Casey Cuddy

🇨🇦 ATTENTION ONTARIO AND QUEBEC PROPERTY OWNERS — CARNEY'S GOVERNMENT HAS CHANGED THE RULES FOR ALTO! If you own a home, farm or property anywhere near the proposed ALTO high-speed railway route, you need to understand what has changed! On March 26, 2026, Bill C-15 received Royal Assent and became law. Buried within this massive budget bill was the new High-Speed Rail Network Act, giving the federal government expanded powers to acquire private land for ALTO. Here's what Carney's government has changed: 🔴 1. ALTO DOES NOT HAVE TO TRY BUYING YOUR LAND FIRST! Under the new legislation, ALTO is no longer required to demonstrate that it tried unsuccessfully to purchase your land before requesting expropriation. 🔴 2. YOUR LAND CAN BE EXPROPRIATED WITHOUT YOUR AGREEMENT! If your property is needed for the railway, the government can pursue compulsory acquisition even if you refuse to sell. Compensation rights remain, but your consent is not necessarily required. 🔴 3. YOUR RIGHT TO A PUBLIC EXPROPRIATION HEARING HAS BEEN REMOVED! The ordinary federal requirement for an independent public hearing following an expropriation objection no longer applies to ALTO. Property owners retain the right to submit written objections, but that is not the same as having a public hearing! 🔴 4. YOU HAVE ONLY 30 DAYS TO FILE A WRITTEN OBJECTION! Once the formal expropriation notice is published in the Canada Gazette, affected individuals have 30 days to submit their objections in writing. And here's the disturbing part: An objection does not automatically prevent the government from proceeding! 🔴 5. YOUR PROPERTY COULD FACE RESTRICTIONS BEFORE THE RAILWAY IS APPROVED! The legislation allows certain restrictions on construction and property improvements, and land acquisition can proceed before the final environmental assessment decision. 🔴 6. ALTO CAN CLAIM FIRST REFUSAL IF YOU TRY TO SELL! ALTO can register a right of first refusal on designated properties, potentially lasting up to eight years, giving it the opportunity to match an offer from another buyer. SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? Carney's government has made it easier and faster for Ottawa to acquire private property for ALTO, while removing important procedural protections that property owners previously had. Farmers, homeowners and affected communities can still object, seek legal remedies and challenge aspects of the project. But they must understand the new rules and respond promptly to formal notices. And remember, ALTO's final route and full financial costs have not yet been settled! Yet the government has already changed the law to make land acquisition easier. In my opinion, that's putting the government's project timetable ahead of the rights and concerns of the people whose properties could be affected. CANADIANS DESERVE A SAY BEFORE THEIR LAND IS TAKEN — NOT JUST A NOTICE TELLING THEM WHAT OTTAWA INTENDS TO DO! Please share this with anyone who owns property near the proposed ALTO corridor. Know your rights, watch for official notices and don't miss the objection deadlines! 🇨🇦 ALTO IS NOT ABOVE PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY!