Town wants $$ for hydro corridor twinning

Once again, the Town of Halton Hills is going on the offensive against a proposed provincial program-- this time the twinning of the existing hydro corridor through the community. The Ontario Power Authority, a provincial agency for electricity, is planning a 500 kV transmission line from the Bruce Power Complex to Hydro One's Milton switching station. They say twinning the line that runs through Halton Hills between the Fourth and Fifth Lines is the only viable option. The project, which must be in service by the end of 2011, will affect 63 properties in Halton Hills, including a portion of the Town's much-vaunted 401 Corridor. Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette, hot on the heels of the Town's opposition to the Province's Places to Grow plan, has sent a letter to Hydro One requesting compensation for the intrusion. "The area is presently serviced and readily available for industrial/commercial development. In part, it is also the gateway for the 401 Prestige Industrial Corridor. This makes the area affected amongst the most valuable of the industrial/commercial lands in the Corridor," he wrote in his letter. "With respect to the Town itself, I trust the Ontario Power Authority and Hydro One will also be offering compensation to the Town for its