Editor,
I was disappointed to learn that Meaford Council is considering a motion to dissolve the Pumped Storage Advisory Committee (PSAC) before it has had a real opportunity to do the work it was created to do.
Regardless of where residents stand on TC Energy’s proposed pumped storage project, most would agree on one thing: decisions of this scale deserve transparency, local oversight, and meaningful community input. PSAC was established precisely to provide those things — to help Council understand potential impacts, hear community concerns, and offer informed local advice.
Since its inception, however, the committee has struggled to function as intended. Promised resources and support have not fully materialized, and limited access to project information has slowed progress. Dissolving the committee now would end the process before it has truly begun.
Deputy Mayor Keaveny has suggested that the federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada review makes PSAC unnecessary. It does not. Federal assessments focus on national interests such as fish habitat, migratory birds, and Indigenous rights. They do not examine many issues residents care about most — drinking water protection, traffic, construction impacts, noise, housing pressures, and strain on local services.
These are municipal concerns, and they require municipal attention.
Keeping PSAC in place does not mean supporting or opposing the project. It simply ensures that Meaford residents continue to have a structured, transparent way to understand how the project could affect their community and to provide input to their elected officials.
Eliminating the committee now risks reducing public confidence at a time when open dialogue and careful oversight are most needed.
Council should allow PSAC to fulfill its mandate and keep local voices at the table.
Sincerely,
Kellie Haslam, Meaford
