MONTRÉAL, Feb. 27, 2026 /CNW/ - Following the resolution adopted by the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), Alto reiterates its commitment to working constructively with farmers in Québec and Ontario, so that the project reflects agricultural realities and delivers regional benefits.

Alto is currently in its development and preconstruction phase, allowing the project to continue the rigorous social, environmental, and technical analyses required to assess potential impacts and refine the alignment. This stage is designed to ensure that decisions are made with care, transparency, and a clear understanding of community concerns. Alignment decisions will follow the completion of this work.

A broad and extensive consultation process is already underway. To date, more than 140,000 participations have been recorded across Alto's engagement activities – including 135,804 visits to the online platform and 7,250 in-person participants at Alto's open houses and roundtables. Additionally, 13,344 surveys have been submitted and over 8,000 comments have been provided on Alto's interactive map, offering valuable insights that guide route optimization, environmental assessments, and mitigation planning. Alto is committed to concretely addressing the comments raised during this first wave of consultations.

Alto has been clear in its engagement to limit impacts on farmland, maple groves, and woodlands through an optimized alignment and tailored mitigation measures. Engagement with the UPA and OFA began early in the process and continues on a regular basis to identify practical access solutions and ensure continuity of agricultural operations.

Over the past year, this engagement has been maintained continuously as part of the project's development. Discussions have taken place at both leadership and working levels, ensuring that agricultural considerations are addressed as planning evolves.

Alto has also offered agricultural organizations the opportunity to contribute directly to identifying sensitive areas, mitigation measures, and conditions required for day-to-day agricultural operations to continue. This conversation between Alto, agricultural and forestry producers is essential to developing solutions rooted in their realities.

Alto strives to approach discussions with landowners in a transparent and respectful manner, always seeking negotiated agreements. Once the alignment is known, discussions with landowners, including agricultural producers, will take place openly, with compensation supported by independent professional valuations to ensure fairness.

Alto remains committed to working collaboratively with all stakeholders as the project evolves, building a path forward that reflects both community needs and Canada's long‑term mobility ambitions.

About Alto

Alto is a Crown corporation dedicated to building the largest public infrastructure project in Canada's recent history - the country's first ever, fast, reliable, and frequent high-speed rail network. With stations in Toronto, Peterborough, Ottawa, Montreal, Laval, Trois-Rivières and Québec City, this project will connect millions of Canadians living along the country's most densely populated corridor. Alto will bring cities and people closer together and create significant socio-economic benefits that will help generations to come. For more information on this transformative project, visit altotrain.ca.

SOURCE Alto