Issue: New Dangers

We are extremely concerned about the new dangers that would be created by the proposed power station.

1. The water intake would shift from the south falls to the channel to the north falls:
   • This is adjacent to the town docks, making boating (or falling into the water there) potentially fatal.
     A visit to the town dock should remain a safe Muskoka outing not a life-and-death worry – that if Dad overshoots the dock, or little Jimmy falls in the water while climbing out of the boat – someone might drown crushed against the power station intake’s “trash rack” by tons of fast water.
   • The existing wrong and dangerous practice of some misguided youths jumping off the railway bridge would very likely lead to fatalities.
2. The proposed lookout above the power station would be 18′ above the treacherously turbulent water exiting the power station. Therefore, jumping or falling into this could be fatal.

That is, people will drown and die. It has happened in Bracebridge – even just last summer, two young men in separate accidents the same day. And sadly, it too often happens at hydro generating stations. Attention to safety is required, and simply putting up some signs and a safety boom isn’t enough when the power station will be in the heart of a tourist destination. Trying to get every last kilowatt-hour of energy from the Bala Falls is just too dangerous, to the public, and to the town’s economy.