MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Winter 2020

17 These massive projects can be closed-loop or open-loop. Closed loop systems use the same water over and over again, going from a lower reservoir to an upper reservoir.An open-loop system takes from an open body of water, pumps up to an upper reservoir, then dumps the water back. There are more than 100 pumped storage facilities, with over 1,000 megawatts of power potential, throughout the world (some are under construction). Currently about 43 of those are operating in the US. The United States hasn’t built many since the early 1980s and the country that’s building the majority of them these days is China. The largest facility in the world is in Virginia and can generate up to 3,003 megawatts. It’s a closed-loop system. Completing this project would help balance Ontario's power generation with power usage. Currently power can’t be stored efficiently and on such a large scale; it’s created and used instantly. If there is surplus energy it’s sold to other markets (i.e., other provinces or the US) at a loss, or in some cases, dumped (by spilling water over the dams, putting the brakes on turbines, or taking nuclear power plants offline). Being able to store energy would allow TC Energy to store this energy instead of dumping it, then put it back into the grid when needed. The project TC Energy is proposing is a 1,000-megawatt, open-loop system. It would provide 1,000 megawatts for 8 hours, or as TC Energy claims, enough power for a million Ontarians for 8 hours.The upper reservoir is 375 acres and 20 metres deep with a capacity of about 20 million cubic metres. That’s 20 billion litres of water. It’s predicted this system will run through its cycle every 36 hours; so it’ll take 20 billion litres out of the Bay, then dump it back in again every 36 hours. Their engineers tell us light and sound pollution will be minimal. Any disturbance to the Bay will be, to use TC Energy’s word, “mitigated.” A surprising word to choose, as the word literally means to lessen the gravity of an offense or mistake. Of course the power will need to come from somewhere to pump the water up and go somewhere as the water flows down; this will require high- voltage power lines either on the bottom of the Bay, or through overhead towers. The plan is to use the Essa Transformer Station near Barrie as a conduit. TC Energy has not finalized a transmission route yet. It is claimed there will be 800 jobs during the five years of construction and once operational (in 2027) the plant will support about 20 jobs and run for 50 years. The estimated project construction cost is $3.3 billion. THE PLAYERS Currently in the feasibility-study stage, the first organization that needs to approve the project is the DND. They haven’t yet. They need to decide whether they can continue to train on the base with the pumped storage facility on the property. According to Peter Crain, Director General of Portfolio Requirements for the DND, the DND would sell the piece of property to TC Energy at “market value.” This is land that was expropriated from local farmers back in 1942. The Canadian government took this land on the premise it would be used to help train the military for World War II. “Much discussion took place amongst the landowners affected, and many felt that the government was not offering enough money for their properties, which had now suddenly become valuable,” says the Grey Roots Archive article Home on the Range . “It was rumoured that without co- operation, the required land would simply be expropriated.This rumour held true and the expropriate plan was filed at the North Grey Registry Office on July 21, 1942, making the land the property of His Majesty the King.” “The final expropriation encompassed approximately 17,350 acres, affecting 150 farms, four schools and three churches. Also affected were seasonal cottages, hunting cabins, two small summer hotels, two Rotary Camps, while cemeteries were simply left untouched and maintained by the army.” How can the government of Canada expropriate property from local farmers in 1942, only to turn around and sell it 77 years later? This question was yelled from the back of the crowd that cold night in Meaford. The DND didn’t provide an answer. If the DND decides this project can go forward, then it’ll be up to TC Energy to get their approvals done and continue on their feasibility study. If the DND decides the project shouldn’t go forward, then you’re wasting your time reading this and I’m wasting my time writing it. TC Energy owns and/or operates projects throughout North America that include natural gas pipelines, oil pipelines and several power generation facilities (nuclear and natural gas). TC Energy is 48 percent owner of Bruce Power. They own and operate the Keystone Pipeline (which, according to CBC, spilled 1.4 million litres of crude oil in North Dakota in late October). TC Energy first approached the DND with this idea in 2017. They say the property is ideal; it has a good elevation change, access to tonnes of water, and there are no private properties on the land. Because this property is the traditional land of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON), they’re also involved. As the SON land claim against the Government of Canada continues, they’re up for an $80 billion settlement. Their land claim includes the Bruce Peninsula and a water claim that stretches from Goderich up to Tobermory and back down to Wasaga Beach. TC Energy wasted no time in approaching SON for approval on this project. An online document available to the public entitled Proposed TC Energy Pumped Storage Project in the SON Territory stated TC Energy has proposed SON partner as part owners of the project. It also states: “In a letter from TC Energy to the Chiefs (October 2019), TC Energy committed that it would not construct the project unless they had the support of SON.” This same document states, “The SON Environment Office will begin to plan our environmental and archaeological assessment work in Spring 2020.” SON didn’t respond to any of ML’s requests for interviews, but have made it clear to other groups that they are doing their own studies on this project and will not be influenced by outside sources. The last people notified about this project were the locals, many of whom only discovered TC Energy’s plan in late August 2019. People directly affected, like those living in Kiowana Beach, have now organized into the group Save Our Georgian Bay. They’re an angry bunch and probably rightly so. The closest private property is a mere 700 metres from the proposed project. Nearby residents will also have to deal with years of construction. Concerned about property values dropping, ecosystem destruction and the unknowns involved with such large-scale change to the otherwise pristine shoreline, this group is making a lot of noise and are vehemently opposed to the proposal. “It’s a massive scar on the face of the earth during construction for four years,” says one concerned resident. “They rip the face of the earth off to install this facility. There’s a cobble layer on the surface, but under the cobble is clay. You disturb that clay and the water is turbid for miles and days at a time.” The crowd’s simmering anger wasn’t quelled.