To the Editor,
In May 2021, Municipality of Meaford staff presented Council with a report containing troubling information regarding contamination at the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre. The report referenced unexploded ordnance, contamination concerns, and the need for long-term remediation planning. It was serious enough that Council subsequently directed the Mayor to seek full public disclosure and information regarding 25-year remediation plans.
Five years later, residents continue to hear that major decisions surrounding the proposed pumped storage project rest with higher levels of government. While that may be true regarding final approvals, local politicians still have an important responsibility: to demand transparency, ask difficult questions, and ensure residents are fully informed about issues that could affect their community.
This raises several important questions. What became of Council’s request for public disclosure? What information was received from federal authorities? Were responses provided to Council? Most importantly, were residents ever given the opportunity to review and understand that information before Meaford adopted its willing-host position regarding the project?
The issue is not whether the municipality had the authority to remediate contamination on federal lands. It did not. The issue is whether every reasonable effort was made to obtain answers and keep the public informed about matters of potential public interest.
With a new council now taking office, there is an opportunity to revisit these unresolved questions and ensure that residents have access to the information needed to understand the risks, challenges, and implications associated with this proposed megaproject.
Transparency and due diligence are not obstacles to good decision-making. They are essential to it.
Sincerely,
Pat Zita, Meaford
