Emotions high at Portlands Energy Centre meeting
Plant must form community liaison committee
Link to Article
JOANNA LAVOIE
Nov. 23, 2006
www.insidetoronto.com
A public meeting held to involve the community in the development and operation of the Portlands Energy Centre (PEC), evolved, for the most part, into an emotional discussion about the facility's negative effects on the community and the need for it in the first place.
"I don't think this is the place (to discuss these topics)," said one frustrated resident, who wished to remain anonymous.
"We have the opportunity to make this (plant) fit into our community. We have an opportunity to help influence some things," said Barry Glasser, PEC's project manager.
He then said what many people at the meeting clearly didn't want to hear or accept: "The debate's over. The plant will be built," said Glasser.
"The time's arrived for us to work together. I believe a community liaison committee (CLC) can have a positive influence on the project."
Dawn Dawson, a Danforth area resident, isn't so sure about that. She said the CLC is merely a way to appease neighbours and not a real forum for dialogue.
"This is PR. They've decided what they're going to do and are doing this to make us feel better," she said, questioning who will be accountable for the 550-megawatt gas-fired energy generation plant's future health and environmental impacts.
"This whole process makes me sad because it's not going to change anything."
Ted Greutzner, PEC's senior manager of public affairs, said that the meeting's organizers understood that a wide variety of views would be expressed, and that future sessions would be more focused on the issues at hand.
"We recognize (the plant) is a concern for some people but we want to move forward and address some of the issues," he said of the committee, a requirement of PEC's environmental approvals.
"We knew we were going to get a little sidetracked. It's hopefully a first step in what we hope will be a fruitful process."
Even Ward 32 Councillor Sandra Bussin (Beaches-East York) said that it might be more beneficial to form a working group that would share information with the larger community about the project.
"We have to look at whether a community liaison committee is the most effective way. There needs to be a way of establishing a working group that reports to the community as a whole," said Bussin, chatting with concerned neighbours after the two-and-a-half-hour session.
Ward 30 Councillor Paula Fletcher (Toronto-Danforth) did not attend the meeting due to a family health problem but did put together a letter outlining her concerns, which include cleaning up the port lands beyond the PEC site, monitoring air quality, certificates of approval and requirements for participating in the committee.
Expressing concerns about health and environmental impacts that the 550-megawatt gas-fired plant will bring as well as the benefits of energy conservation, several of the roughly 40 people in attendance challenged representatives from the PEC about their corporate citizenship, the city's energy needs, smog, health issues, environmental assessments and certificates of approval, when the plant would run and other general energy issues.
Representatives from the Independent Electricity System Operator, the Ontario Ministry of Energy and Conservation Bureau of the Ontario Power Authority were also on hand to answer questions.
Amid the barrage of comments, Dave Dilks of Lura Consulting - a firm retained to facilitate the CLC - highlighted a few points of interest that the CLC could address at future meetings.
These included bird-friendly lighting, landscaping, transportation to and from the plant, sustainable design, air quality monitoring and health effects.
Lura' Susan Hall gave a short presentation about the committee's starting point, its formation, purpose and mandate, how people can get involved and what the next steps would be.
Many in attendance also expressed concerns about what the committee's terms of reference would entail, notably the need to sign up to be a member. Speaking with about 20 unnamed stakeholders, Lura representatives said they used this feedback when formulating the terms of reference, which also call for an open and accountable process and meaningful dialogue.
The CLC's next meeting is planned for January 2007. Broader community meetings about the plant will also take place.
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Now that election is over, both Bussin and Fletcher have conceded PEC is going ahead. They both campaigned to stop PEC from going ahead. Fletcher was quite adamant she was going to do everything in her power to stop PEC when she came knocking for support.
