04/17/2026
District Position on Alto High Speed Rail Project
Whereas, the Upper Canada Snowmobile Region (UCSR) is District 1 within the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs (OFSC) and is comprised of 16 OFSC snowmobile clubs covering the area west to Napanee, north to Arnprior, east to the Ontario-Quebec border and south to the New York- Ontario border, maintaining 3391 km of OFSC Prescribed trails supported by nearly 1000 volunteers and servicing just over 10,000 snowmobilers and their families;
Whereas, this 3391 km trail network is made possible with the gracious support and cooperation of more than 2100 landowners, providing over 6,600 parcels of land of which over 80% are privately owned;
Whereas, the UCSR’s trail network generates an estimated $112,299,570 in economic impact (2022-2023 data) within the region, including $71,817,239 in GDP, supporting 604 jobs and generating $16,772,462 in federal taxes, $19,289,781 in provincial taxes and $2,078,838 in municipal taxes;
Whereas, the proposed Alto High Speed Train corridor would pass directly through the UCSR network effectively dividing the system and crossing rural communities, active agricultural lands, and environmentally sensitive areas;
Whereas, the UCSR Board of Directors is concerned about the potential long-term economic consequences for rural landowners, including impacts on agricultural operations, future land use, property value with limited direct local benefits;
Whereas, the UCSR is concerned that the project planning has not adequately considered the impact on recreational trail infrastructure, including:
• Maintaining safe and continuous trail connectivity across the rail corridor;
• Providing sufficient clearance and width (approximately 25 feet) within proposed underpasses or overpasses to safely accommodate recreational trail use, including snowmobiles; and
• With landowner support, allowing for the potential development of parallel recreational trail corridors (approximately 25 feet), including snowmobiles, outside of the railway safety fencing.
Whereas, the UCSR Board of Directors has significant concerns regarding the current Alto high-speed rail proposal and the expropriation-related provisions contained in Bill C-15;
Be It Resolved That, the UCSR formally opposes the Alto High-Speed Rail Project as currently proposed, due to its potentially significant negative impacts on the regional snowmobile trail network, participating landowners, and the broader rural tourism economy.
Be It Further Resolved That, the UCSR call upon the Government of Canada and project proponents to fully assess and mitigate impacts to recreational trail infrastructure, landowners, and rural communities, including the provision of appropriate trail crossings and connectivity measures.
