WCS Canada comments: Public consultation on the Toronto–Québec City high-speed rail network

Debyser, C., Raudsepp-Hearne, C., Soroye, P. & Goodday, V.

Key points

• The study corridor for the Toronto–Québec City High-Speed Rail Network overlaps, partially or in full, with 18 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs).
• Collectively, these sites meet KBA criteria for 26 threatened species, 16 geographically-restricted species, 8 aggregating species, and 1 geographically-restricted ecosystem.
• While there are no KBAs along the northern route under consideration between Peterborough and Ottawa, a southern route between these two cities would bisect two large KBAs – Napanee Limestone Plain and Frontenac Forests – and risk impacting a third, namely Rice Lake Plains KBA.
• In accordance with best practices for managing development impacts on nature detailed in the mitigation hierarchy, we recommend prioritizing avoidance of harm to all 18 KBAs during high-speed rail route selection.
• After strictly applying the principle of avoidance, we further recommend minimizing any remaining impacts to biodiversity meeting KBA criteria within these sites.

Recommended citation

Debyser, C., Raudsepp-Hearne, C., Soroye, P. & Goodday, V. (2026). WCS Canada comments: Public consultation on the Toronto–Québec City high-speed rail network. Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada]. https://wcscanada.org/resources/wcs-canada-comments-public-consultation-on-the-toronto-quebec-city-high-speed-rail-network/

Chloé Debyser

KBA Canada Technical Coordinator

Ciara Raudsepp-Hearne

Director of Conservation Strategy

Peter Soroye

Key Biodiversity Areas Assessment and Outreach Coordinator

Victoria Goodday

Public Policy Specialist