Why Quebec may kill the Alto high-speed rail project

It would be right here. So this is the middle of my line. Pascal Moltisano's family farm west of Montreal, on the possible path of a high-speed rail line from Toronto to Quebec City. The trains, travelling up to 300 kilometres per hour, would split her fields in half. There's no way I can survive to that. Alto's megaproject, costing tens of billions of dollars, is facing pushback from farmers and rural landowners in Quebec and eastern Ontario. And now, fresh political opposition. Quebec's newly elected premier, a separatist, campaigned on a promise to withdraw the province's share of funding, which he estimated to be about $40 billion. Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says linking Toronto to Quebec City is not a priority. He says the money would be better spent on Quebec's aging roads, schools and hospitals. Even though nearly two-thirds of Quebecers say they support the project, according to a June poll, the federal government is pushing for Alto to stay on track. This has been a long-standing ask on the part of many people in Quebec, including those who voted for the new government. But without provincial buy-in... But I think it's in grave jeopardy. It can be put on life support and revisited whenever there's a different government in Quebec City. For Montezano, there's renewed hope the project will be derailed. This is not just a number on a map. This is people. It's a lot more than just a piece of land. Alto says it's working with farmers to minimize impacts and provide fair compensation. It hopes to finalize its initial section of the route by the end of the year. Alexander Silverman, CBC News, Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec.