On August 24, 2010 the Township of Muskoka Lakes council met to hear delegations and consider a resolution on the proposed project to build a power station at the north Bala falls.
Despite comittments made at the August 14, 2010 Town Hall meeting (see this article), the politicians did nothing (that is, they simply said what they said before – that the province should look real close at this).
The politicians are not standing up for Muskoka, but instead are hiding behind the province, hoping the province will protect Bala. The province is now only requiring the proponent to further investigate economic issues, and are ignoring all the others, such as safety, appearance, performance bond, fencing, traffic, noise, fish habitat, and water access.
Only locals understand how the area is used, and the importance of requiring that
all locations be considered to determine if there is a better place for a power station. The province’s process does not allow for a broader view of the proposed project, so only local politicians can ensure this happens.
We need politicans that appreciate that the province isn’t asking all the right questions of the proponent, and that can see that the information needed is not being provided by the proponent.
We need politicians that will withhold the District land to ensure that Bala’s interests are protected.
We need politicians that can keep a comittment. Clearly, there are opportunities for candidates that will show leadership.
This council meeting was widely covered by the media on August 24, 2010, for example (click to see the article):
- The Toronto Star (pdf copy here).
- The Gravenhurst Banner (pdf copy here).
- MooseFM (pdf copy here).
- A-Channel 6:00 pm News (click below, the introduction is from 00:35 to 00:50, and the news segment is from 05:55 to 08:00).
SaveTheBalaFalls.com