How Indigenous Businesses and Communities Can Participate in Alto’s High-Speed Rail Network Project

At Alto, we ensure Indigenous economic participation is an integral part of how our high-speed rail project is being developed, and as the project moves forward, employment and business partnership opportunities are being identified. Our approach to meaningful inclusion focuses on fostering partnerships with Indigenous communities, organizations and businesses that can generate long-term economic benefits. 

Alto is committed to ensuring economic development benefits are distributed across the entire corridor, including to Indigenous communities.  This approach to shared success includes prioritizing the use of Canadian and Indigenous-owned and operated businesses, and small and medium-sized enterprises. It also includes developing training pathways to support the growth of the Indigenous labour force. 

Indigenous procurement and employment    

Alto aims to design a procurement and employment process that is fair, transparent, and accessible— and informed by insight gathered from Indigenous communities and suppliers. To this end, Alto is meeting with Indigenous communities, as well as a diverse set of Indigenous suppliers and contractors across different company sizes, sectors, and areas of expertise along the corridor throughout 2026. 

Building on ongoing discussions with Indigenous communities and industry leaders, we are actively collaborating to identify and address barriers, and to co-design ways to support Indigenous labour market and business growth. 

We seek to support meaningful participation in the development of economic benefits for Indigenous communities and Peoples as part of the project, including through   procurement, contracting, employment, training, business readiness, and long-term benefits. 

We are also identifying where capacity and participation funding may be available to help individuals, communities, businesses, or organizations build the skills, systems, and resources needed to participate effectively in the high-speed rail project. 

Collaborating with Indigenous businesses and communities advances three of our four pillars of engagement, by fostering meaningful relationships, creating mutually beneficial socio-economic opportunities and ensuring financial and legacy participation. 

Access to capacity and participation funding

Alto provides capacity and participation funding to Indigenous communities to participate in the high-speed rail network project.  This funding helps build community capacity and ensures meaningful participation as the project evolves, including engagement activities identified by Indigenous communities. 

Capacity funding can be accessed through collaboration agreements with potentially impacted Indigenous communities and groups. Funding supports ongoing engagement activities identified by communities and may include participation in studies, meetings, and planning related to environmental, technical, legal, and socio‑economic opportunities. 

Collaboration agreements

We have been actively collaborating with Indigenous communities across its potential network to better understand the interests and needs of each community.

Our collaborative agreements are not one-size-fits-all. They help define how communities and groups can participate in the high-speed rail network project by reflecting their priorities around economic development, sustainability, and legacy benefits.  Agreements outline how parties will collaboratively work together and include a workplan outlining funded activities. 

Economic opportunities for Indigenous communities 

During the construction phase of Alto’s high-speed rail project, over 50,000 jobs will be created, followed by at least 5,000 jobs when the network is fully operational. Canadian and Indigenous businesses will be able to take advantage of a multitude of opportunities, strengthening Canada’s transportation expertise. Building the project’s 4,000 km of rail tracks will require millions of tonnes of Canadian material, including steel, concrete, copper, ballast, and more.  

Indigenous participation (and industry experts) is central, and Indigenous employment and economic opportunities will span the timeline of the project from near-term planning through to long-term partnerships once the network is operational. Some of the services that will be needed include: