Via Rail subsidiary paid marketing firm more than $330,000 to rebrand passenger rail project

Globe and Mail

3 days ago

A federal Crown corporation paid more than $330,000 to an outside marketing firm to rebrand a planned passenger rail project between Toronto and Quebec City and boost its popularity.
Documents obtained by The Canadian Press detail how the corporation, concerned about 'widespread disinterest' in a high-frequency rail corridor announced in 2021, decided to change its name and pivot to high-speed rail instead.
As part of that shift, the Via Rail subsidiary hired a Quebec-based firm, Cossette Communication Inc., to develop a marketing plan that would reflect a new direction – signalled by the Crown corporation's chief executive, Martin Imbleau – to ensure the project placed a greater emphasis on speed.
With the firm's help, the corporation came up with a new logo and a new name – Alto – more than a year ago.
The rebranding was apparently so sensitive that the Crown corporation also chose a code name for Alto. Multiple documents, obtained using access-to-information law, refer to the new name as 'Tracks.'
It would take until February, 2025, for the new name to be made public, when former prime minister Justin Trudeau announced the government was awarding a contract to a consortium to design the 1,000-kilometre high-speed rail network.
If completed, the train would take passengers from Montreal to Toronto in just three hours.
Via Rail workers vote to give Unifor strong strike mandate
The government's initial plan for the passenger rail system, announced in July, 2021, envisioned a high-frequency rail line connecting Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City. The network would have cut travel times for passengers, but the trains would be too slow to be considered high-speed.
The documents make clear that by the fall of 2023, however, the Crown corporation felt it needed to change course and scrap its original name – Via HFR.
'The concept of 'high frequency' faces strong opposition. There's widespread disinterest and dissatisfaction associated with the term, hindering any meaningful discussions and support. This resistance has become particularly challenging to navigate as the term 'high frequency' is directly embedded in the [corporation's] name,' reads an undated briefing note written in late 2023 or early 2024.
It goes on to say that discussions of higher speed 'are met with openness,' which would lead to 'greater project support and acceptance.' It adds that the Via HFR name should be changed early in the process, while the public's awareness of the project is 'relatively low.'
Via HFR's work with the marketing firm dates back to at least September, 2023, when it signed a contract with Cossette to develop a 'brand narrative' and a tag line for the corporation as part of the shift to high speed. The contract appears to have been extended multiple times through the end of 2024, and invoices from the marketing firm show it billed more than $330,000 between October, 2023, and January, 2025.
Opinion: Great high-speed rail, Ottawa. Let's make sure we can actually build it
Cossette declined to comment on the contract. In a statement, the office of Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland said Alto is an arm's-length organization responsible for its own day-to-day activities. 'Minister Freeland expects that these institutions are well-managed and ensure value for taxpayer dollars,' it reads.
A presentation from the firm dating from December, 2023, shows a list of 'top 3' names under consideration at the time: Inter, XLR and Trax.
But none of those made the cut. An April, 2024, presentation from Via HFR shows the corporation had landed on Alto, which it said 'embodies the project's stronger focus on incorporating higher speeds and providing a higher level of service to Canadians.'
Alto also evokes 'music and the train as catalysts for connection,' the presentation says, and is a 'play on words with the train as an alternative way to travel.' The name also works in both official languages, it adds.
'Naming a national project of this scale goes beyond branding,' a spokesperson for Alto said in an e-mail statement. 'A strong, meaningful name anchors public support, reflects ambition, and shapes how Canadians will connect with the project for decades. It's a sensitive process. We approached Alto's naming with care, rigour, and a long-term vision.'