At its meeting on April 16, the Quinte Source Protection Authority passed a motion stating that the proposed high-speed rail project would have significant negative impacts on sources of drinking water across communities within both the northern and southern corridors of the project. Due to these concerns, the Authority does not support the project as it is currently proposed.
The proposed northern corridor may impact two municipal drinking water systems located in the Village of Madoc and the Municipality of Marmora and Lake. While both proposed corridors would intersect and impact wetlands, they also have the potential to compromise the quality and quantity of groundwater systems, thereby potentially affecting wells and other drinking water sources.
Terry Kennedy, interim chair of the Quinte Source Protection Committee, stated, “The members of both the Source Protection Committee and the Source Protection Authority expressed concerns with the significant impact that the Alto high-speed rail proposal in its current form would have on Quinte region residents, municipal infrastructures and the environment, particularly sources drinking water sources.”
The Authority and Committee is calling on the federal government to consider investing in existing passenger rail infrastructure to enhance and improve the system currently in place.
Kennedy added, “It was felt that better alternatives needed to be considered. If existing corridors were utilized, the project promises to be both more viable and financially feasible. In addition, the impacts should be more readily manageable and avoid risking an additional set of large-scale environmental intrusions that threaten sources of safe drinking water.”
The entire motion can be viewed below:
The Source Protection Committee (the Committee) encouraged Source Protection Authority staff to bring forth a motion similar to the Quinte Conservation Executive Board motion regarding the Alto High-Speed Rail project. The Committee commended the Executive Board’s motion (QC-26-020) and requested that the Quinte Source Protection Authority consider approving the motion below to oppose the Alto High-Speed Rail project from a source water protection perspective.
MOTION:
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.
About Source Water Protection
Under the Clean Water Act, 2006, 19 local watershed-based source protection committees across the province were established by Ontario Regulation 288/07. Quinte Source Water Protection Area serves 18 municipalities in the watersheds of the Moira, Napanee and Salmon Rivers and Prince Edward County. It provides cost-effective environmental expertise and leadership. More information about Quinte Conservation is available at www.quintesourcewater.ca.
About Quinte Conservation
Quinte Conservation is a community-based environmental protection agency. It serves 18 municipalities in the watersheds of the Moira, Napanee and Salmon Rivers and Prince Edward County. It provides cost-effective environmental expertise and leadership. Quinte Conservation’s main goal is to create a sustainable ecosystem where people and nature live in harmony. More information about Quinte Conservation is available at www.quinteconservation.ca.
