Farmers and local elected officials in Repentigny, Quebec are demanding the cancellation of a proposed high-speed rail project that would traverse prime agricultural land, raising fears about property division, livelihood disruption, and inadequate consultation.
Guillaume Alary, a third-generation farmer who manages over 260 hectares of wheat, corn, soybean, and hay fields, says he was never consulted about the project despite learning of its existence earlier this year. His family has farmed the land since his grandfather first broke ground, and now he fears the rail line could sever his property and upend a legacy built over decades.
Uncertainty Grips Rural Communities
“I’m concerned about my land, my family. I’m concerned about the land and families of my neighbours,” Alary told Global News, his voice tinged with both frustration and worry.
The federal agency Alto, responsible for overseeing the ambitious high-speed rail corridor linking Quebec City and Toronto, has proposed routing much of the line through fertile farming regions. For Alary and others, the lack of early engagement has only deepened mistrust. “I’m upset about a project that is not transparent,” he said.
He now faces sleepless nights wondering how much of his land—his livelihood—could be lost. “Will I lose half my land? Will I lose my house?” These questions echo across the region, where dozens of farming families find themselves caught in the crosshairs of a national infrastructure dream.
Union Warns of Financial Fallout
Simon Duval, regional president of the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) in Lanaudière, warns that dividing farmland with rail infrastructure could devastate operations already operating on thin margins. “Half of your land is going to be on the other side. So the detour you’re going to have to do to access the other side is going to totally ruin the financial aspect of it,” he explained.
Detours mean added time, fuel costs, and wear on machinery—all of which eat into profits for farmers who depend on efficiency to stay viable. The UPA is calling for an immediate halt to the project until meaningful consultation takes place.
“Right now what we have to do is stop the project,” Duval said firmly.
Political Opposition Mounts
p>Bloc Québécois MP Patrick Bonin, representing Repentigny, has joined the chorus of dissent, stating he cannot support the initiative due to what he describes as a lack of proper public consultation and environmental assessment.
“There is no proper public consultation and environmental assessment,” Bonin asserted, reflecting growing skepticism among elected officials at every level of government in the affected areas.
Local councillor Normand Urbain echoed these concerns, highlighting practical challenges that extend beyond economics. “Imagine having a train pass right in the middle of your farmland and you have to bring your tractors from one side to the other. You can’t pass over the rails,” he said, underscoring the logistical nightmare many farmers anticipate.
Despite mounting opposition, Alto maintains that steps are being taken to minimise impact. In a statement to Global News, the agency noted it had received 20,000 comments during earlier consultations and stressed its commitment to identifying routes that avoid residential neighbourhoods and preserve agricultural land wherever possible.
“As the corridor approaches more urbanised areas such as Repentigny, the priority is to identify a route that minimises impacts on residential neighbourhoods and agricultural lands,” the statement read.
A Legacy at Risk
For Alary, the stakes run deeper than soil and square footage. The farm isn’t just his job—it’s his identity. “(I’d be) losing a piece of my reason to live,” he admitted quietly, revealing the emotional toll of watching something his family nurtured for generations potentially disappear beneath steel tracks.
His words reflect a broader tension playing out across rural Quebec—and indeed, throughout Canada—as governments pursue large-scale green infrastructure projects aimed at reducing emissions and modernising transport networks. While supporters argue the high-speed rail line will slash carbon output by drawing travellers from planes and cars, critics say rural communities are being asked to sacrifice too much without sufficient input or compensation.
With federal funding secured and timelines accelerating, pressure continues to build on planners to reconcile climate goals with the very real needs of those whose lives sit directly in the path of progress.
Why it Matters
This conflict encapsulates the delicate balancing act facing policymakers nationwide: how to advance urgent environmental objectives while respecting the rights and realities of rural Canadians. If left unresolved, the high-speed rail controversy in Quebec could set a precedent—either for inclusive, community-first planning or for top-down development that alienates the very constituencies the green transition claims to serve. As climate ambition collides with agricultural preservation and Indigenous land rights, the outcome here may well shape how future infrastructure battles unfold from coast to coast.
