Jun 122012
The results to an on-line poll during late October 2011 on the Cottage Country Now web site were as follows:
Question: Was Muskoka Lakes council right to continue to fight Swift River on their hydroelectric project in Bala?
Results:
- No, it’s green energy and the way of the future: 3%
- Yes, that’s why they were elected: 93%
- To a point, but once approvals were in place they should have worked with them: 4%
We note that:
- The poll was presented along with a related article that was the top item on their web site, and was available for over a week. The poll therefore had exposure to a very broad and interested audience.
- The percentage agreeing with “Yes, that’s why they were elected” was always in the range of 90% to 94% from when there were fewer than 200 votes to the final total of at least 1,725 votes. This shows that the poll results are statistically valid and do indeed represent the larger population.
- This confirms that the vast majority of the public – 93% – agree with the Township of Muskoka Lakes Council that the proponent for the proposed hydro-electric generating station at the Bala Falls has not adequately addressed the major issues, and the proposed project should not proceed.
- Mayor Alice Murphy, running on a clear platform concerning the proposed project in the October 2010 municipal election, received more than 50% more votes than all those running against her combined – including the incumbent – for the position of Mayor of the Township of Muskoka Lakes. This again shows the vast majority of the public support the Mayor’s and indeed all of Council’s actions. Our elected representatives are representing us, and doing an excellent job of it. This is why we like living in Canada; we have a government and process that works (at least at the municipal level – we’re still waiting to find out about the provincial and federal level).
For many complex issues, people are often evenly split. Consider the 2000 United States presidential election where George W. Bush received 47.9% of the vote compared to 48.4% for Al Gore. Or the 1995 Quebec referendum where 50.6% voted no and 49.4% voted yes. This Bala Falls issue is complex, yet there is clearly a “landslide” of public opposition to the proposed project.