Ontario rethinking support for high

Ontario rethinking support for high-speed rail after feds reject Billy Bishop expansion: source

11 MPPs release statement raising questions about Alto rail project

Ontario Transport Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria says the federal government conceded to "fringe groups" in rejecting a plan to allow jets to land at Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport.

"If this is how they're going to treat bigger projects, I don't think you'll get much built," he said at a Tuesday news conference in St. Thomas, Ont., while promising to move ahead with the plan.

A source with knowledge of the discussions told CBC News that, in response, Ontario is now rethinking its support for the Alto high-speed rail project.

On Tuesday evening, 11 MPPs from Ontario put out a statement questioning Alto, seemingly out of the blue.

"In the case of Alto, too many questions remain unanswered. Too many voices have been ignored," the statement said.

For the project to proceed, local stakeholders need to see their feedback "reflected in the project's planning, route selection and delivery," the MPPs said.

"The federal government must ensure that any potential future rail project minimizes impacts on farmland and is supported by the people affected."

'There will be expropriations' in high-speed rail project buildout, says transport minister

The 11 MPPs are largely from eastern Ontario ridings and included two cabinet ministers: Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn and Labour Minister David Piccini.

The other MPPs attached to the statement are: Steve Clark, Dave Smith, Tyler Allsop, Ric Bresee, John Jordan, George Darouze, Laurie Scott, Stéphane Sarrazin and Billy Denault.

Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon announced the Billy Bishop decision in a social media post on Friday, saying the government will focus exclusively on "approved safety enhancements" for the downtown airport instead.

Hundreds of Torontonians celebrate after feds reject Billy Bishop jet expansion

He said Ottawa came to the decision following consultations, citing a public survey in which 87 per cent of respondents opposed the move.

But a senior Liberal source says the timing of the decision wasn't a coincidence. The party hopes to hold its seat in the Toronto riding of Beaches-East York in the Aug. 31 byelection announced on Sunday.

The source says the decision to make the announcement was based partially on the knowledge that the NDP opposed the expansion, and would likely campaign on the issue.

Carney calls August byelections for 3 ridings in Ontario, Quebec and B.C.

But the province was caught off guard by the move, as it contradicts months of talks centred on reciprocal support for Alto and the Billy Bishop expansion, two sources familiar with the discussions told CBC News.

Both projects face some pushback from the affected residents, and both require governments to expend some political capital.

Federal government won't support Ontario's Billy Bishop Airport expansion

According to one source familiar with the discussions, Ontario Premier Doug Ford shared his disappointment with the prime minister over the weekend and the province is now re-evaluating its approach to Alto — which is expected to see trains reaching speeds of 300 km/h cutting through valuable Ontario farmland, with stops in major cities between Toronto and Quebec City.

CBC News is not naming the sources because they were not authorized to speak about the discussions. The news was first reported by the Toronto Star.

The Ontario government had previously expressed support for the rail project, with Ford himself suggesting there be an additional stop in Kingston.

The two levels of government previously agreed to collaborate on "the planning and advancement of Alto" in a partnership agreement.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office defended the high-speed rail plan, calling it a "generational investment" that will carry "approximately 24 million riders annually by 2055 and up to 43 million by 2085."

Alto closer to finalizing route for high-speed rail between Toronto and Quebec City

In May, the province passed legislation to take Toronto's place in the tripartite agreement that governs the airport, taking over city-owned lands on the adjacent waterfront and the Toronto Islands.

Sarkaria did not explain how he plans to move forward on the Billy Bishop expansion without the federal support still required in the agreement.

Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who opposes the jet accommodation at the airport, is now calling on the province to return the land.

"The provincial government needs the federal government's support to move forward, which they do not currently have," a spokesperson for Chow's office said in a statement to CBC News.

"They should repeal the bill and return the land to the city."

Salma Ibrahim is a producer with CBC's Parliamentary Bureau. You can reach her at salma.ibrahim@cbc.ca.