OPEN LETTER TO THE MINISTER OF ENERGY
Queen's Park
June 20th, 2007
The Hon. Dwight Duncan
Minister of Energy
Hearst Block, 4th Flr, 900 Bay St
Toronto ON M7A 2E1
Dear Minister:
I am writing to request that you review the compensation practices of Hydro One Networks Inc., with a view to establishing a more generous and fair approach to compensating home and property owners who are affected by the proposed "Bruce to Milton Transmission Reinforcement Project."
In recent months, I have heard from a significant number of residents from the Town of Halton Hills and the County of Wellington about this proposal. In response, I have requested two separate technical briefings on Hydro One's plan to construct a new 500 kV transmission line alongside its existing transmission corridor, from Bruce to Milton. You and your staff have been very accommodating to arrange these briefings, which took place on April 17th and May 16th, 2007. While I must reserve my own personal judgement on the need for the new line, it is clear from these briefings that the Ontario Power Authority, Ontario Power Generation, and Hydro One are convinced that the additional transmission capacity is needed to reliably send electricity from where it is generated in the Bruce Area to where it would be sold to customers in the Greater Toronto Area.
It is not surprising that many of the residents and property owners in question are extremely concerned and anxious about this proposed new line. I can certainly empathize with them, imagining how my family would feel if someone from the Government came to tell us our property was needed for some public use, and that we would be forced to leave.
We need your help as Minister of Energy. My own preliminary study of the established compensation practices of Hydro One is that they seem woefully inadequate. For example, it appears that if a homeowner is forced to sell their property, the so-called "Disturbance Allowance" which Hydro One is willing to pay is only 5 percent of the appraised value of the property. In my mind, this should be doubled to at least 10 percent or more. This is based on my firm belief that if our Province truly needs this project, then the Province should fairly compensate the individuals who will be asked to shoulder the burden of the project.
I look forward to discussing this matter with you when you have had an opportunity to review it in detail. I am certain that a delegation of the affected property owners would welcome the chance to meet with you at your convenience to inform you of their concerns. I would hope to attend as well, to further demonstrate my support.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Ted Arnott, MPP
c.c. Mr. John Tory, MPP
Ms. Joyce Savoline, MPP
Mr. Ted Chudleigh, MPP
Mr. Bill Murdoch, MPP
Mr. Jim Wilson, MPP
The Hon. Dalton McGuinty, MPP
Ms. Kathryn Ironmonger, Clerk, Town of Erin
Ms. Karen Landry, Clerk, Town of Halton Hills
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