Editor,
I attended the Municipal Council meeting vote on TCE on February 27 at the Meaford Hall. It was a lively, prolonged, and predictable event.
Eleven spoke out against. Five spoke out in favour. It was an unfair representation.
The five in favour included a high-level delegation representing TCE, Bruce Power, and the Nuclear Innovation Institute (TCE owns 49% of Bruce Power). Sitting in the stands for moral support was a faction of Liuna union members. Liuna stands for Labourers’ International Union of North America. Their positioning line is “We Build Communities.” In other words, jobs. But who amongst these proponents, could, or would, ever call Meaford home? And does it matter?
Those who came out to make opposing deputations were local. They were not on salary to be there. While only 11 were brave enough, or could steal the time to speak out, there were over 4,000 people behind them in the Save Georgian Bay petition opposing TCE.
In the end, except for two councillors who honoured their election promises to oppose TCE, Council and Mayor voted to conditionally support TCE’s pumped storage project. Explain conditionally please?
The end of democracy? When do our local, unpaid voices count for proportional representation? What fulfillment can we expect that our elected officials will represent us? Can our Council and Mayor resist the influence of higher governments? How do our Council and Mayor interpret our Official Plan’s primary principal “The Environment First?”
So because of that disproportional vote on February 27, Meaford (note: Council and Mayor) declared herself a willing host for TCE. It’s now likely that our Energy Minister Todd Smith will heed that vote and give IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator) the green light to proceed to stage 2 approval for the pumped storage proposal.
A victory for whom? Certainly not the disenfranchised majority.
Caryn Colman, Meaford
