Beaver THE OAKVILLE Voted Ontario's Top Newspaper Four Years in a Row - 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Aboutowne Realty Corp., Brokerage Independently owned and operated 905 - 338-9000 www.homesforsaleontario.com Great expectations SPORTS EXPERIENCE·EXPERTISE·INTEGRITY CELEBRATING 25 YEARS! Renate Penkett Sales Representative Between Kerr & Dorval YOUR FRIEND IN THE BUSINESS 175 Wyecroft Rd. Oakville 905.845.6653 www.lockwoodchrysler.com A member of Metroland Media Group Ltd. Vol. 52 No. 78 "USING COMMUNICATION TO BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES" FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2009 48 Pages $1.00 (plus GST) JON CURRIE / OAKVILLE BEAVER OPA GO AWAY: More than 1,000 people from Oakville and Mississauga rallied together Wednesday night at the Ontario Racquet Club in Mississauga to protest the Ontario Power Authority's (OPA) plan to build a gas-fired, 900-megawatt power plant in one of four proposed sites -- one in Oakville and three across the border in nearby Clarkson. Protest unites Oakville and Mississauga residents By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF The rally against a proposed gas-fired 900-megawatt power plant for the Clarkson Airshed Study Area was not difficult to find. The grass in front of the Ontario Racquet Club in Mississauga was covered with signs reading `Stop the Power Plant -- Your Health is at Risk.' The front parking lot of the club was choked with cars, as was the adjacent shopping plaza parking lot. Finally, the club's rear parking lot was filled as more than 1,000 people from both Mississauga and Oakville crowded around a stage and waved signs calling for the power plant to take root somewhere else. The event had an almost concert atmosphere with many people holding signs read- ing such things as, `Put it in your backyard McGuinty,' and `I have plantophobia -- Stay Away. Some rally participants even wore costumes, with two young children dressing as long towering smokestacks. At the heart of the issue are four companies that are currently bidding on a contract to build and operate the power plant from the Ontario Power Authority (OPA). If successful, TransCanada proposes to establish the Oakville Generating Station on a site located at 1500 Royal Windsor Drive. If any of the other three companies are successful, the plant will be established just across the border in Mississauga. Oakville resident Veronica Scarpati wore a surgical mask during the rally to demonstrate the wardrobe of the future should a See Residents page 3