Letter to the Editor
Editor,
I have read Taylor Raffy’s letter to the editor published on August 7 and I note it has appeared in other news outlets as well. I would like to address some of Ms. Raffy’s comments regarding the economic merits that the proposed pumped storage project would bring if it were to proceed.
First, I would like to thank Ms. Raffy for her interest in our proposal and for her commitment to being informed about the project. This is why we have hired third-party consultants to conduct preliminary independent studies on both the economic and employment impacts – so that we would have fact-based information to share with the community. It is best practice for companies to hire and pay for industry leading experts to validate assumptions about the project. As she notes, we are a company that operates in a highly regulated environment, we have to be accountable for all information we are citing.
As it pertains to jobs, it’s important to mention that in addition to the direct employment benefits, the hundreds of estimated indirect jobs in Grey, Bruce, and Simcoe Counties, the Regional Study Area (RSA), in industries supplying goods and services to the project are significant and would create benefits for people in the region. The regional economic impact report prepared by ERM estimates there would be 141 jobs on the project for people from the RSA. That said, during construction, the project would create over 1,000 direct jobs with an additional 2,800 spin-off jobs regionally and in Ontario. With more than $1.3 billion paid in wages generated by this job creation, there would be a positive economic impact across the region.
As identified in ERM’s study, with construction of the project still years away, there is time for TC Energy to enhance local hiring through measures such as collaborating with training institutions and labour groups to understand skills and training needs in the region, promoting awareness of training, employment, and contracting opportunities in the RSA, and encouraging the attraction of skilled workers to the region. This is something we have done before and plan to do on this project.
The construction industry in Southern Ontario is expected to lead the province in construction growth; this project could be instrumental in supporting local municipalities, and Indigenous communities, in being leaders in developing local skills and the labour pool to retain their homegrown talent.
I do want to reiterate that this project is still a proposal at this point and the study is an early investigation of the social and economic impacts that we sourced to help answer questions we have heard in the community. A more detailed economic study will be undertaken as part of the regulatory process.
John Mikkelsen, P.Eng., M.A.Sc.
Director, Power Business Development
TC Energy
