Locals packed into the Alto Open House last night in Madoc, Ontario, desperate for answers about the Liberal government's proposed high-speed electric train. This mega-project is being hailed as nation-building, but many are wondering: at what expense?

The public-private partnership will span nearly 1,000 kilometres from Toronto to Quebec City at speeds of roughly 300 km/h, with seven mandated stops along the way.

But to locals, it's a looming disaster that could shatter communities, farms, lives and livelihoods.

“Almost immediately”

That’s how fast Transport Minister Steve McKinnon says private property could be seized after approval of the ALTO high-speed rail

Expropriation of pristine farmland and private hunting land, for a $90B megaproject that won’t be on time or on budget pic.twitter.com/mSWNVzr9nv

— Tamara Ugolini 🇨🇦 (@TamaraUgo) February 26, 2026

“I can't go to sleep at night trying to square this whole thing up,” shared one perplexed resident. The words come as the project is being dubbed one of the largest mass expropriations in modern history, with the consortium behind it promising high-speed connectivity and convenience. 

But farmers and homeowners are terrified. "It's going to be a massive fence that will just culturally affect everything – societally and economically," one resident explained, leaving the roughly 60-meter corridor severing ties between neighbours, blocking crossings, and further isolating small hamlets.

One farmer expressed concern about the train cutting across fields where his cows graze.

With a multi-kilometre buffer zone for potential expropriations, entire swaths of privately owned land are left in limbo for this $90 billion project that many say will never leave the station.

Though no expropriation offers have been made yet, the uncertainty for many is crippling.

"We can't do anything with it," said one landowner, noting properties and homes needing upgrades could sit idle for four years or more. "Would you buy a house in that area right now?" another asked.

Multiple rural road concessions could be cut off from their access to hospitals, fire station(s), and municipal services such as garbage collection, effectively turning otherwise short drives into long detours.

Environmental concerns loom large, too. "It's going to chop up way too much farmland," one warned, fearing reduced output in a country already struggling with supply issues.

Many attendees urged the government to refocus priorities on the cost of groceries, gas, and address homelessness. "We have people living on the streets," one resident fumed. Fix housing, healthcare, schools, roads — don’t tear down homes for a train few will use.

One describes the situation as a financial disaster, a cookie jar for insiders, potentially a land grab like Pickering Airport, which was never built, but took private land and packed the pockets of multinational corporations.

Adding another layer of uncertainty is Bill C-15, the Budget 2025 Implementation Act, which amends the Federal Expropriation Act to streamline and expedite the mass expropriation process, specifically for high-speed rail projects like Alto. It eliminates the requirement for the Crown to attempt negotiated purchases, removes public hearings on objections in favour of limited written submissions, simplifies notice procedures, and narrows landowner procedural rights to accelerate land acquisition.

Yet locals aren't backing down. A town hall is being hosted at Sharbot Lake's Oso Hall tomorrow at 10 a.m., featuring MP Scott Reid and others.