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A River in the Path of Two Rail Corridors
What the proposed Alto high-speed rail line means for the Salmon River watershed — and why neither route can be called safe for the environment.
The Salmon River begins near Cloyne, just south of Bon Echo Provincial Park, and flows through Lennox & Addington, Frontenac, and Hastings Counties before emptying into the Bay of Quinte near Shannonville. Its 921 km² watershed is part of the Bay of Quinte Area of Concern — one of 43 Great Lakes Basin locations flagged by the International Joint Commission in 1985 as requiring active remediation. Decades of collaborative restoration work are underway. The Alto HSR project arrives in the middle of that effort.
The 2005 Salmon River Habitat Strategy measured six key ecological indicators across both zones and compared them to Environment Canada’s minimum guidelines. The differences are striking:
| Habitat Indicator | Guideline | Shield (North) | Limestone (South) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wetland area | >10% | 12.1% ✓ | 11.1% ✓ |
| Vegetation near wetlands (within 100m) | 100% | 99.7% ✓ | 64.3% ⚠ |
| Stream length vegetated | >75% | 89.1% ✓ | 52.5% ⚠ |
| Riparian vegetation (within 30m of streams) | 100% | 98.4% ✓ | 38.1% ⚠ |
| Forest cover | >30% | 85.6% ✓ | 49.5% ✓ |
| Interior forest habitat | >5% | 38.6% ✓ | 13.4% ⚠ |
⚠ Values marked with a warning symbol fall well below Environment Canada guidelines. Source: Green (2005), The Salmon River Habitat Strategy.
The Northern Corridor crosses the Precambrian Shield portion of the Salmon River watershed — the zone that is currently doing the most ecological work for the entire river system. Construction here would require blasting through granite ridges and using the blasted rock to fill wetlands and low-lying areas. This “cut-and-fill” method directly destroys what it passes through.
The Shield portion of the Salmon River watershed contains four Areas of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSIs) — provincially designated natural heritage features protected under Ontario’s Provincial Policy Statement:
Possibly the largest undisturbed granite bedrock barrens area in southern Ontario. Home to the provincially rare Polygonum careyi.
Contains the highest known number of provincially rare species in any comparable area in eastern or southern Ontario, including nationally rare Bear Oak and the endangered Toothcup.
The largest extent of open and treed fen in the district — a rare and slow-recovering wetland type.
A very large peat bog with the uncommon Eastern Chain-fern. Peat bogs are among the slowest-recovering ecosystems on earth.
The Southern Corridor passes through the limestone bedrock portion of the watershed — the area the 2005 Habitat Strategy identified as having the greatest restoration needs. Stream banks are already critically degraded. Wetland buffers are inadequate. Two decades of stewardship work by the Friends of the Salmon River and partner organizations have been slowly rebuilding what was lost. A high-speed rail corridor through this zone would cut against that effort.
Several Provincially Significant Wetlands in the southern watershed could be directly affected, carrying legal protection under Ontario’s Wetlands Policy, which requires no net loss of wetland function:
Home to four provincially significant species, including Least Bittern and Northern Harrier.
Notable for Brook Trout spawning and rearing; already experiencing disturbance from cattle grazing.
Habitat for the endangered Loggerhead Shrike and five provincially significant species.
A Bay of Quinte coastal wetland with traditional significance for the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte; habitat for endangered Bald and Golden Eagles.
Six endangered species are documented within the Salmon River watershed. Several are found in both the northern and southern zones. A high-speed rail line through either corridor would affect critical habitat for animals and plants that have no other place to go.
| Impact Category | Northern Corridor | Southern Corridor |
|---|---|---|
| Primary habitat at risk | Intact Shield forests, wetlands, and rock barrens | Already-degraded riparian zones and agricultural buffers |
| Forest cover | Fragments 85.6% forested area; cuts through contiguous interior forest | Further reduces 49.5% forest cover in an area that urgently needs reforestation |
| Wetland risk | Direct filling of Shield wetlands; disrupts the Kennebec Complex hydrology | Destroys buffers around Provincially Significant Wetlands already at 64.3% vegetation |
| Riparian impact | Destroys near-pristine (98.4%) Shield stream edges | Further degrades critically low (38.1%) limestone stream cover |
| Endangered species | Toothcup, Butternut, Juniper Sedge, Blanding’s Turtle | Loggerhead Shrike, Henslow’s Sparrow, King Rail, Juniper Sedge, Blanding’s Turtle |
| Construction method | Cut-and-fill through granite: blasting ridges, filling swamps | Standard grading through agricultural land and clay soils |
| Downstream consequences | Loss of flood attenuation and drought buffering for downstream communities | Increased sediment and nutrient loading into the Bay of Quinte |
| Restoration impact | Damages the ecological “bank” that supports the whole watershed | Directly undermines priority restoration areas identified in 2005 |
Federal budget legislation granted Alto enhanced expropriation powers and development holds along the proposed corridor. Combined with Bill C-5 (2024), the Minister of Transport may exempt the project from some standard environmental protections. This raises the real concern that the assessment process for the Salmon River watershed may be weakened or bypassed entirely.
The Bay of Quinte RAP is a binding commitment under the Canada-Ontario Agreement Respecting the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem. It requires active restoration of the Salmon River watershed — not further degradation. Construction through either corridor would work against this federal-provincial commitment.
The UNESCO designation of the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve obligates Canada to conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable development within the region. The northern portion of the Salmon River watershed overlaps with the Biosphere Reserve. This is an international commitment, not just a provincial one.
The Salmon River Alvar’s status as a Provincially Significant ANSI means that Ontario’s Provincial Policy Statement directs that development not be permitted in significant natural heritage features. Multiple Provincially Significant Wetlands carry additional protection under Ontario’s Wetlands Policy, requiring no net loss of wetland function.
Commission a rigorous, independent environmental impact assessment
It must specifically address the Salmon River watershed’s documented ecological conditions — using the 2005 Habitat Strategy as the baseline and updating it with current remote sensing data. A desktop review of existing mapping is not sufficient for a project of this scale.
Engage the watershed’s stewards directly
The Friends of the Salmon River, Quinte Conservation, the Frontenac Arch Biosphere Network, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, and the Stewardship Councils of Lennox & Addington, Frontenac, and Hastings Counties must be formal participants in corridor planning — not informed after decisions are made.
Ensure Bills C-5 and C-15 exemptions do not apply to this watershed
The federal exemption provisions that could allow Alto to bypass standard assessment processes must not be used to sidestep evaluation of impacts on the Salmon River’s designated natural heritage features.
Require binding habitat commitments for whichever route proceeds
Binding commitments must be established to avoid, minimize, and offset impacts on Provincially Significant Wetlands, endangered species habitat, and the Frontenac Arch wildlife corridor — with net-positive habitat outcomes as the measurable standard.
Re-examine whether alternative alignments can avoid the watershed entirely
The significant ecological costs of routing through this sensitive region — on either side of the geological divide — justify asking whether corridor alternatives that avoid the Salmon River watershed altogether have been adequately explored.
Update the 2005 Salmon River Habitat Strategy before any approvals
Twenty years of ecological change have occurred since the Habitat Strategy was completed. Current spatial data and remote sensing must establish a contemporary baseline before any construction approvals are granted.
Prepared by Andrew Hyett, Geologist and Rock Mechanics Specialist · Reviewed by David Praskey, Aquatic Ecologist, and Susan Moore, President, Friends of the Salmon River · February 2026. Freely available for re-use and advocacy.