ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO
Official Record of Debate
(Hansard)
CONESTOGO DAM
June 20, 2001
Mr Ted Arnott (Waterloo-Wellington): With regret, I must again address the House on the need for provincial funding to repair the gates on the Conestogo dam, an issue that should have been resolved months ago.
The repairs will cost between $1.2 million and $1.5 million, a burden that the Grand River Conservation Authority and the watershed municipalities should not have to bear alone.
It continues to be my position that the province should become a major funding partner for these repairs and that they should consider funding the maintenance of flood control structures throughout the province. The Conestogo dam is essential, and without the necessary repairs, in a worst-case scenario, lives could be lost in a flood and drinking water downstream could be at risk.
I have expressed these points directly with the Premier and the Minister of Natural Resources, whom I thank for meeting with us and for supporting further discussions with the chair and CEO of SuperBuild, David Lindsay. However, in a written response I recently received from David Lindsay, there is still no indication whether provincial support will be available, and so I'm compelled to continue to raise this matter. I do so with the support of my constituents, who also realize that this is a top priority issue for Waterloo-Wellington.
With that in mind, I am pleased to acknowledge my guests here in the east gallery: Mapleton Mayor Carl Hall; Councillor Jim Curry is here, as well as CAO Patty Sinnamon. Councillors Mike Downey and Earl Campbell will arrive shortly, I think. The Conestogo dam is located in their township.
I look forward to joining Mayor Hall and council for their tour of the Conestogo dam on Monday, June 25. In addition to serving as mayor, Mr. Hall is also chair of our rural water quality program review committee. It is my hope that the tour will generate the support and information needed to convince the government to help us fix the Conestogo dam. |
