During their Board of Directors’ meeting today, the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (the “EOWC”), representing 103 municipalities, passed a resolution calling for transparency, meaningful consultation, and respect for municipal democratic processes around the ALTO high speed train project.
The EOWC is calling on ALTO and the Government of Canada to ensure that discussions affecting municipalities are not conducted during the municipal election period as elections take place on October 26, 2026, and that municipalities have a meaningful opportunity to participate in decisions affecting their communities.
The EOWC is also calling for the establishment of a Municipal Advisory Table, bringing together affected municipalities, First Nations, legal experts, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and ALTO, to support ongoing collaboration and address municipal issues throughout the planning, land acquisition, construction, and operation of the project.
The EOWC emphasizes that any nation-building projects must ensure that municipal interests are appropriately represented throughout the process.
The EOWC’s Resolution 2026-06 is the following:
That the EOWC Board of Directors defer any decision or meeting related to ALTO or a Confidential Information Sharing Agreement until after the October 26, 2026, municipal elections; and
That ALTO and the Government of Canada be formally advised that any discussions regarding the planned ALTO project, a named nation-building project, impacting our municipalities should not be forced or conducted during the municipal election timeframe as this does not represent respect for municipal governments or democratic decision-making; and
That the EOWC calls upon the Government of Canada and/or ALTO to establish a Municipal Advisory Table for the ALTO project, comprised of representatives from affected municipalities, First Nations, legal experts on the matter, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), and ALTO, to ensure ongoing collaboration, transparency, and resolution of municipal issues throughout the planning, land acquisition, construction, and operation, and that any costs related to this Municipal Advisory Table be incurred by the Government of Canada; and
Further that the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are requested to actively participate in the Municipal Advisory Table and to advocate for transparency, municipal planning authority, fair allocation of municipal costs, and meaningful consultation throughout the ALTO project.