A VIA Rail train sits idle at the train station in Churchill, Man., on June 22, 2017. The Canadian Press/Alex de Vries11/25/2025|Updated: 11/25/2025The federal budget omnibus bill would allow VIA Rail to expropriate land from Canadians without going through the normal procedural steps in order to build a long-planned high-speed rail between Toronto and Quebec City.Current rules outlined in the Expropriation Act require a railway company to make a purchase offer and attempt to negotiate when taking private property for public use, but the new law would remove this requirement entirely.Matthew Horwood is a reporter based in Ottawa.Author’s Selected Articles
Budget Bill Seeks to Expedite Expropriations for Toronto-Quebec High Speed Rail
Date:




