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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1975-02-06, Page 91'• 31 Dec, 1.0987654 Public Library, 52 Montreal St., Goderich, Ont. N7A•.,04; ydro life line r biller? BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER Although much of the on- the=street, over -the -tack - fence controversy has died down in Goderich and ` area about the possibility of „a sizable Hydro development coming , to Huron County - maybe even close to .Goderich - the story is still very, much in the news. And there's plenty going on behind the scenes. Huron's farm, population is quietly and carefully gathering some rather impressive facts and figures to substantiate their claims that a Hydro plant - be it nuclear or fossil fuel burning would be' about the worst thing that could happen here. • In recent, days, the Huron Power Plant Committee with Chairman Adrian Vos has been making the deadlines. The group has presented two briefs since the .first of the Hurqn._ County Development , Committee January 17 and another to the Provincial Cabinet when its members met in London recently.. (Copies of both those briefs . appear on this page.) No doubt Bruce -Huron farmers who are already involved with the Bruce Nuclear. -Generating Plant at Douglas Point will lend their full support to the HPPC. These farmers, _across whose farms .heavy power bines must travel to carry electric . power~ to distributing stations, are deeply involved, in negotiations with •Hydro over. things like access • routes, land., prices, • production loss-- etc. It has .been, in some cases, a,.long and bitter struggle with some farmers discovering their legal rights severely diminished. (Latest developments on that aspect of the story appear in a news item 'gleaned a frdtr -, the Winghafn Advance -Times, and 'also published on this page.') CANTDU, a doder•ich- based group which concerns itself mostly with, the en- vironmental. 40,ects of Hydro development, .has also been active and vocal, both locally and at the. govern- ment level.' Just recently a CANTDU, 'spokesman ad- dressed the Women's ' Day Out - members' in aGoderich and outlined a host of CANTDU's most pressing questions and distressing findings. Through all of this, ,Ontario Hydro has definitely given , the impression -'of • -listening more to the views of the people. Several years ago when news of a Hydro development first hit Huron -County in the midst of a, provincial election campaign through the efforts of New Democratic Party candidate' Paul Carroll, Hydro was, wha't', `could-' be described as haughty and dictatorial. Today, ,while many peop e. doubt ' that- tire -leopard•- has changed its spots, Hydro does • indeed' give all ap- pearances of being receptive to comment • and s t 4 sympathetic to individual around the entire world as concerns. ' some predict? w APATHY ABOUNDS Not surprisingly though, most of the input from the people is conning from those who are opposed to 'a Hydro developrtient here. Apathy abounds among the many, many men and women who sincerely • believe that . a Hydro plant in Huron would bring progress One would surely need more than a crystal ball to answer those questions with any degree of., accuracy for the future. One would need a knowledge of so many un- determined ' .factors, a are limited .because of technical ' knowledge and certain physical .attributes which must be { present.' While the farmers ggf rural Huron County, for iirstance, may see no reason why all Hydro , development could not be located in the nor - complete understanding of thern part of the province, science find technology both ?H ro may have some very now and for; the foreseeable ' valid and understandable future; a total com- ' arguments why this is im- and prehension of all aspects of a.01 possible. Thus while Hydro prosperity to all. TJiis many-sided problem about should •certainly listen to the segment of the citizenry which even the experts are seems content to wait until in conflict. the furor has subsided and ONLY SPECULATION the plant is finally under construction. As is generally. the case, For to a large .percentage there is only dwf Huron's people, the speculation....speculation establishment of a Hydro which is nothing more than plant in Huron County is observations based on a limited inventory •of facts. assured. Only the year and SPECULATION NO. ONE: the location are in question. The negative ` reaction will Ontario Hydro needs new merely delay what is an sources of power .for.- the inevitable conclusion, "they Years ahead. These sources feel. In the -town Of Goderi&h- 'subtle :chiange177sfpreatlhng' . across the municipality. In little ways, people' are gearing up for the boom they expect to ' come with thei grassroots of the province — their concerns, their suggestions — the ultimate decision must surely rest with Hydro whose respon- sibility it is to service'their customers across this great province and to meet 'their growing demands., SPECULATION NO. TWO: Environmentalists have -great influence upon (continued on page 2A) uron-lsruce armers • Hydro plant in Huron. Long-, - range plans are taking shape • in the minds of all typos of � people , and there' -is an tun- `'I 11 le. � al mistakable undercurrent of excitement a definite air of . A legal technicality could expectancy., 'deny landowners iti the Is this countyton the brink' Huron -Bruce area the •right, of a new way of life? If so, to alipeal • to ..the 'Ontario will it be good for Huron's Land Compensation Board' if people? For the 'citizens of they are , not satisfied with Ontario? For Canadians in Ontario Hydro's purchase or general? Will it have. easement offer regarding' damaging reverberationsr land being expropriated for • hassle wax some beIjev Udrois oversold f �y r'future Huron Power Plant Committee on the job power lines from 'Bruce tp Seaforth. Under .its new land acquisition • policy,.., an- nounced by Ontario Hydro in September, 1974, farmers were promised they would have the `right to appeal. compensation to the an ,� ��ard asayI-Iydro final recourse. • The decision of . the board was tO be binding unless' appealed by either party to the . Ontario Court of Appeal within 30 days. Landowners in the 'Huron -Bruce. area are. the first to be dealt with" under the new policy. • Besides, appealing to the Ontario Land Compensation Board,'under Hydro's new policy, the landowner can also seek . greater com- pensation by continuing to -` negotiate with -Hydro ° or by requesting .his case be considered`:-by–the Board of , ._. _lOrnor o._�...... w ': Council. meets tomorrow, ;Western– .: ntari-o:, -an ,w.. Negot,i.ations which is -set up Friday, January 31. another by . M. M.. Dillon' by the province, to help in Instead, Mr. Vos along- Ltd., consulting Engineers bargaining. . . with • /a public relations and Planners — this one for Suggestions by, the Board' ''0representative from Ontario Ontario Hydro. • of Negotiatior'is, however, Hydro.' will be . -invited to • `The scale of the Huron are 'not .considered binding attend the next' 'regular project is similar -to that at . on either party. . meeting of •the Huron County • Douglas Point, including a -Now, because of various 'Development Committee , heavy water plant, Since the "options;' regarding land to be expropriated for tran- smission lines from the ,Bruce Generating Station to Sefortli, landowners in the area could be denied access' to the Land Compensation' Board; -depending on which option tliey'favor. As explained by Ken Crombie of Hydro's property division,, Toronto, when Hydro expropriated land from Bruce Oto Seaforth they were granted rights to a 900 ft. strip of land from Bruce to Bradley Junction, a 490 ft. strip from Bradley south, to Wingham and a 120 ft. strip `.Reactors with a total of 8,400 from Wingham to Seaforth. Hydro however then found it ."could, live with" a 490 ft. • (continued on page 3A) Hgdf0o poer a modern necessity hite beans need clear air to thrive BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER One of pe most valid arguments put•forth so far in opposition to the proposal that a Hydro plant be located in this part of the province, has been supplied by the white bean growersof• Huron County. According to these far- , mers, the white,, bean in- dustry in Huron County " could be threatened by the introduction of a Hydro plant here '. . . and Mike Miller, a competitive market for them", said.Mr. Miller. ,White bean :growers , are, also concerned about the cost factor to produce their crops. Mr. Miller says they have expressed concern that the price of goods -and services in the area of a Hydrq plant . would be severely increased, and the production costs to the farmer would be remarkably higher. The result, would be. reduced profits for- the farmer whose products are not priced according to the crop.specialjst at the Ontario cost of production. •Ministry of Agriculture and ,About tlree-quarters of all Food in Clinton tends to the beans grown in Ontario agree. - are produced in the counties _ 1 .– P_ erthm g..l '.t :.; :. r -itwou-ldn -- i ia'tter Middlesex. Par whether the proposed Hydro Oxford, Elgin and Kent, grow plant would be of a nuclear the• remaining ' White beans' type or of a fossil fuel type. produced.' in this province. Both could result, in some Michigan is, of course, the dire problems for white bean world's greatest producer -of eaters across' the world. • white beans but according to • He elaborated. A fossil Mr. Miller, yields there are fuel plant would produce air reduced in • recent years pollution and a condition becatr'se of ° increasing. • known as ozone bronzing in pollution from cities like • white beans. • • • Chicago. • " The pollutants in, the air: "You , need clean . air ' to would be carried by `grow beans',',' . says Mr. prevailing westerly winds Miller. • • from the iakeshore inland to` White beans are now being the • white bean growing produced in the whole area districts. Depending to .a west of Michigan with some certain extent by weather ., adequate results, as well as conditions, pollution in late in some parts of the state of ' Julynd early August when ' New„ York. - the bans `are "setting their White beans are also .pods'`' -could be disastrous. grown in Chili and Ethiopia, Mr. Miller • feels that if , says Mr. Miller. conditions were, right, some Even with "all, the technical - bean crops would be "not 'know-how possessed by seed worth harvesting specialists these days, ----it A nuclear plant would does not seem possible that a have no direct effect on the strain of white bean could be beans, • 'but the` industry produced 'which would be would be,:indirectly-stymied immune to ozone bronzing: by the fear of foreign••buyers Mr. Miller commented that the. beans carried that a seed bean has- been "fallout" fron•r the.. Hydro 'produced which is tolerant to development. .Mr. Miller pollution "at- the level we says this could be a very now have". With, the Clean real concern for foreign Air Act and other govern- bu.yers –wou.ld.... simply men..t.,,,..incentives,.,.,the.....bean.._ shun Huron County beans for crop is presently assured. others grown in other areas. "But I wouldn't be that" "The bean" growers would hopeful if there were fairly be able to harvest their heavy amounts of .pollution", crops, but there mightnot be said Mr, Miller. could. be disastrous 4 Adrian Vos, .-Chairman of "It has been argued, and it the Huron 'Power 0 Plant "still is,, in • some ' rather Committee, presented a uninformed quarters, that a brief ; to members of the hydro development of thils Huron County Development scale will.'bring prosperity to Committee at its January f7 . the area. However;' two meeting. . •• . • . studies ha -v-0, :been un - According to - County dertaken • in the last two Administrator John- Berry, years that contradict this there will be no report onthe- surmise. One by Dr. Norman matter when Huron County Pearson of the University of which is February 21. Bruce area was similar in County officials are, anxious many respects to the Huron to hear both sides of the area (overwhelmingly, story — at one time. agricultural, small towns The brief, which has been and ,a .„ribbon of recreational mailed to all 'municipalities areas along the Lake) we in Huron and was presented can ',confidently apply the recently by,Adrian,Vos is as same criteria in our county.... follows:" . - "Let's compare' some . of "As you know, „ Ontario • the impact we can expect if Hydro plans to build power this , scheme would be generating stations in Huron realized, Obviously we can't County. In their priblished' go and compare the whole Long Range Plan they havevi study ' here, but we will . several 'alternatives: (a). ,,mention the highlights.. The. several Fossil Fuelled work force will at its peak be stations with a total of 3,000 7,500 to 8,000 men. MW ; • (b) 11 • Nuclear "The Heavy Water Plant necessitate restricted MW; (c) same as (a) ; (d) land use areas. double the capacity of .(a) "Pearson says "In plus. a Nuclear • reactor in essence the transformation 1993;. (e) same:as (b).. is 'from 'a generally rural, 'recreation oriented locality to an urbanized, in- dustrialized area, beginning with a massive transition to power production. The impact on her municipal structure is'' profound because of the• relatively weak tax base (in' that ,there is a great emphasis( on residential assessment) and the concentrated nature, of 'the change, The key point is that municipalities are uniquelly dependent upon the property fax base..'..F$r 'a long period, the area was relatively static with slow growth, which was capable of being dealt with within the ; existing , structure because the change was limited, required , relatively modest (continued pn page 4A) dro asked to re c o ns i d e r site Members of the Ontario 'County is not in the best Cabinet meeting recently etr, interests of the residents of a special .session in London , the county. --we.re..._confrOnted by Huron's The Huron Powe"r Plant Adrian Vos an "the "Huron Committee is made up of 13 Power " Plant Committee farm commodity groups, concerning the possible CANTDU and .the Huron location bf ` Hydro develop- County P 1 o w m e{n ' s ment in Huron. Association. Adrian Vos, Premier William Davis Blyth, chairman of ' HPPC, and his associates were presented the following brief tea` informed • in clear and? on behalf of'these,gtou.p.s.: concise terms• that the "The Huron Power Plant proposed atomic power Committee was formed in generating station in Huron order to study the impact on Huron County of 'a • and Bruce County, `where Generating Development on many of the results are the scale proposed by allroady known, the HPPC Ontario Hydro as now 'found that it is not in the presented in their Long best interest of , Huron Range Plan. – County and its residents to "The Huron Power. Plant have a scheme as envisioned Committee is supported by established in Hurot County., eighteen farm r,mmodity • Indeed we found that it is not. reasons for our conclusions. "Firstly we will agree that, Huron., Co'`ianty is for 90 percent or more agricultural, and it' is a common principle that all development in a given area must be 'supportive to, the. main industry in that area. groups and sone Civic in the test interest of the Clearly a 'Generating groups as will be listed as an majority,t, of Ontario Development with its inherent transmission corridors", " its supportive industry 'and the additional (continued on page, 3A) appendix to this brief. residents, as we will. "Ater studying the presently�"'poin't out. proposals , and• comparing "Briefly We will outline situations, b.etweon Huron our argunients and give the 1 he tHIre new markets proniis,es