Mar 092015
 

The Bala Falls Needs Your Help Now

A condition of the proponent’s environmental approval, which they received over two years ago, was: “Any lands not currently owned by the Crown will NOT be used for construction purposes, as confirmed by Swift River Energy Limited in the Environmental Screening Report Addendum” (emphasis added, quote is from page 5 here, proponent’s specific committment not to use Township’s Portage Landing is on page 23 here).

Shockingly, not only is the proponent reneging on their formal promise to the public and the Ministry, but the Township is helping the proponent do it by playing Let’s Make a Deal with them.

What is the DEAL??? Part of the deal would be that the proponent would “reduce” their use of Margaret Burgess Park (so, how much do you trust them) and in return the Township would let them take over the heritage-designated Portage Landing, which owned by the Township, for the construction of the proposed Bala Falls hydro station. The proponent would clear-cut all the trees, they would pile it 15′-high with blasted rock, they would be driving dump trucks through it for two years. And they would take over the Precambrian Shield parking lot, and more.

The Council discussion and likely the VOTE for this will be this Thursday and Friday, March 12 and 13, 2015.

We don’t know what this deal would be; the proponent has still not let the public know what their proposed building would look like, the public doesn’t yet even have the minutes from the secret meetings the Township has been holding with the proponent, we don’t even know if the proponent has withdrawn their $3 million lawsuit against the Township from 2013 – what kind of a negotiation would that create.

Why is this hurtling so fast down the runway? Why does Council appear to be just pushing things through? What is the DEAL???

Tell the Mayor and Councillors that we deserve to know what the deal with this private developer would be before agreeing to give them anything. Send them all an e-mail today – if clicking here doesn’t get all their addresses, they are …

Mayor don.furniss@muskokalakes.ca
Councillors allen.edwards@muskokalakes.ca
donelda.kruckel@muskokalakes.ca
gault.mctaggart@muskokalakes.ca
jean-ann.baranik@muskokalakes.ca
linda.barrick-spearn@muskokalakes.ca
phil.harding@muskokalakes.ca
ruth.nishikawa@muskokalakes.ca
sandy.currie@muskokalakes.ca
terry.ledger@muskokalakes.ca
Chief Administrative Officer  charris@muskokalakes.ca

 

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