Mississippi Mills Mayor Christa Lowry says federal planners are now looking at a southern route for the high-speed rail line that could bypass the municipality entirely if a Kingston stop goes ahead. The news comes after Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon told Alto, the Crown corporation in charge of the project, to study a path between Peterborough and Ottawa with a Kingston connection, as announced on June 22, 2026.
The municipality is keeping a close watch on the review. “We will continue to monitor the process closely and advocate for transparency and meaningful consultation every step of the way,” Mayor Lowry said in a statement. A northern route would have cut through Mississippi Mills, but a southern alignment could spare local farms and properties from expropriation. Still, council has been vocal in its opposition, formally rejecting the project on April 14, 2026, over concerns about poor consultation, unclear effects on rural areas, and environmental risks.
The Alto project would stretch roughly 1,000 kilometres from Toronto to Quebec City, with trains hitting 300 km/h and a price tag between $60 billion and $90 billion. Construction on the Ottawa-Montreal leg is slated for 2029-2030, while the Toronto-Ottawa portion could start by 2032. A Kingston stop would put about 80% of residents between Peterborough and Ottawa within a 25-minute drive of a station and cut the Kingston-Toronto trip to about 90 minutes.
Mayor Lowry has also raised the issue of compensation if the project forces changes to Mississippi Mills’ long-range plans. She wrote to MP Scott Reid last spring, noting the municipality just finished an Official Plan with infrastructure planning through 2048. “A high-speed rail corridor has the potential to significantly disrupt these long-range plans and undermine investments already made,” she told Lanarkist at the time.
The public got its say during a 100-day consultation ending in June 2026, with more than 10,000 people attending open houses, virtual sessions, and roundtables. Alto’s What We Heard Report was released alongside the Kingston announcement. According to Alto, route decisions are coming soon: the Ottawa-Montreal corridor this fall, and the Ottawa-Toronto route by early 2027. Residents can sign up for project updates on Alto’s website.
