Editor,
In regards to your editorial How Ready is Meaford Should the Pumped Storage Project Move Forward? April 30, 2026, well said, Stephen. The CAO is absolutely right that this readiness study should have been undertaken years ago — and frankly, the writing was on the wall from the very beginning for anyone willing to look.
A simple Google search of the Nant de Drance pumped storage facility in Switzerland — a project of comparable 900 MW scale — would have given council a vivid, concrete picture of what this kind of mega-project actually looks like on the ground. The sheer scale of infrastructure, the tunnelling, the reservoir construction, the workforce logistics — it’s not abstract. Real-world examples existed, and they were freely available.
You were right on the ball when you flagged this as the largest engineering project in Ontario’s history. TC Energy said exactly that back in 2019. That statement alone should have triggered urgent, proactive planning from day one. Instead, it seems far too many at the municipal and perhaps even provincial level treated the approval process as a distant formality rather than the starting gun it was.
Complacency in the face of a project this size isn’t just a missed opportunity — it’s a disservice to the residents of Meaford who would bear the very real, very immediate consequences should this project ever be approved and construction begin. Better late than never, but let’s hope future councils take note and treat early preparedness as an obligation, not an afterthought.
To those enthusiastically endorsing this project, it is worth studying the Nant de Drance pumped storage plant in Switzerland — the sheer size and scale of the tunnels, caverns, and interior turbine infrastructure alone is worth a look, just to truly understand what is being endorsed. Then consider what makes Meaford’s situation fundamentally different. That facility sits in a remote location away from any population, and operates as a closed loop system. This project proposes to draw from and return water to Georgian Bay, adjacent to homes, schools, and hospitals. The contrast should give even the most ardent supporter reason to pause.
Louise Green, Meaford
