The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the Carney government to reveal the cost of adding a stop in Kingston to its proposed high-speed rail line.

“Adding another on the proposed high-speed rail line will come with costs and Prime Minister Mark Carney owes taxpayers an answer about how big that bill will be,” said Noah Jarvis, CTF Ontario Director. “Ottawa will have to borrow every dollar for this $90-billion project and it’s already clear there it will go overbudget.” 

Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon announced that the federal government is ordering Alto to consider adding a stop along its planned high-speed rail route in Kingston.

MacKinnon did not offer a cost estimate for adding an extra high-speed rail stop in Kingston.

The government said its proposed high-speed rail line would cost taxpayers up to $90 billion, before adding Kingston to the route.

MacKinnon’s announcement comes after the mayor of Kingston demanded his city be added along the federal government’s high-speed rail route.

However, the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, representing 13 Ontario municipalities, issued a statement opposing the high-speed rail project earlier this year.

Both the Conservative Party and Bloc Québécois are opposing the Carney government’s Alto project, citing concern over costs and property rights.

Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says if his party wins the next provincial election, the Quebec government would oppose the Alto project.

“Canadians can’t afford to play a guessing game with the size of bill taxpayers are being handed for a high-speed rail boondoggle,” Jarvis said. “If the government doesn’t even know how much its planned changes to the high-speed rail route will cost, Carney has to put the brakes on the project before taxpayers get rinsed.”