To the Editor,
A massive drilling rig has appeared off the shores of Meaford, and many residents are asking: What exactly is being tested beneath Georgian Bay?
TC Energy says the drilling is part of “geotechnical investigations” for its proposed $7 billion Pumped Storage Project. But this vague explanation doesn’t address the real concern: the geological sensitivity of the site. The area around the Department of National Defence (DND) base is known to geologists as karst topography—a landscape formed by soluble rock like limestone, which can lead to sinkholes, underground rivers, and fractured bedrock.
This kind of terrain is highly unstable and extremely vulnerable to groundwater contamination. A 2010 geological assessment confirmed that land just southeast of Meaford is identified by the County of Grey as a “Special Policy Area” due to the potential for karst development. The Georgian Bay Formation, which underlies the shoreline and bluff near the DND site, includes shale, limestone, and siltstone—all materials associated with karst processes.
So why hasn’t TC Energy been more transparent about what they’re testing for? And more importantly, where are our local municipal leaders? The Municipality of Meaford conditionally supported the project in 2023, but there has been no clear public communication about the current drilling or its risks.
If this project is truly in the public interest, then the public deserves to know what’s happening—before irreversible steps are taken.
Sincerely,
Pat Zita, Meaford
