More than half of comments removed from Alto’s high-speed rail map to be reinstated

More than half of the 118 comments removed by moderators from a map showing possible routes for Canada’s proposed high-speed rail project should never have been taken down, according to Alto.

The Crown corporation behind the project now says a total of 71 posts made by members of the public will be added back to the map by the end of this week.

Those posts included two comments — one made by a teenager worried about his home, the other by an 84-year-old who had concerns about Canadian agriculture — that were already reinstated after CBC raised questions about why they had been pulled down.

Following those questions, Alto said a full review of all removals was underway.

Moderator to ‘strengthen training’

Alto found 60 per cent of comments that were taken down had been “removed in error during human review,” read an email from Alto spokesperson Crystal Jongeward.

“The moderator is taking steps to strengthen staff training to ensure [consistency] in future moderation work for Alto,” she added.

CBC heard from several people whose posts were removed. Among them was Jackson Garrett, 18, who described how the proposed southern route could cut off his family’s home in Chaffey’s Lock, Ont., forcing them to move further from his grandmother.

“My grandma lives up the hill from us,” his comment read in part. “If that rail is to be put here it will disrupt how we help her … and will take away the place I have grown up in for my entire life.”

An email Garrett received from the moderation team for a company called Bang The Table said his comment had been removed because it potentially contained “inappropriate personal information.”

Cicily Brewer, an 84-year-old Toronto resident, had three comments taken down.

Her posts stressed the fragility of Canada’s food security and argued the country should be “protecting and strengthening our agricultural capacity — not placing additional pressures on it.”

But they were described by moderators as failing to “respect other users” and “potentially intended to harass or insult,” according to the email she received from the same moderation team.

WATCH | CBC speaks with people who saw their comments disappear:

Their public comments vanished after sharing high-speed rail fears

Two people who posted their concerns on Alto’s interactive map saw their online comments disappear. The Crown corporation says their feedback has been restored. Dan Taekema reports.

Alto did not provide supply a breakdown of why the other 40 per cent of comments were removed.

But a list of moderation rules the corporation previously provided outlined 11 criteria used to bar posts, including those that defamed others, used foul or intolerant language, and any that promoted violence.

Alto said its map collected 19,903 of comments in total.

A spokesperson for Granicus Canada, which bought Bang The Table in 2021, said the number of comments its staff removed in error represents “less than 0.4 per cent of all contributions.”

Alto confirmed the comments’ reinstatement ensures that feedback will also be considered as it narrows down the route its trains will follow.