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Alto will deploy drones in nine municipalities in Eastern Ontario, the Laurentians and Montérégie to conduct surveys related to the future route of the high-speed train. The flights will take place until the end of 2026 and will be used in particular for environmental impact studies. In the region, elected officials denounce a lack of transparency. “That’s not how a democracy works,” says Mario Zanth. Francis Brière deplores the fact that elected officials receive “the same information at the same time as the population.”
The Union des cultivateurs franco-ontariens denounces Alto’s decision to use drones to conduct surveys related to the future high-speed train, seeing it as a way to circumvent farmers’ refusal to open up their land. Its vice-president, Michel Dignard, says that Alto is “not welcome in the region”. The Crown corporation maintains that drones complement field surveys, reduce disturbance and do not mean that the route is determined.
Alto also says it takes note of the resolution adopted by the United Counties of Prescott-Russell, which refuses access to their lands for surveys related to the future high-speed train. The Crown corporation says it wants to maintain an “open and transparent” dialogue with municipalities and property owners.