Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeNP CommentRandall Denley: Time for Doug Ford to go 'elbows up' against Carney's high-speed Alto railFord and Prime Minister Mark Carney had an informal deal to support each other’s megaprojects You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Prime Minister Mark Carney shakes hands with Ontario Premier Doug Ford following the final news conference that ended the First Ministers meeting in Charlottetown, PEI, on July 23. (Tim Krochak/Postmedia) TIM KROCHAK PHOTOIs Ontario Premier Doug Ford willing to stand up to the prime minister in support of rural Ontarians? We’re about to find out.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorFord and Prime Minister Mark Carney had an informal deal to support each other’s megaprojects. Ford wasn’t to complain about the swath of destruction Carney’s Alto high-speed rail project would cut through rural Ontario. In return, Carney would support Ford’s plan for a huge expansion of the downtown Toronto Billy Bishop airport.That all blew up Friday when the federal government refused to support the airport plan. The question now is, will Ford finally speak up about the rail plan that will create a fenced, 60-metre-wide corridor that will be like an impenetrable wall right through some of the most beautiful countryside in eastern Ontario? Unlike a conventional rail line, there will be no level crossings. The high-speed rail line blocks rural roads, cut farms in two and lead to the appropriation of homes. A lot of rural Ontarians are understandably upset.The National Post newsletter that doesn’t hold back, giving readers the unvarnished truth on media, politics and culture.By signing up, you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder.The next issue of Right? will soon be in your inbox.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againIn an unusual departure from party solidarity, some of Ford’s own MPPs are leading the way on opposing Alto. They suggest people being affected aren’t being properly consulted. The Eastern Ontario PC caucus, which includes two cabinet ministers, released a statement Tuesday saying, “Public confidence in major infrastructure projects depends on meaningful consultation. In the case of Alto, too many questions remain unanswered. Too many voices have been ignored.” They cited the concerns of “municipalities, farmers, landowners and residents.”Ford himself hasn’t commented on his caucus members’ initiative, but his government is sending mixed messages on the value of public consultation.When the federal government rejected the airport expansion, the Ford government was evidently taken by surprise and had no public response until Tuesday of this week. Then it demonstrated that in politics, there is seldom a problem that can’t be made worse.Rather than accepting the setback graciously and promising to work with the federal government on a more suitable plan, the Ford government sent out Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria to play sore loser.Sarkaria criticized the federal government for listening to “a small fringe group in Toronto” that opposed the airport expansion, and vowed to keep pushing for the plan, even though the feds had just said no.The small fringe group Sarkaria referred to constituted 87,000 people who responded to a federal government online consultation. According to the government, 87 per cent of those respondents were against the airport expansion.Whatever credibility Sarkaria’s argument had was immediately undermined by his caucus colleagues’ call for public consultation on Alto.Carney’s decision not to support the airport expansion is out of keeping with his general enthusiasm for megaprojects, but it’s a result of simple political arithmetic.Federal Liberal MPs hold 23 of 24 seats in Toronto and they have nothing to gain by supporting an unpopular airport expansion plan. There is also a by-election in August in a Liberal-dominant Toronto riding, but the concern is broader than that. Airport expansion opponents are determined, organized and have long memories. If you’re a Toronto Liberal MP, why antagonize them to help Doug Ford?The same kind of political calculation now needs to be done by Ford. His government isn’t responsible for Alto, but if it doesn’t stand up for people who will suffer from the rail plan, rural PC MPPs will still be blamed by their constituents.Ford can’t risk alienating his rural base. The numbers are even more compelling for him than the Toronto numbers are for Carney. At least half of the PC caucus represents rural areas. There is already a justified perception that Ford is obsessed with the megacity to the detriment of the rest of the province. Ignoring valid rural concerns about Alto reinforces that assessment.Ford has been largely silent on the Alto file. The actions of his own caucus members make that strategy difficult to maintain. Will Ford hang his own caucus members out to dry, or back up their concerns?The premier can’t afford to wait too long. Alto, a federal Crown corporation, is currently assessing which route it prefers. Minimizing damage to the environment and rural areas doesn’t seem to be a foremost priority.To speed up the process, the federal government has given Alto enhanced expropriation powers. Affected landowners have been left legally powerless.Their only recourse is through political action. It wouldn’t be hard for Ford to conduct his own public consultation on Alto, just as the Carney government did on the airport plan. Open an online forum. No doubt it would find widespread opposition in the areas most affected.Having established that it is suddenly super-sensitive to public opinion on big infrastructure projects, it would be politically challenging for the Carney government to ignore valid Alto concerns.It’s time for Ford to give Carney some of his own medicine. Elbows up, premier.National Postrandalldenley1@gmail.com Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. 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