Jul 032018
Considering the 20 questions below, it is clear the previous provincial Liberal government interfered with the environmental assessment process and prevented the Ministry of the Environment from the subsequent enforcement required to protect the public and the environment.
These unaddressed concerns show that now-Premier Doug Ford was right when he visited Bala on February 27, 2018, summarizing that: “This project stinks of political interest and insider deals” and that it is a “big scam” (video and more complete transcript here).
Public safety risks
- Why hasn’t the Ministry of the Environment required the Bala proponent to show they could safely operate this proposed industrial facility, especially because all we now know is that they could not.
- Why has the Ministry of the Environment accepted that the minimum flow through the proposed generating station would be significantly greater than committed for their environmental approval, even though this flow is what would make this industrial facility deadly dangerous to the public.
- Why has the MNRF accepted that the proposed generating station would start without warning even though the MNRF’s Public Safety Measures Plan for the Bala Dams requires such warning before increases in flow.
- Why doesn’t the MNRF require the upstream safety boom to be relocated farther upstream, as required by Transport Canada’s calculation used for the MNRF’s Public Safety Measures Plan for the Bala Dams.
- Why has the Ministry of the Environment accepted that the proposed generating stations would create dangerously fast flows outside of the proposed downstream safety boom.
- Why hasn’t the Ministry of the Environment required the proponent to get expert input on public safety for in-water recreation, as it would be unprecedented to construct a hydro-electric generating station in the middle of a popular in-water recreational area.
- Why is the Ministry of the Environment allowing the proponent to construct a portage just inches from the treacherously fast and turbulent water which would exit the proponent’s proposed generating station.
Unjustified favouritism
- Why is the proponent being allowed to make the public shoreline in Bala deadly dangerous even though their proposal said they: “will not generally diminish the public’s enjoyment of the area for swimming, boating …”.
- Why did the previous Liberal government give a “sweetheart deal” to the Bala proponent as Ontarians would have to pay for all major maintenance and repair of both Bala dams even though the deal at the nearby Wilson’s Falls generating station development requires that proponent to pay for all maintenance and repair of that dam.
- Why did the Ministry of the Environment accept a flawed Economic Impact Study which claimed a net benefit without considering negative impacts.
- Why has the Ministry of the Environment accepted that the proposed generating station would rise three storeys above the road even through the proponent committed for their environmental approval their building would not rise above the road.
- Why did the Ministry of the Environment accept that the footprint of the proposed generating station would be 50% larger than committed for their environmental assessment.
- Why did the Ministry of Energy accept that the proposed project would be finished later than required by their FIT contract, even though the proponent has already been given a four-year extension to this deadline.
- Why did the Ministry of Energy accept that the proponent stated for their environmental approval that the proposed generating station would have a lower capacity than required by their FIT contract.
- Why should Ontarians pay the Bala proponent more than 17 ¢/kW•h for power even when it isn’t needed, when it would cost less than 4 ¢/kW•h for power from the two OPG hydro-electric generating stations just downstream.
Environmental risks
- Why did the previous Liberal government accept a deficient Environmental Site Assessment that did not investigate whether the PCBs expected to be found at the abandoned Bala #2 Generating Station had been removed.
- Why did the Ministry of the Environment permit the proponent to put three huge overseas shipping containers directly into the Moon River without first testing the concentration of the manufacturer-applied insecticide, which is known to be harmful to fish.
- Why has the Ministry of the Environment allowed the proponent to dump blasted rock directly into the Moon River, even though the proponent’s environmental approval does not allow this.
- Why did the Ministry of the Environment allow the proponent to continue working even though their water treatment system did not have the components or capacity required by their Environmental Compliance Approval.
- Why did the Ministry of the Environment ignore the unauthorized spill of untreated water from the proponent’s deficient water treatment system.
Because no one cared. Not enough votes in Bala. Let’s hope Ford was more than just talk.
And a fine set of 20 questions they are. My hope is, with Doug Fords help, these questions, that we have been demanding answers to for many long years, will find those answers in a court of law! And the perpetrators of the agony that has been foisted on Bala for personal gain, will find themselves behind bars or with hefty enough fines that it will take a bit of the sting of what has been done to us. That includes our Mr. Probity mayor right up to Anthony Zwig and every ministry and their representatives in between!