A regional water authority is speaking out against a proposed high-speed rail project, warning it could put drinking water sources at risk in eastern Ontario.
The Quinte Source Protection Authority passed a motion on April 16 saying it does not support the project in its current form. Members raised concerns that both proposed rail corridors could have major environmental impacts, especially on groundwater and municipal water systems.
The northern route could affect drinking water systems in the Village of Madoc and the Municipality of Marmora and Lake. The authority also warned that both northern and southern corridors would cross wetlands and sensitive areas, which could impact water quality and supply, including private wells.
Terry Kennedy, interim chair of the Quinte Source Protection Committee, said members are concerned about risks to residents, infrastructure and drinking water sources across the region.
The authority is calling on the federal government to rethink the plan and instead invest in upgrading existing passenger rail service. It says improving current rail lines would be more practical and less harmful to the environment.
Kennedy said using existing rail corridors would make the project more manageable and financially feasible, while reducing the risk of large-scale environmental disruption.
The entire motion can be viewed below:
WHEREAS the ALTO Highspeed Rail proposal is a federal project that is planned to connect Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivieres and Quebec City consisting of 1000 km of new rail line with trains travelling through the Quinte Source Protection Area at 300 km/hr, and
WHEREAS there has not been sufficient information provided to residents to demonstrate a clear and comprehensive plan for the proposed high-speed rail project, and
WHEREAS the proposed corridors (north or south) will significantly change the connectivity of our municipalities and residents to local service delivery, and
WHEREAS there are not any identified local benefits of having a high-speed rail system through the Quinte Source Protection Area, and
WHEREAS the currently proposed southern and northern route will intersect and impact wetlands, significant woodlands, agricultural lands, source water protection areas, and ecologically sensitive shoreline systems within the Quinte Conservation watershed region; and,
WHEREAS the proposed northern corridor route may impact two municipal drinking water systems (Village of Madoc and the Municipality of Marmora and Lake), and
WHEREAS Quinte Conservation has a mandated responsibility under Ontario’s Clean Water Act and the Quinte Region Source Protection Plan to protect existing and future municipal drinking water sources in the source protection area, and to ensure that for every area identified in the Assessment Report, as an area where an activity is, or would be, a significant drinking water threat:
The activity never becomes a significant drinking water threat; or
If the activity is occurring when the Source Protection Plan takes effect, the activity ceases to be a significant drinking water threat; or
For every area identified in the assessment report as an area where a condition that results from a past activity is a significant drinking water threat;
Therefore, Be It Resolved that because of the significant impacts that will occur to our region, Quinte Source Protection Authority does not support the proposed northern or southern corridor;
And further that, the Quinte Source Protection Authority recommends that the Federal Government enhance the existing passenger rail service that already has established corridors through our region instead of creating unnecessary negative impacts on our environment, communities and properties,
And further that, a copy of this motion be sent to: The Right Honourable Mark Carney, P.C., M.P. Prime Minister of Canada; The Honourable Steve MacKinnon, P.C.; M.P., Minister of Transportation; Martin Imbleau, President and CEO; Alto; Scott Reid, M.P. Lanark-Frontenac; John Jordan, M.P.P. Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston; Shelby Kramp-Neuman, M.P. Hastings–Lennox and Addington–Tyendinaga; Ric Breese, M.P.P. Hastings-Lennox and Addington; Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte First Nation; the eighteen (18) municipalities under the jurisdiction of Quinte Source Protection Authority; the twelve (12) Conservation Authorities and their Source Protection Authorities that affected by this project; and, Conservation Ontario.
