Elizabethtown-Kitley council will consider entering a confidential information-sharing agreement with ALTO and spending $15,000 on regional rail research as planning for a possible high-speed rail route through Eastern Ontario evolves.
The two recommendations come before council Monday, Aug. 10, following a July 29 meeting between Mayor Brant Burrow, CAO Rob Nolan and ALTO’s manager of community relations for Ontario.
According to a staff report, ALTO requested the meeting and advised township officials that with a potential Kingston station now being studied, the proposed high-speed rail corridor could pass through Elizabethtown-Kitley.
ALTO is moving into evaluation of potential routes and alignments and has asked the township to enter a confidential information-sharing agreement to allow more detailed technical discussions.
Nolan is recommending council approve the agreement, saying it would allow township staff to provide information about local planning priorities, anticipated growth, infrastructure and community interests while receiving early, non-public information from ALTO.
The agreement would permit confidential information to be shared with municipal employees, officers, elected officials, external advisers and consultants who need the information for the discussions and are bound by confidentiality requirements.
The template agreement acknowledges that the township remains subject to Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
The agreement would run for up to five years unless terminated earlier by mutual consent, although information that continues to qualify as confidential could remain protected beyond that period.
The recommendation comes four months after Elizabethtown-Kitley formally opposed the ALTO high-speed rail project “in its current form.”
In an April 13 resolution, council cited insufficient municipal consultation, uncertain effects on rural communities and potential environmental and infrastructure impacts. Council also called on ALTO and the federal government to examine alternative routes using existing transportation corridors, including VIA Rail and Highway 401.
Since then, the federal government has directed ALTO to develop a plan assessing a southern route between Peterborough and Ottawa that includes a potential Kingston stop connecting with VIA Rail, subject to technical feasibility and project requirements.
Council will also consider a separate recommendation Monday to spend $15,000 from its Strategic Initiatives Reserve on research examining the opportunities and challenges a Kingston stop could create for Elizabethtown-Kitley and the broader Eastern Ontario rail network.
The proposal follows a July 20 meeting involving Burrow, Brockville Mayor Matt Wren, North Grenville Mayor Nancy Peckford and business representatives with consultant Andrew Antinucci.
Antinucci and Michael Schabas prepared an April 22 conceptual design and business case for Kingston Accommodation Partners examining a high-speed rail route generally following Highway 401 through Eastern Ontario.
Their conceptual route includes stations at Belleville, Kingston and Brockville and proposes a Brockville-area station between Tincap and Spring Valley.
The consultants argue a southern route could attract additional passengers and cost less to construct than routes crossing the Canadian Shield, but caution their conclusions are based on preliminary analysis requiring further engineering work.
The report was not reviewed, checked or approved by Transport Canada, ALTO or Projet Cadence Rail, and its authors state it may contain errors or misunderstandings.
The new research being considered by Elizabethtown-Kitley would examine the effect high-speed rail could have on existing VIA Rail service and the potential for regional commuter connections using existing rail services or ALTO infrastructure.
It would also examine the feasibility of a potential Brockville stop and broader economic opportunities for the region.
Elizabethtown-Kitley, Brockville and North Grenville have discussed jointly supporting the research, potentially through the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce and North Grenville Chamber of Commerce. The municipalities would fund the work, with Elizabethtown-Kitley’s estimated share at $15,000.
The mayors of Brockville and North Grenville have committed to bringing the proposal to their respective councils for consideration, according to the Elizabethtown-Kitley staff report.
Elizabethtown-Kitley’s Strategic Initiatives Reserve currently has a balance of $846,057.
Council meets Monday at 7 p.m.
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