The Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus is calling for greater transparency and municipal involvement in planning for the proposed ALTO high-speed rail project.
The EOWC, which represents 103 municipalities, passed a resolution calling on ALTO and the federal government to avoid discussions affecting municipalities during the current municipal election period.
The group says municipalities should have a meaningful opportunity to participate in decisions that could affect their communities.
The EOWC is also calling for a Municipal Advisory Table involving affected municipalities, First Nations, legal experts, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ALTO.
The proposed table would address municipal concerns throughout the planning, land acquisition, construction and operation of the project.
The EOWC says discussions related to ALTO should be deferred until after the October 26 municipal election.
The group says major nation-building projects should include municipal interests throughout the process.
