Media Release: Durant Barristers Founder to Join Alto High-Speed Rail Protest on June 10, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 8, 2026

By Erin H. Durant

Further to our prior blog from late April, I continue to be bombarded by concerned neighbours, community members, small business owners and civil society organizations regarding the Alto High-Speed Rail project. The communication efforts from Alto and the Ministry of Transport have not improved and recent statements by the Minister in particular have people extraordinarily angry.

To support my broader community in Prescott-Russell-Cumberland and the community where I grew up in near Leeds Grenville, I will be attending the protest on Parliament Hill on Wednesday, June 10th (which also happens to be my 40th birthday). I hope some of you will consider joining me for what will no-doubt be a very strange birthday party. The Ontario and Quebec groups meet at 11:30 am on the Alexandria Bridge and march to Parliament Hill for noon. The group will be at Parliament Hill from about noon until 3 pm. This blog explains my reasons why I feel very compelled to be there. It also makes some suggestions on how you may be able to provide some assistance.

June 10, 2026 Protest on Parliament Hill

A significant protest is planned for Parliament Hill on Wednesday, June 10th. Participants from Ontario and Quebec are meeting in the middle of the Alexandria Bridge at 11:30 am and will march together to Parliament Hill.

Groups attending, including some with coach buses, include:

• Kanehsatà:ke Mohawk from near Oka, Quebec who will publicly read their previously private letter to the Government and Alto expressing their concerns about the project and the process.

• Union des producteurs agircoles Ste Scholastique/Mirabel and Deux Montagnes

• National Farmers Union

• Members of Parliament from both the Conservative Party and the Bloc Quebecois (others were invited from other parties but are not attending)

• Association of Farmers Against Alto

• Buses of people are being organized by Tyendinaga Township Landowners Coalition, Rideau Lakes Against Alto, Save South Frontenac, Havelock, Madoc, Sharbot Lake, Vankleek Hill, and possibly others that I have missed.

This protest will be peaceful. There will be no tractors or farm animals. There is no intention to disrupt traffic. These people just need to have a place to voice their concerns and frustrations. Alto and the Government has not provided it. So here we are. If any Ottawa-area people would like to join me, I will be there with my family and I would love for others in my network to stop by and listen to what the concerns actually are. My family will start our journey at our Ottawa office on Catherine Street before making our way to the Alexandria Bridge.

Growing Civil Unrest

In my very first letter to politicians on this matter in late April (including the Prime Minister, the Minister of Transportation and various MPs and provincial politicians), I wrote:

I am quite concerned by the level of anger this has caused in our community. The community has been fortunate that many of the people who have stepped forward as leaders have been good actors and are well intentioned. I am concerned that the situation could boil over into a COVID-19 Convoy-like situation when the expropriation notices go out. I ask you all to be a bit more involved in your communities and available to your constituents at this time. I also ask that you all work together to find other ways to be helpful.  This past month has been a nightmare. 

That letter contained a list of 16 ideas on how to ease tensions in the community and inform residents (I reproduce that list further below). None have been implemented. Nobody bothered to reply to my email other than my own MP who sent me a generic response that clearly indicated that she did not bother to read my email or my actual concerns. Part of the generic response was:

It is also important to note that ALTO is a Crown corporation. While the federal government owns the corporation and sets its broad policy direction, its day-to-day operations and technical decisions are managed independently by the organization. In this context, the Member of Parliament cannot directly intervene to modify or halt the project, as it follows established processes, including environmental assessments and broader government decision-making procedures.

This response is simply not true. There are several ways that Government can audit and supervise the efforts of Crown Corporations, especially ones spending over a billion dollars this year on a public project (about $500 million for their own budget plus another $500 million to Cadence). I wrote about some of them on my new Substack dedicated to providing transparency on the Alto Project. I separated that writing from our firm blog and my usual Substack out of respect for my usual readers. I am writing articles on Alto multiple times a week and am trying to provide transparency on a project where there has been none.

The civil unrest that I was concerned about in April is starting to show signs of boiling over. There has been significant French-language coverage of this in La Presse and Radio-Canada but very little in the English-language press. Over the weekend Alto had to call the RCMP after contractors or employees were threated by local residents regarding land surveys. I have heard of other instances of the OPP being called in Prescott-Russell by farmers concerned about Alto's methods. Alto has ceased their drone activities in Mirabel completely as it has become dangerous for their employees/contractors. Alto also recently attempted to sponsor Festival Franco-Ontarien. When it was announced was made on social media over the weekend they had to take it down due to the overwhelming and immediate anger displayed by francophone residents of Prescott-Russell.

I have written extensively about why I believe people in the Alto study corridor are so upset. The main problem is that we feel completely ignored, gas lit and that the government is hiding things, providing secret information to municipalities and community groups willing to sign NDAs or steaming ahead to expropriate our land before even putting forward a business case. I have seen the "Community Contribution Agreements" they wish groups to sign. They are non-binding suggestions from the community and the only terms in the agreement that are binding are: the confidentiality agreement which prevents the community organization from disclosing information, an arbitration clause that requires all disputes to be privately arbitrated, and a waiver of certain legal rights. These documents also have language that prevents those groups from hiring any consultants or professionals to assist them in their discussions with Alto. Given the power imbalances involved, these terms are completely unacceptable coming from a parent Crown Corporation who is acting as an agent of the Crown.

It is also extremely troubling to hear the Transportation Minister push aside concerns from individuals who live in the corridor in such a dismissive manner and dismissing it as partisanship. He really needs to start reading the room as his personal comments have frequently upset residents, myself included. I have had grown men break down crying trying to talk to me about this matter. Several times. I myself have had to make adjustments to my medications and therapy regimen given that my own property and all the areas where I spend my spare time are wrapped up in this ordeal.

I have several examples of the lack of transparency leading to problems tha have been covered in the French-language press. Here are a few:

• In an article by Radio-Canada they discussed that the Alto CEO confirmed that 500 farms could be impacted in addition to 1700 properties between Ottawa and Montreal. Those figures surprised everyone as they were not disclposed during the consultation. They were not even disclosed to a major farmer's union when they met with Alto only days before. From the article: "Michel Dignard, the vice-president of the Union des cultivateurs franco-ontariens (UCFO), said he was surprised by the figures cited by Imbleau, especially since he had the opportunity to speak with him early last week. "This is the first time I’ve heard this. We talked at the beginning of the week and he didn't mention this at all," Dignard said in French."

• First reported by Radio-Canada and eventually (several days later) picked up by the English Press, the United Counties of Prescott-Russell unanimously refused to sign a confidentiality agreement that Alto wished to impose on them that would have prevented them from communicating to their citizens about the project and the lands Alto wished to study in the area.

• Today's two articles from La Presse shows how communities react when they are ignored, treated with disrespect and are gas lit by the Minister of Transportation.

In addition, local English media did report that a municipality in rural Eastern Ontario had met with Alto and were told that the route would be further north than their area. When the route was released, there was a southern option passing right through their community. Community leaders received no warning.

As a result of the way in which Liberal MPs have been responding to or ignoring their constituents, tensions are boiling over and things get worse every week. I have not been involved in any of the formal organizing of the events or the resistance to the project, but I have been supporting it from a distance by writing my articles and making ATIP requests for the information that has been withheld by both the Government and Alto. I am also trying to address misinformation that is growing by providing the public with facts from government documents so that conspiracy theories and bad actors do not take over and weaponize the anger.

The anger is widespread and it is non-partisan. CPC and Bloc politicians may now be speaking up against Alto due to the cost, expropriation requirements and terrible consultation process, but the momentum and anger existed far before they were paying attention. Some are looking to capitalize on it. This had been an entirely grassroots movement of concerned farmers, local business owners, and residents from all backgrounds. Multiple events are being held weekly at halls, churches, community centres, city halls, and other large venues throughout the study corridor. Hundreds of people are attending each. Alto is nowhere to be found in these communities or at those events. Neither are Liberal MPs.

There are few lawyers in the impacted jurisdiction on the Ontario side and even fewer who have been actively engaged. This situation has also arrived in my community at a time that is far from ideal given my own personal health circumstances, which had been improving throughout early 2026. I am somewhat limited in my ability to provide assistance given that I am no longer litigating. I am finding writing articles helpful. I have also been trying to assemble a proper factual record that could be handed off to any groups that decide to pursue litigation to stop the project.

The Government and Alto Need a New Consultation Plan

My overall sense of the current source of the unrest is not even the train itself. Most people I speak to agree that VIA rail is unreliable and needs to be fixed. They do not agree that a straight high-speed rail line over an entirely new right-of-way through the heart of some of Ontairo and Quebec's most effective farm land is the way to do it. They would support projects using existing infrastructure corridors. It has been the lack of respect and lack of transparency with those who are most directly impacted.

Here are the suggestions that I gave to the Government months ago. I repeat them today as they remain relevant. If you have connections with individuals within government or Alto, I would appreciate it if you shared this list with them as I am trying to turn down the temperature. I have elaborated on some of the suggestions listed below:

"Here are some ideas of things you can do to help your constituents: 

1.  Host information sessions with an expropriation lawyer and appraiser who can explain how the process works and answer questions on the general process. Record these sessions. Post them online. 

2.    Prescott-Russell-Cumberland is an underserved community when it comes to legal representation. I am not familiar with many in the area with significant expropriation experience. Lawyers I have approached at big firms in the city have conflicts because they have done work with Alto.  Many residents also require services in French. I have concerns that there will not be sufficient expropriation expertise locally to properly serve the citizens who will need help in French. Someone needs to work on making sure there are legal resources available to residents and that residents know who they are. 

3.    Assemble information related to this project into one place and share it with your constituents so that it is easier for us to learn about this project or pressure Alto to create such a resource. There has been a significant information vacuum as a result of Alto providing a 29 page marketing brochure and nothing else. People are starving for information. Help them find it. Currently it is scattered across various government websites and private citizens are being left to create their own databases (search for the Alto Citizen Research Group as one example).

4.    Copy the Mayor of Casselman. She hosted a very good community round table where she listened, made notes for her constituents and assisted in documenting the concerns and communicating them on their behalf. Her community felt heard and respects her for it. I think that meeting even managed to calm people down for a while because they felt heard.

5.    Engage with your citizens on this issue. They are dying to be heard and feel like nobody is listening. They feel like nobody cares. I also feel that way. I am hearing widespread negative feedback regarding the consultation. Perhaps create a survey for your constituents so that you can collect information from them about the process and take any action that may be appropriate based on the results. 

6.    Please do not have your staff post on social media about how great this project is going to be - especially if you are a representative in an impacted riding. People are scared, sad, upset, furious and are raising real, legitimate concerns that should be answered. People need support and empathy. 

7.  Speak with local banks, lenders, property developers, real estate agents and brokers and collect data into the actual current negative financial impact within the study corridor. If there has not been a significant negative hit, tell the people that and show them the information. If there has been a significant negative hit economically, recognize that and identify a plan on how you intend to do something about it. What financial supports, if any, are available? If financing of existing development becomes an issue, can the government step in to provide funding? How can we encourage people to continue investing in our communities when this train is going to pass through it and cause significant disruption? This needs to be worked on and communicated urgently 

8.    Speak with Alto and convince them to do everything they can to narrow the corridor as quickly as possible. If there are areas within the corridor that they know for certain are not going to be impacted, remove them from the corridor immediately and tell the public. Currently thousands of people are worrying unnecessarily but they cannot ignore this issue because, according to the Minister of Transportation and Alto, expropriations are going to happen “immediately” when the corridor is selected. Everyone is frightened and engaged now – many unnecessarily so. 

9.    Ask your citizens what they need – especially farmers. I have heard concerns around their planning for next season, not knowing whether to purchase seed or make certain repairs and other large orders. They are concerned about their ability to get financing. We need to get them through this period of uncertainty. It is also a very busy season for them as they try and get their crops in. 

10. Push Alto to do better. I find it hard to believe that anyone finds the materials they produced as part of this consultation were adequate, helpful or in any way acceptable. They produced a 29 page marketing pamphlet and not one single report or business case. The fact that none of the materials even mentions rural eastern Ontario, the negative impacts they face and are silent in terms of any possible benefits is unacceptable and infuriating. Our entire community feels ignored.  

11.  It is curious that well over 100 municipalities have rejected this project and yet Alto had reported in its quarterly economic reports that consultation was ongoing and well in hand repeated. Inquiries need to be made to get an explanation for this discrepancy.  Was the change from HFR to HSR explained to them in terms of the increased burden on their regions and on municipal expenses? If not, why not? It would be helpful if there was some sort of public explanation of how this consultation went so poorly, how they plan to fix it before the next consultations further down the corridor, and, frankly, a heartfelt apology to the individuals and communities would probably go a long way.

12.  There are statistics in the Alto report that they use to justify the project. Please ask them to release the sources of information of those statistics so that they can be reviewed. Please advise Alto to provide evidence and analysis in their future materials and not a marketing brochure. Require that before allowing any expropriations. 

13.  There must be an immediate stop put to planned expropriations for late this year and early next year in the study corridor between Ottawa and Montreal. There is a very short window to ensure that private property and business owners are not expropriated and displaced before anyone has any specific details or evidence presented backing up the bold claims of the benefits of this project. There have been no reports produced, no opportunity to consult with access to information necessary to form opinions, no proper and early engagement with impacted municipalities on their increased costs and local impacts, no meaningful engagement with any business owners within the rural areas of the study corridor and no participation by Alto at any of the meetings of concerns citizens that have been multiplying throughout the region as people desperately try and obtain unavailable information and take action to literally protect their family and businesses’ financial futures. 

14.  Someone needs to clarify if the timeline for expropriations has been revised. They keep pushing back the consultation dates and now say there will be a second one at the end of the year. However, they have not indicated what that means, if anything for expropriations. Farmers and other land owners need to know what is going on. They currently think the expropriation notices are going to start being delivered this Fall. That is also the best timeline that I have been able to decipher, although other aspects of the project have been delayed somewhat. People should at least be told when these decisions are expected to happen and whether it is the Government or Alto making those calls.

15.  The opposition parties should consider a Bill that would undo the changes made to the expropriation process in the budget. Revoke the High-Speed Rail Act this fall. Make the Liberal MPs who are currently represented impacted areas vote on this so that their constituents can see whether or not they are listening. 

16.  Someone needs to put together information for small builders, developers, homeowners and business owners about development in the study corridor and how it impacts development risks. I've now heard from five different people who are cancelling important projects that would all have benefited rural communities and created jobs. There seems to be a significant investment chill and I worry that it exists throughout the corridor between Ottawa and Peterborough as well."

How Can You Help?

I have a few ideas:

1. I recognize that most people in my professional network work at very large law firms who are likely providing legal advice to Alto, Cadence or one of the many consortium members and construction contractors. If that does not describe you, sharing information about this process and the widespread concerns about it would be appreciated. Even just sharing this article would help. If that does describe you, perhaps you can share my ideas with your clients about how to make this process a bit less acrimonious with local land owners.

   
   

2. I need to find several French-speaking expropriation lawyers. This is going to be one of the largest expropriations in Canadian history and I have found two expropriation lawyers who speak French. Most people impacted in the first segment on the Ontario side of the border are francophone.

   
   

3. Send an email or letter to your MP, MPP, the Premier of Ontario, the Prime Minister's Office and the federal and provincial ministers of transportation. Ask for transparency, due process in the expropriation process and for the release of the business case and studies relied upon for the project. It would also be helpful if you could request the release of any studies and business cases that have been done regarding the project. The only reports available online are ones related to the old high-frequency rail project that was abandoned. People need to see that the government has done their homework before they can accept their land being expropriated.

   
   

4. If you know of any legal organizations who are concerned about the changes to the Impact Assessment Act regarding both environmental and social impacts for major projects (like Alto) or the removal of certain due process protections in the Expropriations Act through a budget bill, I would be interested in speaking to them and providing them with my entire research database to support their efforts (if they are making any). There is a very complex factual history that has taken me a very long time to document. I can same somebody a whole lot of work as just assembling the information took me forever.

   
   

5. Drop your partisan bias. Until recently I was a registered Liberal. I vote Liberal regularly. I voted Liberal in the last election. I like most things that Prime Minister Mark Carney is doing. I am upset right now about this project, the lack of care and compassion shown by the Minister of Transport and how they are treating my community due to their lack of transparency on this project. I also have questions about how well they are providing oversight on this project and the governance and accountability structures set up. Do not stay quiet just because this is the party you vote for. Your voice is probably the most important. They are about to make a huge financial and human mistake by proceeding with this project. I have seen enough in the ATIP files to think that this is one day headed to a national public inquiry like the Ottawa LRT fiasco. It has many of the same elements that the Commissioner flagged as problematic in his recommendations including important information being downplayed, removed or softened in communications to the government decision makers. It is in the LPC's own political interests to hit the pause button and go back to the plan that was fully developed and studied for years: a high-frequency rail project. That plan required much less expropriation, is less disruptive to rural businesses, farms, municipal services and mobility. Alternatively, they should be forced to stop expropriations until a business case is released, studies have been made public and a proper consultation is had with individuals most negatively impacted by this project.

   
   

6. Register for my Substack and consider being a paying member. I am using that money for my quest for transparency and accountability. Those $5 ATIP requests pile up in a hurry.

   
   

7. Read and share some of my other articles about the project to understand the issues. Consider sending some to any journalists in your network. The French language press has done a very good job covering the situation and making the effort to understand what is going on rather than just re-purposing Alto press releases. The English language press has been embarrassing. This is a national project. English people are impacted both directly and financially through our taxes. I do not understand why there has been zero interest from journalists from English media. Farmers threatening employees and contractors of a parent Crown Corporation and talking about "taking up arms" to protect their land surely surely must be newsworthy.

   Why community “engagement” is entirely different from “consultation” and Alto’s fatal flaw

   My Alto Questions: How did HFR change to HSR and why were Rural Community Impacts Ignored?

   Oxford Global Projects UK and Alto - Where is the report?

   How Not to Build Trust: Building Secret Profiles on Stakeholders 

   High-Speed Rail and Rural Impacts: Why Not Address Them Head On?

   Alto High-Speed Rail Research Database and ATIP

   The Alto Files: What is Alto from a Legal Perspective?

   The Political Timeline and Legislative Amendments Timeline

   The “Pumpkin Strategy”, the “Judo Strategy” and Locking Up a $3.9 Billion Spending

   Commitment With Parliament Prorogued.

   
   

8. There are two legal issues that have broad impacts on other government projects. The first issue is that the High-Speed Rail Act was buried in the C-15 omnibus bill. It make very significant changes to the Expropriation Act that limit due process available to those expropriated for this project. They have also confirmed that they intend to start expropriating land prior to the end of the Impact Assessment Process before any of the impacts are actually known. I find this repugnant in a democratic society. The second issue is that the government has announced plans to change the ATIP regime to make certain information impossible to get - and not just for Alto. The only information detailed and specific information that I have been able to get about this project has been through those ATIP requests. I encourage legal organizations to pay attention to and get engaged in discussions and actions around both of those efforts. Alto is simply the test case.

   
   

9. Finally, if someone in your network expresses concerns about this project, do not brush this off as NIMBYism. There are real concerns here about the process and the undemocratic way in which all of this is unfolding. People are scared, angry, sad and do not need to be further kicked while they are on the ground desperately looking for some help. So many people in the UK rural regions reported negative mental health impacts from their high-speed rail project that the government had to order a 10 year national study. I have witnessed the same impacts in my immediate neighbourhood and in myself.

   
   

Thank you for your time and for any assistance you can provide.

Erin Durant

Founder

Durant Barristers