Dear Editor,
Unsurprisingly, the proposed TCE Pump Storage Project was a hot topic of discussion at the first election debate. While it is true it is one of the most important issues Meaford Council may ever have to deal with, the reality is whether it ultimately proceeds is going to be decided by the Federal and Provincial governments, IESO and the Department of National Defence. Meaford does not have the ability to veto the project.
This is not to say that Council should not be discussing the topic as it needs to ensure that it protects Georgian Bay and our region, and advocates for how it would impact our community, during construction and long term, but also, how Meaford will benefit over the life of the project should it proceed. However, with the upcoming election I believe it is important that candidates and residents have some perspective as to how much of Council’s time and energy is actually spent on this issue.
To quantify the workload, I looked at how often the Pumped Storage Project made it onto the formal agenda over the past term compared to everything else the town manages.
The Municipality of Meaford holds regular council meetings roughly twice per month (plus occasional special budget, planning, or emergency meetings), amounting to roughly 26 to 30 meetings per year. Over a standard four-year term, Council normally sits for approximately 110+ full meetings. I can tell you that this Council has sat for many more than that over the past four years.
When reviewing the administrative timeline from late 2022 to late 2026, the TCE project has only appeared as a major staff report or actionable legislative voting item on approximately 10 to 12 agendas across the entire term.
These represent the critical procedural spikes where Council was required to act:
- February 2023: The landmark meeting passing the 5-2 resolution for conditional willing host status.
- July 2023: Retaining StrategyCorp and Ainley Group to protect municipal interests.
- October 2023: A formal quarterly municipal activity and consulting update.
- Early 2024: Reviewing and structuring the Pumped Storage Advisory Committee (PSAC) terms.
- September/October 2025: Re-evaluating and updating the PSAC terms of reference.
- January/February 2026: Receiving the provincial $285 million pre-development funding announcement and dissolving the advisory working group to move matters back to Council.
- September 2026: Reviewing the newly proposed three-year Pre-Development Agreement to cover municipal costs during the federal Impact Assessment process.
By the numbers, major TCE business accounts for roughly 10% or less of all Council meeting agendas over the term.
To visually represent this proportionality for a campaign presentation or community discussion, consider this breakdown of a typical year’s municipal legislative items:
Core Infrastructure: Roads, Bridges, Water Main Upgrades: 35%
Financial Governance: Annual Operating & Capital Budgets: 25%
Local Growth: Zoning, Housing, Planning, Official Plans: 20%
Community: Waste/Garbage, Parks, Fire, Recreation, Libs: 15%
TCE Pumped Storage: Capacity Agreements & Monitoring Only: 5%
Using these agenda metrics, there are two takeaways that I believe need to be considered during the election campaign trail:
- Workload: Out of thousands of pages of municipal agendas processed by this Council since 2022, roughly 90% of staff time and legislative paperwork has been dedicated strictly to keeping Meaford running—fixing potholes, planning subdivisions, treating wastewater, and balancing the budget. TCE is a high-profile sidebar, not the daily job.
- Jurisdiction: The reason it is on the agenda so rarely is precisely because Meaford doesn’t hold the reins. The project formally entered the federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) review process in March 2026 which will take the next three to four years to complete. Council’s infrequent agenda items are not about approving the project, but rather passing minor administrative bylaws to ensure TC Energy pays for the town’s legal and engineering review bills so local taxpayers don’t get stuck with the invoice.
This data illustrates that candidates focusing solely on the TCE project are campaigning on 5% of the job, while ignoring the 95% of municipal realities they will be legally responsible for managing.
I encourage everyone to vote but, just as important, to understand exactly what your Council will be expected to be working on over the next term. Council will have to make a final decision regarding the “conditional” willing host motion once the IAAC testing process has been completed in three to four years. In the meantime, its primary concern is managing the day-to-day operations of our Municipality as it was elected to do.
Further, I encourage individuals or groups who oppose the project to contact the appropriate Federal and Provincial government agencies as they will be making the final decision as to whether the project will proceed.
Thank you,
Robert Uhrig, Meaford Councillor
