There’s already speculation (see Ian Urquhart’s column called Gas-fueled Power Plant on Agenda in The Toronto Star today) that the Ontario government is going to forego a couple of little details — like the bidding process and the environmental review process — to put a new gas-fired power plant at the site of the former Lakeview Generating Station.
As you will recall, Ontario Power Generation, which shut down its plant at Lakeview at the end of April 2005 as the first link in the Liberal plan to remove all five dirty coal-fired stations from the provincial inventory, has signed a memorandum of agreement with our local electricity retailer, Enersource Hydro Mississauga, to “explore the possibility” of putting a new 900 megawatt gas-fired plant on the site.
You can see why the government might be in a hurry to renew a use that might at first glance seem like an improvement to surrounding residents.
First of all there is the very legitimate issue of ensuring adequate electricity supply. The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has already warned about the problems in bringing new supply on line in Ontario in time to replace the coal stations. The Liberals broke their election result on the timing of closing those station closures as a result, extending it three years to 2010. OPA has also warned that, with the removal of Lakeview with its nearby supply which improves local reliability, Mississauga needs new generation relatively quickly, by 2011, in fact. In the new-generation business, that’s like next week, given the long approval process.
Then there’s the precedent of the Sithe gas-fired station in Brampton, which the Liberals approved without a real bidding process, on the basis of pressing need and a gap in service in that area. There was nary a peep from anyone, it seemed, when that happened.
So, is Lakeview an easy target for a new power plant?
Absolutely not, especially if Jim Tovey and the newly-reformed Lakeview Ratepayers’ Association have anything to say about it. They have already enlisted the assistance of their MPP Tim Peterson, who presents their petition and their position daily in the Ontario Legislature.
Lakeview will not just quietly accept another long-term lease on pollution. They are mounting an aggressive counter-attack.
Tovey has contacted the Environmental Law Association of Ontario and the Environmental Defence League, which is interested in undertaking a blood sample study of long-term (40 years plus) Lakeview residents.
McMaster University Professor James Quinn published a study with colleagues in a science journal a few months ago that studied genetic mutations in lab rats. One set was placed near the Stelco plant in Hamilton and another in a relatively unpolluted community. The Stelco rats experienced twice the number of genetic mutations. The professor will be invited to present his findings to residents at a future meeting.
Anecdotal evidence has long held that Lakeview residents have an inordinate number of health problems.
Then there is the “morality (or is it immorality) of geography” argument. “Lakeview has affected out community for three or four generations,” says Tovey who has lived there since 1989 and has seen the gentrification of much of the neighbourhood. “They should rethink the idea of putting dirty things in a dirty neighbourhood over and over again.”
By a dirty neighbourhood, Tovey means one which literally scraped black guck off its cars and houses more times than it can count.
Sure gas technology is a lot cleaner now, but why should Lakeview bear the burden again — because it’s easy to slap another plant up and (some) people are used to being environmentally abused? That’s no justification.
The upstart ratepayers hold their next meeting Thurs. March 8 at 7 p.m. at the Cawthra Senior Citizens’ Centre. Their MPP and councillor will be there and you can bet there will be lots of talk about the new plant.
As well as that update , the agenda also includes a talk and slide show by Heritage Mississauga’s Matthew Wilkinson about the history of the Arsenals property at the foot of Dixie Rd. which is to be transformed into a regional park.
The ratepayers have some great potential ideas for that park including establishing a 25-minute walking trail that will allow local Grade 8 students studying the history of the Second World War to explore their local connection to the small arms plant, which was run mainly by women who remained on the home front.
Tovey also dreams of one day putting a cenotaph in front of the water tower, which is being preserved as a heritage symbol in the large, central green space.
The ratepayers also have a new web site at www.lakeviewresidents.com which will undoubtedly form part of the front line of their defence against another local power plant.