Georgina power plant proposal on short list

yorkregion.com
May 1, 2008
John Slykhuis

Georgina power plant proposal on short list

Georgina politicians, backed by cheering residents, voted Monday night to try and short-circuit a bid to have a new gas-fired power generation plant built in Georgina.

With just the dissenting voice of Councillor Ross Jamieson, council approved a motion put forward by Councillor Dave Szollosy declaring Georgina an unwilling host for the proposed plant on McCowan Road at Glenwoods Avenue by Calgary-based Pristine Power.

The move “is not NIMBYism...we don’t want this anywhere”, Mr. Szollosy said, adding this 1950s style “mega-project” is out of step with 21st century thinking and called for small scale energy sources that are as environmentally friendly as possible using renewable energy sources.

Pristine is one of five energy companies that have qualified to bid for the Ontario Power Association’s planned new 350-megawatt gas-fired electrical generating “peaker” plant, It was revealed Monday. Critics argue, however, the required future need is just 30 megawatts and that electrical consumption in York Region has actually declined.

“This is simply not acceptable. At some point in time, we have to say stop. At some point in time, we have to say, that’s enough,” Mr. Szollosy said.

He added council has made moves recently to fund more green programs in town, including adding bio-diesel to its vehicle fleet to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions.

“I really hope we’re just not interested in putting pretty green stickers on our vehicles. We’ve got to go beyond the appearance and really make a stand.”

“I’ve been talking to a lot of people over the last couple of weeks and I’m comparing this to the fight over the mega-landfill and I was involved with Georgina Against Garbage at that time,” said Councillor Margaret Jordan, who strongly backed Mr. Szollosy.

That process educated people about the importance of recycling, she said.

“It forced us to take a hard look at how we dealt with our garbage and we in Georgina were a leader with the user-pay system,” she said.

“The same scenario is true with electricity. You flip a switch, the lights go on ... we don’t stop and think at how it gets there and at what cost environmentally. The OPA has to go back to the working group, back to the drawing board.”

The OPA will look at the council decision and make that a factor in its decision on what firm and what location to choose, Ms Jordan said, adding council’s decision will not “taint” any future planning application by Pristine for rezoning on the property.

Councillor Ross Jamieson disagreed.

“I’m probably going to be the bad guy tonight. Quite frankly, I’m not in a position as a member of council to support the motion. I just don’t feel comfortable supporting a motion that is so strongly worded, that we know more about this field than the experts.”

Mr. Jamieson said he believes approving the motion could very well “taint” Pristine’s potential future planning applications. “Quite frankly, in the 19-and-a-half years I’ve been on this council, never has a town council taken as strong a position on a matter that was going to become a planning application.

If we stand up tonight and say that we don’t accept any proposal, passing that motion tonight is going to do more harm than good.”

Amid a chorus of boos, Mr. Jamieson continued, “If you pass that motion, it’s not going to change anything as far as which of the proponents is selected by the OPA.” It would only serve to prejudice the town’s position and give Pristine a clear advantage at any future Ontario Municipal Board hearing.

Brad Smith, spokesperson for MegaWhat?, an anti-electrical plant group, said the proposal harkens back to the council approval of the aluminum smelter in the 1970s and the environmental disaster that would become. Fears Pristine would have an advantage for planning approval were unfounded, Mr. Smith said.

“You have the Greenbelt Act, you have the Places to Grow Act, the provincial policy statement and the conservations authorities act behind you and you are afraid that a developer is going to be able to have weight over that?”
He recalled Pristine’s representatives told council the company was going to take all of the financial risks in undertaking this project.

“But who will be taking the health risks? What about the environmental risks?”
Dr. Peter Strawbridge said he had serious concerns over potential emissions from the plant, noting at least 1,400 children in Georgina have asthma and that children living in smog areas are “three to four times more likely to develop asthma than those in less polluted areas”. By his calculations, he said, the proposed plant would dump at least 124 metric tonnes of emissions into the air every year.

“I realize the overall air quality in southern Ontario will improve when (Ontario Premier Dalton) McGuinty manages to close the coal-fired plants at Nanticoke. But I fear that instead of clearing our air in Georgina, we will be left with Nanticoke North.”

Lifelong Georgina resident Dan Davidson pleaded with council to stand behind the citizens as friends and family members and refused to be “bullied” by the OPA in accepting the plant.

Pristine Power president Jeffry Myers said the OPA has said it needs the new plant to meet future demands for electricity.

“That’s what they’re telling us. We think there will be multiple benefits besides keeping the lights on. We’d like to develop those benefits with the community.”

The McCowan site is ideal with a high-voltage corridor adjacent to the property and existing nearby industrial uses, Mr. Myers said. “That’s a great location for a power plant,” he said, adding the company will seek public input in developing a site plan.

“Pristine will probably be one of the highest taxpayers in the community, if not the highest. Don’t pre-judge what we might offer to the community,” he said.