The Impact Assessment for the hydro-electric pumped storage facility proposed by TC Energy to be built on the grounds of the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre in Meaford has begun, initiating a 30-day public comment period which runs until April 6.
“The Impact Assessment is now underway, marking the start of an independent, multi-phase federal review led by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada. This initial Planning Phase includes a federally legislated 30-day public comment period and is intended to gather early input – not to review detailed studies or draw conclusions. At this stage, the public is being asked to comment on the Initial Project Description, which provides a high-level overview of the project and helps identify key issues, concerns, and information gaps,” Sara Beasley, Communications Lead for TC Energy’s Ontario Pumped Storage Project, told The Independent on Saturday, March 7. “This input will help the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada determine what needs deeper study as the multi-phase review moves forward. Following the Planning Phase, the project would move into detailed technical and environmental studies, further consultation and review, and ultimately a decision phase, should the project continue to advance. There will be multiple opportunities for public participation throughout the process. We are encouraged by this milestone and look forward to continued dialogue with the Meaford community and Indigenous Nations as the assessment progresses.”
TC Energy has now submitted the Initial Project Description to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC), the first formal document submission which provides an early overview of the project proposal, including the purpose of and need for the project, key components, possible alternatives, and the potential impacts of the project.
The Initial Project Description is available on the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry: https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/89803?culture=en-CA
“This marks the first of multiple public participation opportunities anticipated over the course of the multi-year assessment process,” TC Energy noted in an email to The Independent.
Proponent TC Energy has said the multi-billion dollar project proposal is a green initiative that would consume inexpensive off-peak power at night to pump water from Georgian Bay into a 374-acre storage reservoir located 150 metres above the Georgian Bay shoreline on the military base. The reservoir, which would hold 20 million cubic metres of water, would be emptied back into Georgian Bay during peak usage periods, driving hydraulic turbines to generate electricity.
Since the proposed facility first became public knowledge in 2019, many residents have expressed concerns about the proposal, ranging from fears that the facility would have negative impacts on the environment, including impacting fish populations in the bay, to concerns that homeowners in close proximity to the site could be in danger of flooding should the reservoir fail. Concern has also been growing about the potential for contaminated soil on the military base to create issues once disturbed when the reservoir is dug. Many have also expressed concern about the cost of the multi-billion dollar proposal, and whether pumped storage should be favoured over alternatives like battery storage.
The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) hosted an information session on February 12 at Meaford Hall to inform the community of the upcoming impact assessment process. Nearly 200 residents attended the meeting, with another 158 attending virtually.
Tom Buck of Save Georgian Bay was among the many who spoke during the public question portion of the information session.
“We are being asked to comment on a $10 billion mega-project with zero data,” Buck said.
In a media release issued on February 21, Save Georgian Bay called upon the IAAC to extend the 30-day commenting period, and for TC Energy to release all technical studies conducted thus far. They also asked federal decisions makers to “conduct an independent public safety review, fully assess environmental contamination and human health impacts, and to evaluate all non-destructive alternative solutions.”
Additionally, Save Georgian Bay has asked for the impact assessment to “recognize and incorporate the concerns of the six Georgian Bay municipalities that have formally opposed the project — Archipelago, Blue Mountains, Parry Sound, Georgian Bay, McDougall, and Tiny — and ensure IAAC explicitly includes regional municipal input in the assessment process.”
“This is a project with no precedent in North America: an industrial reservoir placed directly above residential neighbourhoods on unstable karst. The public deserves full transparency and a real assessment of the risks—not a rubber stamp,” said Buck in the Save Georgian Bay media release.
According to the Ontario Pumped Storage website, project components such as the transmission connection, located outside of federal lands, will be subject to the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act. The transmission connection is expected to be subject to a Class Environmental Assessment for Transmission Facilities (Class EA for TF) – Ministry of Energy and Mines, and would be regulated by the Ontario Energy Board. More information will be provided once the provincial process begins.
To provide a comment to the IAAC, and to view the comments that have been submitted thus far, visit:
https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/89803/consultations
For additional information visit:
Canadian Impact Assessment Registry:
https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/89803?culture=en-CA
Ontario Pumped Storage Project website:
