Editor,
Save Georgian Bay has repeatedly and respectfully asked for TCE to share its soil, watershed and contaminant studies of the Army Training Center – Central (formerly 4 CDTC) property and also the fish studies and water studies conducted off-shore over the past seven years. We ask for these so that the public can gain an understanding of the likely issues from proceeding with TCE’s proposed pumped storage project. The municipal Pumped Storage Advisory Committee (PSAC) also asked for these studies. The Ludington pumped storage project TCE cited as TCE’s PSP example was found to be killing 150 million fish per year in its open loop design and even after implementing a protective fence part of each year, still kills over 100 million fish per year. What is TCE’s projection of fish kill in Georgian Bay? While TCE has committed to transparency, but when asked by PSAC, Mr. Clark Little, TCE’s local representative, responded that TCE would release those studies when they had a contract with Ontario.
A year ago, Ontario’s political leaders (Premier Ford and Energy Minister Lecce) directed that a $285 million contract be issued to TCE for completion of preliminary development work. The studies are still locked up. Transparency? This does not seem like it. The studies are mentioned in TCE’s Initial Project Description (IPD) published by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) but are not released in the filing. Certainly, one of the public’s concerns is that TCE does not have a stellar reputation for environmental protection. According to the National Energy Board, 17 of the 39 major pipeline accidents in Canada (from 1992 to 2014) were on pipelines owned by TransCanada or its subsidiary NGTL. On its Coastal GasLink pipeline in British Columbia TCE was penalized about $1.3 million by the B.C. Environmental Assessment Office for “providing false or misleading information.” That project drew 59 warnings, 30 orders and 13 stop-work orders, repeatedly for failing to keep sediment out of wetlands and waterways.
The thousand people who live below your proposed reservoir site deserve to see the studies. The over 500,000 people (in peak season) who use Georgian Bay as a water source deserve to see the studies. The shore and off-shore areas you are proposing to use for your open loop design are active fish habitats. The communities around Georgian Bay deserve to see the fish habitat studies. So, TCE, we deserve to see your findings.
It is well known that contaminants are present on the base from over 8 decades of active munitions and fire training on the base. Canada’s Treasury Board has a listing of 20 sites on the property, some hundreds of acres in size, with various toxic contaminants from military operations on the 20,000 acre base. Several of these sites are listed as stable for current use, which means a changed use requires study. Many of the sites are identified as active or suspect. Important to note, this information is incomplete. The Treasury Board started tracking contaminant reporting in the 1990s, fifty years after the base was first used for military purpose. On May 9, 2024, the National Defense Corporate Secretary disclosed the following in a response to a Save Georgian Bay inquiry: “Regarding the existence of Unexploded Explosive Ordnance (UXOs) at the site, it is very difficult to provide a tally and type of ammunition that may be on 4 CDTC. I understand that 4 CDTC has been used for military live-fire training since the Second World War. It is reasonable to expect that the types of ammunition that could be found at 4 CDTC include any ammunition that has been used by the CAF during that period.”
The point is, SHOW US THE STUDIES!
Perhaps a starting point would be based on Clark Little’s letter to the editor, dated June 18, 2026, regarding the two drilling rigs stationed off shore from The Tank Range’s water pumping station and the four boats traversing back and forth to Meaford Harbour several times each day: Clark wrote “All work is conducted under strict regulatory oversight, with permits or approvals secured from provincial and federal authorities, including the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Transport Canada, and the Department of National Defence.”
Please, so that we can reduce our skepticism, show us the permits. Show us the rules for the strict oversight and identify who are the agency authorities supervising. Build some trust?
Tom Buck, Save Georgian Bay
