alto approached municipalities that could potentially be affected by the project about signing confidential information sharing agreements. 

Alto told the township the agreements are a standard tool for infrastructure projects and would allow early discussions involving route concepts, technical analysis and other information that remains under development. 

The proposed arrangement would work both ways. 

Township staff could provide Alto with information about local infrastructure, growth, planning priorities and community considerations, while Alto could provide the municipality with early information about potential alignments and technical work. 

That information, however, could be subject to confidentiality requirements. 

Township staff warned council that signing the agreement would restrict the municipality's ability to share certain information,. and said the final agreement would need to define clearly what information would be considered confidential. 

The report also identified a potential consequence of refusing the agreement: TLTI could have limited access to early technical discussions and route information, potentially leaving the township relying more heavily on formal public consultation once plans become public. 

In other words, council faced a choice between potentially having more information sooner and maintaining greater freedom to discuss information publicly. 

Council ultimately chose not to enter the agreement. 

Concerns about a southern route 

The issue has particular significance for TLTI because Alto is continuing to examine alternatives to the routes it previously identified. 

According to the township report, municipal officials met with an Alto representative in July following an announcement about a potential Kingston stop. 

During that meeting, township officials raised concerns about possible land fragmentation, impacts on private properties and effects on public roads. 

Questions were also raised about potential routes through the township. 

Councillor Angela Kelman said residents had approached her over the summer with concerns that Alto could be considering a more southerly route through TLTI. 

Kelman said the township has little direct control over the final route because the project is federal, but argued that the municipality still has a role to play in protecting local interests. 

She also said she remains personally opposed to the Alto project regardless of where a route is ultimately located. 

“I have yet to see a business case that comes close to justifying the devastating nature of this project to private property, farmland, our natural heritage, and infrastructure, or that justifies the staggering cost,” said Kelman. 

While those comments represent Kelman's position, the specific question before council was whether to enter the confidentiality agreement. 

Council's previous position 

TLTI's March resolution stated that the township would not support Alto's proposed high-speed rail project in either of its then-proposed locations. 

The resolution cited concerns about the impact of the project on the township's rural character, agricultural lands, environmentally sensitive areas and natural features, including the Frontenac Arch Biosphere. 

Council also argued that the proposed investment could instead be directed toward improving the existing Via Rail system. 

The March resolution was sent to federal and provincial officials, the local MP and MPP, and Alto president Martin Imbleau. 

The township's latest decision does not prevent Alto from continuing its route-planning work in or around TLTI. 

Keith Dempsey is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the Brockville Recorder and Times. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.