Schreiber Resident RE: Nextbridge Project & Public Meetings
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Letter to the Editor : Proposed East to West Transmission Line
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I noticed that Nextbridge, a private company, is holding public meetings throughout the region, to sell the local people on the proposed new hydro line which is planned for our region. This company has obtained private partners and plans on building this line from Thunder Bay to the Sault to transport electricity. Do we really need this type of hydro line? Look at the reasons, effects and options.
NUMBER ONE – The Ontario Government continues to let out hydro contracts to any and all private companies, thus losing the stake in supplying hydro to the residents of Ontario. In fact, they are selling sixty percent of Ontario Hydro to raise cash on a one time basis. This plays well with those plans as once again, an expansion of services will be without government overview. More and more hydro facilities are springing up in this region and they are mostly private. By private, we understand the rise in hydro costs to us and with private providers, these costs will only increase at their whim in the future, be paid to private individuals and the profits or dividends are lost to the Ontario Government—forever.
NUMBER TWO – This line will not feed the region, but will be used to mainly supply power to the south. A rosy picture of jobs only means some jobs during construction time and then contractors from outside the region will probably maintain the line. The voices of private co-gen plants have become very loud as now they want into the very lucrative government grid called Ontario. These same companies, when they applied for licenses, only wanted to sustain their own businesses at the time of application, obtained government grants for the co-gen plants, but now a window is opening as to the true intentions of both government and private “friends” of Government. They want in on the cash cow called hydro users of Ontario.
>NUMBER THREE – New corridors have a devastating affect on Woodland Caribou. Our Ontario Government has legislated that the endangered caribou will return to this region but experience has shown that new corridors are very bad for these animals. This will impede the Woodland Caribou, but these corridors are perfect for predators such as the wolf and bears of the region—something which loves to eat moose, deer and especially Caribou. What will it be government, Hydro or Caribou? This new proposed line has to go around certain parks to protect the integrity of that park.
NUMBER FOUR – This company misleads all the locals when they try to sell us on the fact that they are speaking to “all” First Nations and Metis in the region. That is misleading because yet again, the Ontario Government tells these companies who to talk to, thereby picking and choosing who is or is not worthy to be involved. A recent Supreme court case just pointed this out. If a First Nation is a partner, then you bet they are consulted, but to say all are involved is not true at all.
NUMBER FIVE – All corridors in this region run east and west. As we see by existing corridors such as the CPR, the CNR, Ontario Hydro lines and generators, there is growing movement by these companies to restrict or eliminate any so called trespassing on these properties. This means that we, as residents could lose the ability to access the big lake or the north cabins because we have to cross these so called “private properties”. This may seem foolish, but I need only refer to Ontario Hydro warnings these past years about trespassers being prosecuted if found on their property. The uncaring railroads are the same.
NUMBER SIX – More forest removal means that the lines have to remain clear of brush and trees. Past and present practices mean that spraying of broadleaf and softwood trees will kill any and all growth along this corridor. Studies have shown that these practices are helping to kill off the pollinators in this region and actually putting the honey bee in jeopardy. This in turn does impact our ability to grow food. There is a very large concern, by the scientific community, for the kill off of pollinators. Needed food by big game will also suffer because of the spraying While this proposal seems good to some, think of whether we need this line or not.
We continue to idle generators because of a lack of demand up here and we also have just removed an old “obsolete” Ontario Hydro line which ran east to west. We remove a public utility and replace it with a private one—seems fishy to me.
Jon Macdonald
Schreiber, Ontario
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