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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, November 13, 2009 · 12 ® TWO FREE WIPER BLADES Come in to Jiffy Lube, present this ad and receive 2 free wiper blades when you have an oil change and an additional service. OFFER ONLY VALID AT THESE LOCATIONS: Town wants stronger environmental assessment of TransCanada power plant Mayor Rob Burton is asking the Minister of the Environment to demand more from TransCanada by implementing a stronger environmental assessment for the 900megawatt gas-fired power plant the company intends to build in Oakville. Environmental lawyer Rodney Northey, who has been retained by the Town, has noted previously that the existing review under the Environmental Assessment Act lacks credibility as it is a self-assessment. This means the proponent, in this case TransCanada, gets to decide the standards the assessment will consider. For Burton this is not good enough. "The Town strongly believes it is in the best interest of our residents to ensure the proposed power plant undergoes a thorough public examination of the potential effects of the plant and possible alternatives," said Burton. "I don't understand the Province's desire to rush this plant through with an abbreviated environmental approval process. There is no benefit to our community from such haste." Northey noted a comprehensive environmental assessment is needed because of the likelihood of major adverse environmental effects if the plant is allowed to go forward and because of the lack of separation between the proposed site of the plant and residential areas. The inadequacy of existing environmental laws and a lack of public engagement allowed by the current review process also demand a change to the legislature, noted Northey. An offer has been made by TransCanada to fully fund a third-party expert environmental consultant to review the power plant's potential impact. TransCanada has also offered to give this expert 75 days to review this potential impact instead of the mandatory 30 days. TransCanada spokesperson Chris Breen also disagrees that the existing review process is a self-assessment. "We hire SENES Environmental, they are an accredited and credible environmental consulting firm. They conduct these studies on our behalf and then we post the results publicly, people comment on those results and then the ministry observes that process and they ensure that any concerns or comments that are raised must be addressed by us in a substantive manner," said Breen. "From that perspective, I'd say there are two separate groups of health and environmental professionals totally independent from TransCanada who are involved here." A similar request for the Minister of the Environment to implement a more thorough environmental assessment was made by the Town of Milton in 2007 with regard to the gas-fired power plant that is now under construction. That request was rejected. "This is just one of many actions that this council will be taking to bring the concerns of Oakville residents to the attention of the Province," said Burton. "We've engaged legal and environmental experts to help us prepare evidence-based actions to prevent the proposed power plant project from impacting our residents." BURLINGTON - 1221 Guelph Line 905-319-0058 OAKVILLE- 645 Third Line 905-847-5313 Cannot be combined with any other offers. Expires Nov. 30/09