Dear Mr. Gerretsen,
I would like to send you a copy of a letter that I have sent to Donna Cansfield, as well as the Honourable Dalton McGuinty, and my MPP, Mr. Ted McMeekin. I have been very troubled by the proposal to build a hydro electric facility in the small tourist town of Bala, ON. Bala relies solely on tourism for its economy, and the proposed hydro dam would be situated in the most picturesque spot in the town of Bala. Bala is a very old and historic town, and has been lovingly preserved. This hydro project does not belong in the middle of this beautiful town, where many people love to swim, fish, and have their photos taken.
In an ideal world, all of the politicians who think that this is a great location for a hydro-electric installation should go and have a look for themselves to see what they are destroying. This might prevent this type of irresponsible decision making. Thank you for taking the time to read my email. I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Anne Polewski
Ancaster, ON
Dear Ms. Cansfield,
I am writing to you, as I’m very concerned about the Swift River Power Project that has been “proposed” for the town of Bala at the Bala Falls on the Moon River.
My grandparents bought their cottage on the Moon River in 1939. My grandparents were immigrants from England who worked very hard to buy this cottage, and my grandfather was a veteran of the Great War for Civilization. He was very pleased to have this place of beauty and serenity to enjoy his retirement years with my grandmother.
My grandfather, a Vimy Ridge war veteran, was very proud of the fact that after working very hard all his life (after raising 7 children) that he and his wife had managed to save enough money to have a home in Toronto, and a lovely little cottage on the Moon River.
I have very fond memories of summers spent with my grandparents and parents at our cottage on the Moon River. My grandfather would take me fishing at the Bala Falls, and we would boat into town to buy ice cream at the marina at the town dock. We would go into Purk’s place to buy fishing bait for our fishing trips, and go into Don’s bakery to pick up some treats to bring home for dessert.
This has always been a place of special beauty, and we have entertained family and friends from Canada and abroad. They have all agreed that Bala is a very special place, and have mentioned that they hope to return again someday.
Bala has an active community that participates in a town beautification scheme with lots of flowers planted all over the town, including planters by the Bala Falls. The same volunteers also put on a great festival every fall, which attracts tourists from around the province. People come from great distances to enjoy the beautiful fall colours at the Cranberry Festival in Bala.
Bala has always been a tourist town that relies on its small town charm. As I mentioned earlier, I have spent every summer in Bala since I was born in the mid-1950’s, and it has changed very little. This is the secret of its charm.
The Bala Bay Inn was established in the early 1900’s, and still looks much the same as it did when it was built. There are three beautiful old churches very close to the Falls dating back to the turn of the century.
The Kee to Bala was formerly known as Dunn’s Pavilion and has got a fantastic musical history having seen the likes of Louis Armstrong, Guy Lombardo and many others over the years. The Balacade, an old-fashioned pinball arcade is the same as it was in the 1950’s, Don’s Bakery is still in business after over 50 years, and many more.
I would argue that Purk’s Place should be designated as a historic building because it was built by one of the town’s earliest settlers and is one of the few remaining buildings standing after the railway went in. The Swift River Hydro Project would see this great old historic building and business closed down.
I could not believe that the Ontario Government under the Liberal party would propose putting a hydroelectric installation at this site. For much of the year, there is very little water flow over the falls; certainly not a lot of power could be generated at this site except perhaps for a month or two during the snowmelt in the spring.
It seems incredibly short sighted to me to spend tens of millions of dollars to destroy a place of natural beauty to generate highly subsidized electricity. While I do support the move to the use of more “green” energy, I would argue that this facility is totally out of place with the rest of the town of Bala.
I would really encourage you, and each and every politician who believes that this is a good place to build a hydro dam, to go and have a look for yourselves.
I’m still having trouble believing that such a place of natural beauty in a town that relies on tourism could be destroyed by this hydro project. Unbelievable!
Joni Mitchell said it best in her song “Big Yellow Taxi” that she wrote in the 1970’s, “Don’t it always seem to go, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. You pave paradise, and you put up a parking lot”.
I didn’t think that this kind of thing could happen under a Liberal government. Mike Harris, yes, but I am shocked and angered that the Liberals would put forward this project in a town that relies so heavily on tourism.
Sincerely,
Anne Polewski
Cc: Honourable Dalton McGuinty, MPP
Cc: Ted McMeekin, MPP