OPINION — Smiths Falls is pushing hard for a place in the Alto high-speed rail plan. In doing so, it risks straining the relationships it depends on to fund projects closer to home.
Council has backed the project, tying its support to a local presence such as a station, maintenance facility or other rail connection. It has also endorsed a consultant’s strategic case to help position the town for inclusion.
There is nothing wrong with wanting in. Municipalities that sit back rarely end up part of major infrastructure projects.
But this is no longer the project many communities first signed on to.
What began as a high-frequency rail concept has shifted to a high-speed model. That change matters. High-speed systems are built for fewer stops and straighter routes, leaving mid-sized communities like Smiths Falls with far less certainty about whether they will be included at all.
Against that backdrop, the town is investing public money to make a case for a role that is still undefined.
That raises a fair question. Is this strategy grounded in opportunity, or in uncertainty?
At the same time, Smiths Falls is asking neighbouring municipalities to partner on major local investments, including a proposed recreation facility with a projected cost nearing $49 million. Those partnerships rely on trust and alignment as much as shared use.
Right now, that alignment is not guaranteed.
Across the region, concerns about the high-speed rail project continue to surface, from environmental impacts to farmland and community disruption. Some municipalities are taking a cautious approach. Others have been more direct in their opposition.
Smiths Falls has chosen to lean in, and that creates a disconnect.
While its neighbours are still weighing the risks, Smiths Falls is spending public funds to advocate for inclusion. At the same time, it is asking those same partners to help fund projects at home.
In Rideau Lakes, for example, the township already contributes significant funding each year to support residents’ use of Smiths Falls facilities through a cost-sharing model. That arrangement works because there is a balance of benefit and cooperation.
If that balance begins to feel out of step, future agreements could become harder to secure.
This is where the town may need to rethink its approach.
Rather than focusing solely on securing a place on a high-speed line it does not control, Smiths Falls is well positioned to lead a broader conversation about regional connectivity.
Its location, rail history and access to existing corridors allow it to think beyond a single stop. That could include advocating for feeder services, improved regional rail or other transportation links that connect surrounding communities into whatever network ultimately takes shape.
That kind of strategy would not only strengthen Smiths Falls’ case, but it could also bring neighbouring municipalities into the conversation instead of pushing them further apart.
Ambition is not the issue. Direction is.
Smiths Falls can continue on its current path and risk drifting out of step with regional partners. Or it can shift the conversation toward shared connectivity and strengthen both its position and those relationships.
If those relationships weaken, the impact will not be theoretical. It will show up in the projects Smiths Falls is counting on its neighbours to support.
More on this Hot Topic:
- Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network raises environmental concerns as Alto rail project advances consultations
- Smiths Falls council backs Alto rail plan, ties support to local presence
- Lanark County opposes ALTO rail, reviews newcomer programs, sets April meeting schedule
For more on Alto rail visit Hot topics: Alto.
Smiths Falls participated in the Lanark Rural Transit Feasibility Study and enthusiastically supported its recommendations. It is not reasonable to say that we don’t want to co-operate with our neighbours on regional transit. We are a good and fair partner. We should not have future co-operation held hostage as a means to prevent us from expressing our opinion.
According to the ALTO report the town adopted, Smiths Falls is pushing for a tiered station with the express goal of giving rural communities in eastern Ontario a way to benefit from the ALTO line, either by directly serving the rural communities in our catchment area, or by facilitating VIA connectivity. If this is to be built regardless, we will be the only ones left at the table pushing to bring real benefits to small communities in eastern Ontario.
We should co-operate with our neighbours where our interests align and otherwise respect each other’s right to express their views.