Editor,
Save Georgian Bay is calling on Meaford, Owen Sound, and Grey Bruce Councils to revoke their conditional support for TC Energy’s proposed open-loop pumped storage project.
In 2023 and 2024, the Councils expressed support for the project based on the understanding that it would undergo a thorough and independent environmental impact assessment to ensure the protection of local ecosystems and public health.
However, it is now clear that the expectations upon which their conditional support was based will not be met:
- In a presentation to Meaford’s Pumped Storage Advisory Committee, the federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) admitted that its scope is narrow and that the IA process focuses only on federally recognized interests (like migratory birds and fish habitats) and does not consider broader public health concerns, such as potential contamination of drinking water, noise, dust, or CO2 emissions from traffic and construction.
- Since then, the federal government has withdrawn oversight for major infrastructure projects such as TC Energy’s pumped storage proposal altogether, announcing in March 2025 that provinces alone will decide on major infrastructure projects.
- The Ontario government is now advancing Bill 5, legislation that would dismantle the remaining environmental protections, including those in the Endangered Species Act, and allow projects like TC Energy’s to proceed without proper review or accountability.
These major shifts remove all meaningful environmental oversight for TC Energy’s proposed project, nullifying the conditions of the resolutions and necessitating the Councils to revoke their conditional support for TC Energy’s proposal.
This is a critical moment for leadership and an opportunity for our elected leaders to reaffirm their commitment to environmental stewardship.
Sincerely,
Kellie Haslam
On behalf of Save Georgian Bay
