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Opening comments: More at the end.
Is the future of Mississauga that of an Air Pollution Slum?
Has Hazel McCallion sold her soul & the heath & welfare of Mississaugans and their families to the Province so Mississauga can be separated from the Region of PEEL? Is she dropping power plants like bombs on Mississauga's communities?
Hazel watchers know that if there is one thing the Mayor wants regardless of cost, it is Mississauga as a stand alone City, to complete "her work" to be the first woman in Canadian history to be able to claim to have given birth to a City. BUT, at what cost to the taxpayers & their loved ones? The Province wants power plants in Mississauga, to south (one is already approved at the foot of Southdown Rd. and one is proposed for the old Lakeview site), to the north, to the east - ringing Mississauga with this burden. The air-shed in Mississauga is already pumped full of pollution. There is the garbage incinerator that has operated for years in Mississauga, that also generates electricity, there is the Air-port and all the exhaust from its jets, which sometimes dump their fuel into our air-shed.
No matter which way the wind blows, we will get it. So, has the Mayor made a deal to accept power plants into Mississauga in exchange for Mississauga's separation from the Region of Peel?
Why will the Mayor not go on the record saying beyond a doubt that she will fight by all means possible to stop more high volume pollution sources like power plants? Stop dancing around the issue Madam Mayor and go on the records with more than this statement.
Consider this - "The authority received four bids — two in Milton, one in Halton Hills and one in Oakville — and will make a decision Nov. 15, two days after the municipal election." That is right, just after the election the decision will be made. How very nice for the incumbents and their re-election efforts!
Other related links to this story;
The Willis Family Fruit Farm (OFFMA) web-site on Ontario Rural Routes.
The Halton Herald web-site that deals with this and the comments posted about it (nice pictures - Audio - facts & figures).
The Transcanada - Halton Hills - web-site.
Sold out, again - October 4, 2006
The local News paper reports about the Transcanada 683 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant in the town of Halton Hills.
Milton fruit farmer fears power plant plan - Oct. 11, 2006
Rollie Willis has toiled for 20 years to build a thriving family farm, growing apples, raspberries, pumpkins and then along came the Transcanada 683 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant - with its polluting effects of such a huge plant not only damage his soil and crops but ruin the scenic rural atmosphere that attracts city people on weekend outings.
“If they took the money to allow these people to pollute, then shame on them” - Dec. 4, 2006
The Council meeting & quotes - so much better then reporting that goes on in Mississauga.
Town of Milton - Report - PD-013-07 WFM Trans Canada Draft Environmental Review Report to its Administration and Planning Standing Committee - Feb. 19-07
Town of Milton - Minutes for its Administration and Planning Standing Committee - Feb. 19-07
Milton Staff Reports - place to look for other up-dates & reports - like these;
PD-023-07 WFM Trans Canda Generating Station AFU Report.pdf - Mar. 19-07
PD-035-07 JW TransCanada Update.pdf - May 28-07
PD-062-07 WFM TransCanada EA Completion.pdf - Aug. 7-07 - Bump-up denied
Town wants MOE to 'bump up' power plant's environmental study - Mar. 2-07
Toronto Star - Oct. 11, 2006 - By Mike Funston
Milton fruit farmer fears power plant plan
Rollie Willis has toiled for 20 years to build a thriving family farm, growing apples, raspberries, pumpkins and cash crops close to the Niagara Escarpment in Milton.
His pick-your-own apple orchard attracts a crowd every weekend, and at holiday times like Thanksgiving he'll get up to 2,000 people visiting the farm on Fifth Line and Britannia Rd.
But Willis got a shock recently when he learned that two Calgary-based energy companies have proposed building a $500-million gas-fired power plant about three kilometres away.
"It will ruin me," Willis said. "My farm is very important to me and I don't want to move."
He believes the polluting effects of such a huge plant will not only damage his soil and crops but ruin the scenic rural atmosphere that attracts city people on weekend outings.
The area also has beef, dairy, cash crop and horticultural farms.
He regards the plant as a potential threat to the escarpment, designated a World Biosphere Reserve by the United Nations.
And it's bound to anger existing residents and those who have bought homes in the new subdivisions going up because they'll be able to see the plant's 45-metre smokestacks from anywhere in Milton, Willis said.
Several candidates for Milton council have seized on it as an election issue, arguing that current members haven't done enough to raise the alarm.
The Ontario Power Authority had called for proposals for a 600-megawatt generating plant in Halton to service the needs of up to 650,000 GTA households.
The authority received four bids — two in Milton, one in Halton Hills and one in Oakville — and will make a decision Nov. 15, two days after the municipal election.
The other proposed Milton project is on Auburn Rd., east of Trafalgar Rd.
It hasn't attracted as much attention in town because it's closer to Mississauga.
The one that has Willis and others most concerned is proposed by Pristine Power Inc. and Fort Chicago Energy Partners, called the Milton Clean Energy Centre, to be located on the 9-hectare site of a tree nursery at Fifth Line and Main St.
A spokesperson said companies aren't allowed by the authority to comment during the bid process. But according to their website, the plant will have "state-of-the-art emission controls," and be environmentally safe.
The company also pledges to establish a conservation area on the site.
Also, according to the website, pollutants such as nitrogen oxide and sulphur dioxide emissions will be low or "negligible," and there will be continuous monitoring of emissions.
Colin Best, who's running for a regional council seat in Wards 2 and 4, said council hasn't done anything to draw attention to the proposal. "They're too busy trying to get themselves re-elected," he said.
Council should be calling for a full environmental review, he said.
His opponent, incumbent Ron Furik, said council will do its due diligence if and when the site is selected, but can't react to something for which there is no application on file at the town.
Mayor Gordon Krantz said he doesn't believe the power plant is compatible with the Milton Official Plan.
Tim Taylor of the Ontario Power Authority said he can't release details or even identify the companies involved during the procurement process.
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