The Toronto to Montreal high-speed train just got another step closer
The Toronto to Montreal high-speed train just got another step closer
Toronto city council says it supports the creation of a high-speed train that would connect the city with Montreal.
In a motion, council joined Oshawa in backing the creation of a high-speed rail network along the Quebec-Toronto corridor, which officials say would reduce travel between the two cities to just under three hours.
A normal train ride from Toronto to Montreal takes an average of five hours.
“The high-speed train could have enormous leverage effects for the economic and cultural development of the major cities located in this corridor, notably Montreal,” the motion, proposed by Councillor Paul Ainslie, read.
“Over the next ten years, Quebec and Ontario alone plan to spend $56 billion on their road network, an amount that represents approximately twice the cost of a high-speed train between Quebec and Toronto.”
In February, two Montreal city councillors asked the federal government for support building the rail network. A pitch by manufacturing company Alstom—who is currently piloting a green hydrogen train on the Charlevoix railway—has already been made.
The federal government instead said they are looking at a High Frequency Rail project along the corridor and are in the process of looking for a private partner to develop it.
A section of Ottawa's proposed High-Frequency Rail network is seen in this image. (Via Rail Canada)
At the time, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra said the government would be open to looking into whether trains should be allowed to go faster than 200km/h. However, councillors argue this is significantly slower than that of a high-speed train, which has the capacity of travelling at about 250 km/hr.
In Toronto’s motion, councillors argue that a high-frequency train would “only slightly reduce the travel time” and “therefore make the project much less attractive to the population.”
“If Canada wants to significantly reduce its green house gas emissions and reach its targets promised to the international community, significant sums will have to be invested in public transit, particularly in rail transportation,” it read.
The Kathleen Wynne Liberal government proposed a 250 km/hr high-speed train that would have travelled from Toronto to Windsor in just two hours, but funding was paused in 2019 by the Doug Ford government.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is pushing for special rapporteur David Johnston to 'step aside' from his role examining the issue of foreign interference before he embarks on public hearings.
Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek says the Liberal government expects to have a plan for the future of 24 Sussex Drive by the fall.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has failed to persuade the House of Commons to condemn the Liberal government's approach to fighting drug addiction.
New Democrat MP Jenny Kwan said Monday that Canada's spy agency has confirmed her long-held belief she is being targeted by the Chinese government, as the prime minister granted the NDP's wish to allow more party members to review top-secret intelligence.
Canadian political leaders and parliamentarians are denouncing a new law passed in Uganda that imposes harsh penalties, including the death penalty, for certain cases involving homosexuality.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
With the summer swimming season fast approaching, the Canada Safety Council is reminding people to be careful and take measures to prevent drowning, especially after three children died just days apart.
Carla White is the only remaining tenant in her building, which is slated to be demolished to make room for a 176-unit condo project. But in order to move forward, the developer must reach an agreement with White -- and she says she won't leave until she's provided with a home that offers the long-term stability she needs to ensure she won't end up back on the streets.
Montreal police (SPVM) are investigating yet another suspicious fire. Two cars parked in front of a commercial building in Montreal East were engulfed in flames in the middle of the night on Tuesday.
The union representing the majority of Quebec's daycare workers is criticizing the government's decision to launch a skimpy 90-hour training program for people who want to be daycare workers but have no prior experience.
Police in Elgin County are asking for the public’s help in identifying a man and his pet dog after the dog repeatedly bit and injured a 62 year old while in a conservation area on Monday.
A man and a woman are facing multiple charges after they allegedly brandished a handgun and made threats against a victim in an east London, Ont. home over the weekend, police said.
The rural Oxford County intersection where an OPP officer and a school bus driver were killed Monday was less than a month away from becoming a four-way stop when the deadly crash happened.
It was a night of indecision at Waterloo region's catholic school board as trustees went back and forth trying to find the best approach to fill a vacant seat.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
It's the end of an era for one sporting goods store at Bank Street and Laurier Avenue. The owner says a lack of foot traffic downtown is behind the decision to close a store that's been operating for 41 years.
The Sandy Hill Child Care Centre has an extra two weeks to get its new home up to code months after a fire destroyed its original site on Wilbrod Street.
Windsor city council voted Monday in favour of adopting a master plan with high hopes for City Hall Square and a so-called civic esplanade stretching down to the river
A united front was on full display Monday as community leaders, politicians, business people, unions and educators gathered together at Windsor City Hall to ensure the NextStar Energy battery plant deal gets closed.
Doctors in their final year of training, called residency, can choose to do a one-month rotation at the Shelter Health Initiative (SHI) caring for Windsor’s homeless population.
Approximately 200 homes or structures have been damaged by the wildfire that began burning Sunday in the Upper Tanatallon, N.S., area, according to preliminary estimates.
One long-time electoral tradition came to an end on election day, when Postmedia announced there would be no printed newspaper announcing the winner in Calgary.
A Winnipeg family is asking for help to find their missing teenage son whom they haven't seen since he left for school in the Fort Richmond area last Wednesday morning.
The body of a Winnipeg boy who fell into Sturgeon Falls on Saturday has been found following a desperate underwater search that lasted more than a day.
On Monday, Fraser Health provided two senior leaders to address the latest letter outlining risks to patients, allegations of muzzling, and pleas for help from emergency physicians in the health authority's hospitals.
The president of the BC Trucking Association is issuing renewed calls for safety after a trailer truck smashed into an overhead pass Monday morning in Langley.
Over 170,000 elementary and high school students weighed in on the Alberta election and the NDP had to hope the real voters were listening, because they won the kids' vote.
A section of Ottawa's proposed High-Frequency Rail network is seen in this image. (Via Rail Canada)
