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www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, March 12, 2010 · 12 Mississauga may copy Oakville's air quality bylaw By Joseph Chin Metroland Mississauga Media Group The City of Mississauga may introduce a bylaw -- similar to one in Oakville -- with the aim of preventing large power plants from being built in the city. Last month, in a continuing effort to block a 900-megawatt gas-fired power plant proposed for Ford-owned lands at 1500 Royal Windsor Dr., near the Mississauga border, Oakville Town Council passed Health Protection & Air Quality Bylaw 2010-035, described as a bylaw "to assess and control the health effects of major emissions of fine particulate matter." TransCanada Corp., builder of the proposed plant, has yet to decide what course of action it will take to deal with the bylaw, but has not ruled out an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). Under the new bylaw, the proposed power plant and all future major industries must apply for facility-specific approval of their proposed air emissions, whether or not they hold Provincial certificates of approval for their air emissions. Now Mississauga is considering taking a page from its neighbour. On Wednesday at City Council, Ward 2 Councillor Pat Mullin moved a resolution, passed unanimously, directing City staff to review Oakville's latest bylaw and report back to Council on what would be required to develop and introduce a similar bylaw in Mississauga. Mullin expressed the hope that all Ontario municipalities would pass such a bylaw. The resolution was supported by Mississauga umbrella ratepayer group, MIRANET. In a letter to Council, the organization said Clarkson residents are concerned about what can be done to improve the poor air quality in their airshed, as documented in the Ministry of Environment's Clarkson Airshed Study. "(They) are also very concerned about what Mississauga can do to avoid being the backstop, should the TransCanada power plant proposal in Oakville not proceed. There are potential sites within populated areas of our city which might yet be put into consideration by the Province," the letter continued. "We do not want residential communities in Mississauga to appear to be the easier choice," it warned.