Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus Wants ALTO Decisions Put on Hold Until After Municipal Election

By Scott Arnold

The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) is calling on ALTO and the federal government to pause discussions affecting municipalities during the upcoming municipal election period and give local governments a meaningful role in decisions surrounding the proposed high-speed rail project.

The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus is calling for ALTO-related decisions and meetings affecting municipalities to be deferred until after the October 26th municipal election, along with the creation of a Municipal Advisory Table for the project (photo via altotrain.ca)

The EOWC, which represents 103 municipalities across Eastern Ontario, passed a resolution on August 13th calling for transparency, meaningful consultation and respect for municipal democratic processes around the ALTO project.

The timing is significant, with Ontario’s municipal elections taking place on October 26th, 2026.

The issue also has a direct Peterborough connection. ALTO’s proposed passenger rail network would connect Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montréal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Québec City, with trains travelling at speeds of 300 km/h or more on a primarily dedicated and electrified rail network spanning approximately 1,000 kilometres.

The EOWC is asking its Board of Directors to defer any decision or meeting related to ALTO, or a Confidential Information Sharing Agreement, until after October 26th.

The organization is also calling for the creation of a Municipal Advisory Table involving affected municipalities, First Nations, legal experts, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ALTO.

The proposed table would provide a forum for ongoing collaboration and to address municipal issues throughout the planning, land acquisition, construction and operation of the project. The EOWC is also calling for the Government of Canada to cover the costs associated with the table.

The resolution asks AMO and FCM to actively participate in the proposed advisory table and advocate for transparency, municipal planning authority, fair allocation of municipal costs and meaningful consultation throughout the ALTO project.

The EOWC says nation-building projects must ensure municipal interests are appropriately represented throughout the process.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

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