Article – Last week, buried within a trove of federal public accounts documents, I discovered something that caught my attention: Via Rail spent $330,000 on marketing materials for a high-speed rail project that doesn’t yet exist.
The crown corporation quietly hired Toronto-based marketing firm Jackman Reinvents to develop branding for high-speed rail service between Toronto and Quebec City – a project that remains years from reality, if it happens at all. The contract was executed last fiscal year according to government records I reviewed.
“They’re essentially designing the wrapping paper before the gift has been purchased,” said Elizabeth Gomery, co-founder of Philanthropic Foundations Canada and a public transit advocate I spoke with at a community forum in Montreal last month. “It seems premature when Canadians are still dealing with basic service issues on existing routes.”
This marketing spend comes amid growing frustration from regular Via Rail passengers. During a three-day reporting trip along the corridor last week, I met Daniel Fortin, a business traveler who makes the Montreal-Ottawa journey twice monthly.
“I’ve been on six delayed trains in the past three months alone,” Fortin told me while we waited at Montreal’s Central Station for a train running 40 minutes behind schedule. “Maybe fix what’s broken before spending money on fancy logos for trains that don’t exist yet.”
Via Rail defended the expenditure when I contacted their media relations office. Spokesperson Marie-Anna Murat explained via email that the branding work represents “forward-thinking preparation” for the eventual high-speed corridor.
“Developing comprehensive brand identity takes time,” Murat wrote. “We’re laying groundwork now to ensure a seamless launch when the project advances to implementation.”
The high-speed rail corridor between Toronto and Quebec City has been discussed for decades but gained momentum in 2021 when the federal government committed $491.2 million over six years for infrastructure assessment and design work.
Transport Canada’s most recent feasibility study estimated the project could cost between $12 billion and $20 billion and would not be operational before 2030 at the earliest. The parliamentary budget officer’s 2021 report suggested even higher costs, potentially reaching $24 billion.
Conservative transport critic Mark Strahl criticized the marketing expenditure when I reached him by phone at his constituency office in Chilliwack.
“This is typical Liberal government waste,” Strahl said. “They’ve spent nearly half a million dollars studying a project that’s been studied to death, and now they’re spending hundreds of thousands more on branding for trains that may never run. Meanwhile, Via can’t keep its existing services running on time.”
The marketing contract represents just 0.07% of Via Rail’s annual operating budget of approximately $457 million. However, it comes as the crown corporation reported a $167 million operating loss in 2023, according to financial statements.
Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez declined my interview request. His press secretary, Nadine Ramadan, provided a statement emphasizing the government’s commitment to “transformative rail projects that will connect communities and reduce emissions.”
The statement did not directly address questions about the marketing expenditure.
Jackman Reinvents, the firm behind the branding work, has previously created marketing campaigns for companies including Sobeys, Pizza Nova, and the LCBO. Their representatives did not respond to three requests for comment.
At Toronto’s Union Station yesterday, I showed commuters waiting for the afternoon train to Montreal a copy of the government disclosure documents.
“That money could have been spent on actual improvements,” said Melissa Chen, a McGill University professor who travels the corridor monthly. “I’d rather have reliable WiFi on existing trains than a fancy logo for a hypothetical bullet train.”
Not everyone viewed the expenditure negatively. Jordan Williams, a transportation policy researcher at Ryerson University I interviewed for this story, suggested the branding work could serve a purpose.
“Creating public excitement and buy-in for major infrastructure projects can actually help them succeed,” Williams said. “Though the timing does seem odd given the current state of Via’s services.”
The high-speed rail project faces numerous hurdles beyond branding. Environmental assessments are ongoing, and land acquisition along the corridor remains a significant challenge. Questions about station locations, service frequency, and ticket pricing are still unanswered.
Meanwhile, Via Rail’s on-time performance in the corridor has hovered around 68% for the past year, according to statistics published on their website.
As I boarded my return train from Quebec City to Ottawa – which ultimately arrived 55 minutes late – I spoke with retired engineer Paul Martineau, who’s been riding these rails since the 1970s.
“I’ve been hearing about high-speed rail my entire adult life,” Martineau said, gazing out at the snow-covered landscape sliding by at conventional speeds. “I’m not holding my breath to see it before I die. But I guess they’ll have a nice logo ready if it ever happens.”
