Dear Editor,
As I read the comments from Mr. McTaggert’s July 11th Letter to the Editor, I wish we could devote our time to a more constructive dialogue – one that focuses on the opportunities that the Ontario Pumped Storage Project presents to Meaford and the surrounding region if it moves forward.
While I recognize there are questions about the Ontario Pumped Storage Project, those will be answered as part of extensive regulatory processes before the Provincial and Federal Government will permit this project to advance.
The Ontario Pumped Storage Project is an initiative that represents a meaningful step towards a better future.
It will enable Ontario to meet the needs of a growing population, new industrial development and facilitate the broader electrification of our economy – directly and indirectly reducing Ontario’s greenhouse gas footprint.
If the Project advances, it will be in partnership with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, who will have significant ownership and direct roles in the management and operation of the facility. Revenues from their ownership stake will go directly to the nations to improve infrastructure, services and quality of life. It represents a meaningful step toward economic self-determination for your nearest Indigenous neighbours.
Canadians have a long tradition of building safe and reliable hydroelectric generation and are known throughout the world for our expertise. Almost 60% of Canada’s electricity comes from hydro (23% in Ontario) and we will be leveraging that expertise to design and build Ontario Pumped Storage. Over 80% of the investment in the Project will flow to Canada with 90% of that to Ontario, with a large part of that showing up locally. The Project will create jobs and opportunities in places across Bruce, Grey and Simcoe Counties. It will ensure Ontario has a reliable source of electricity that is free from the risks to supply chain from global economic tensions and cyber security.
We have sought from the beginning to design and construct a facility that protects the environment of Meaford and Georgian Bay. Our goal is to build a facility that cannot be seen, cannot be heard, and minimizes impacts to the terrestrial and aquatic environment. Based on community input, we have committed billions in measures to achieve those goals – far exceeding what would be required to meet the regulatory standards. We have made changes because these were values that community members told us were important, and we agree.
We are leveraging the ingenuity of Canadian engineers, traditional knowledge of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation and local manufacturing expertise to design and build a truly state of the art facility that will create lasting benefits for Meaford and protect its beauty and social fabric for generations.
Now is the time to think about how to prioritize the benefits the project presents for Meaford. In addition to all the measures we have committed to protect the environment and address the concerns we have heard from the community, we have committed $1.5 million annually, over the life of the project, in community funding. Let’s work together and talk about how that funding can best be used for the betterment of Meaford.
I invite Mr. McTaggert and members of Save Georgian Bay to visit us at our Sykes Street office, hear our plans, get answers to your questions and share your ideas on how we can collectively make this Project even better while retaining its important function and purpose.
John Mikkelsen P.Eng. M.A.Sc., TC Energy
