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46 www.canadianlawyermag.com FEATURE INHOUSE INTERVIEWS LAW, LAND, AND RECONCILIATION: INSIDE CANADA'S BIGGEST INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT Alto is developing the largest infrastructure project currently underway in Canada – a high-speed rail corridor connecting Quebec City and Toronto that will span more than 1,000 kilometres. For Félix Turgeon, the federal crown corporation's chief legal and real property assets officer in Montreal, that scale demands more than technically sound legal advice. "We need to create value. We need to provide advice that is succinct and that is business," he says. That mandate frames everything Turgeon's team does – from a 1,000-kilometre land- acquisition exercise involving thousands of properties to Indigenous consultation obliga- tions, impact-assessment requirements, and a landmark deal with a private partner led by CDPQ Infra. Turgeon describes the legal function at Alto in two ways. The first, as the "goalie," covers the protective work: contract negoti- ation, compliance with federal obligations, development of whistleblowing policies and codes of ethics, and regular employee training. The second is as a value creator, where the team's focus ultimately lies. "We are deeply involved in the definition of the strategies," he says. Alto needs a right-of-way approximately 60 metres wide over 1,000 kilometres, affecting thousands of individual properties across Quebec and Ontario. "It's massive," he says. The strategy prioritizes willing-buyer, willing- seller negotiations, with expropriation under the Federal Expropriation Act as the last resort. "We really hope that we can secure as many land acquisitions as possible through friendly deal processes," Turgeon says. "We want to use this project as a way to support reconciliation with Indigenous communities," he says, with commitments extending to employment contracts, supply opportunities, and archaeological work throughout the corridor. For lawyers on such projects, context matters as much as legal analysis. "You need to be curious, and you need to understand more than the legal framework applicable to the project." FÉLIX TURGEON Company: Alto Title: Chief legal & real property assets officer NO REGRETS GOING IN-HOUSE AFTER A DECADE AWAY FROM LEGAL PRACTICE Janice Jong left private practice in 2010 to spend a decade abroad with her family – no work permit, no practice, and no files. When she came back to Canada, she received two job offers on the same day, both at the same salary. One was a return to private practice; the other was something she had long been curious about but never managed to act on. She chose the in-house path. Jong's legal career began at Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP in Calgary, where she articled. Then she became a partner at Field Law – her practice centred on wills and estates, corporate law, banking, real estate, and trusts. She returned to Edmonton in 2020 and took her first in-house role at what was then known as Merit Contractors Association, a health and dental benefits organization that would later rebrand as OpenCircle. "I was the first lawyer to ever work there," she says. "The role expanded around what the department became. It's kind of an organic process when you're the first lawyer." Over nearly five years, her title changed several times – from general counsel to chief legal and risk officer to acting CEO during a leadership transition. "When you're a lawyer in a firm, you give best-practice advice… but once you're internal and you're a part of the decision-making and you know the business side of things, it becomes a lot more interesting and a lot more dynamic," she says. In 2025, Jong joined the Special Forces Pension Plan. Her responsibilities as COO, effective March 2026, now include oversight of finance and HR. "I try not to stay in the legal box," she says. "I try to see where my role can become more dynamic and how I fit overall, not just assuming, 'Oh, that's not my problem because it's not legal.'" JANICE JONG Company: Special Forces Pension Plan Title: Chief operating officer and general counsel "I try not to stay in the legal box"