Drown’n Doug Ford Doubles Down on Dangerous Bala Booby Trap
Muskoka – February 12, 2019 – After five months of consideration, the Ford government has issued an evasive letter that does not answer the community’s questions about the extreme dangers the Bala hydro station would create. This letter was sent by the Ministry of the Environment (MECP) despite their having the responsibility to protect human life.
One extreme danger is there are municipal and boat rental docks just upstream, and the developer’s own information shows that after only 45 seconds anyone tipping out of a canoe or kayak there would be swept to the Bala hydro station’s intake. The force of the 100 tons of water per second entering the intake would hold anyone under water, and that would be their end. Tipping out of a canoe at a dock or your motor stalling when leaving a dock should not be the last thing you do.
The Council of the Township of Muskoka Lakes understands this would be unacceptable, and last month unanimously passed a Resolution requesting that the Ministry of the Environment not issue the permit the proponent requires to operate this dangerous hydro station.
Downstream would also be made unacceptably dangerous. The proponent’s own information shows their Bala hydro station would create water velocities outside of their proposed downstream safety boom that would be several times greater than the 0.5 m/s which Transport Canada says is safe for canoes and kayaks. Such water velocities would be even more dangerous for anyone falling off their stand-up paddleboard or inflatable raft, which people have a right to do safely in front of the only public docks on the Moon River.
Hydro-electric generating stations are industrial facilities that are too dangerous to be in the middle of in-water recreational areas. This is a fact, as much smaller stations have caused drownings both upstream and downstream.
“It is insane the government would allow a dangerous booby trap to be built in Bala. A year ago Doug Ford promised an investigation and to stop this project” said Allan Turnbull, long-time resident living near this proposed project: “smaller stations in the middle of nowhere have caused drownings, do we need to wait for a tragedy before Doug Ford realizes that his ‘Promise Made, Promise Broken’ is unacceptable here. Doug Ford knows the Bala hydro project is a scam, but by allowing this Liberal donor’s project to proceed, he’s being worse than [Liberal ex-Premiers] McGuinty and Wynne.”
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Electronic version of this press release with links to the referenced letters at https://savethebalafalls.com/?p=9177
For more information:
Mitchell Shnier
Mitchell@SaveTheBalaFalls.com
416 712-1515
Telling it the way greed-driven private interest wants it to be – but promise-breaking government should not sanction.
Tim McDonald
Long-time Walker’s Point seasonal resident
and Great Lakes kayaker