Proposed Gas Power Plant:

The Stakes Are Too High To Ignore

Who is the C4CA?

Citizens for Clean Air (C4CA) is a coalition of concerned citizens in Oakville and Mississauga that are very concerned about the impacts that will come from the proposed gas-fired power plant near houses and schools in Oakville and Clarkson Airshed.  C4CA is a non-profit organization.

Background

A 900 megawatt power plant, which would run on non-renewable fossil fuel, natural gas, is being proposed for a strip of land between Cornwall Rd and Royal Windsor Dr, east of Morrison and west of Maple Grove

• The power plant would be the same size as the largest gas plant in Ontario
• The plant would only be approximately 320 metres from the nearest school and 400 metres from the nearest home, with 16 schools and approximately 5000 homes within 2 km, and approximately 11000 homes within 3 km
• The proposed gas plant is being "fast-tracked" without any justification, other than the creation of a false sense of urgency that this massive project, which is expected to cost approximately $1.2 billion, is needed
• In fact, claims that more fossil fuel plants are needed are not supported by independent data, including from Ontario's own official electricity operator, the IESO.  Ontario is generating more electricity than is needed, and will be able to meet its needs for many years, without adding this plant. 
• There are very significant issues that need to be dealt with, but which will not be properly considered if TransCanada is able to proceed with simply a screening level environmental assessment, which allows them to determine whether there are any issues, without oversight by any independent tribunal or even government official
   

What must be done?

It does not make sense to build a gas plant so close to schools and houses.  This gas plant should not be built.  If you want to ensure the impacts of the proposed gas plant are properly assessed, you must act now and get involved.  This is the only way the concerned citizens and experts will have any hope of being heard.  TransCanada is moving quickly to eliminate any obstacles in its way, including the interim control by-law that Oakville imposed to allow sufficient time to review and assess the use of the land on which the plant would be built and operated for many decades.  They are doing this even though its own literature states that it is "committed to meeting the highest regulatory standards", "impact to people and the environment will be vigorously studied as part of the environmental review process" and "community input is a key component of the development" of the project. 

How can any of this be true if TransCanada is going to proceed to simply conduct a self-assessment of the project?  We must ensure TransCanada meets its own publicly-stated standards by ensuring a proper process is followed to properly assess potential impacts, as well as alternatives. 

The process is available and is well known - there must be an individual environmental assessment of the gas plant, with involvement by the provincial and federal governments.

The project, and the stakes, are too high to allow this massive project to proceed, which would endure for many decades to come.  The assessment would consider important effects, such as:

• Health and safety- consider that a leading reason that children are admitted to hospitals in Halton is respiratory disease
• The gas plant would discharge hundreds of tonnes of toxic substances into the air, including ultra fine particulate matter that is inhaled by people deep into their respiratory systems
• The toxic substances would be going into an Airshed that Ontario's Ministry of the Environment has acknowledged is overly-polluted and taxed, which is being further stressed by other power plants in the GTA
• The gas plant would emit noise and vibrations that will have negative effects on the environment, including people in Oakville
• The gas plant would use and discharge huge volumes of water, and create significant fogging and icing conditions that will be unsafe and have negative effects on the environment, including the discharge of a vapour cloud (water plume) that would be visible for kilometres
• The gas plant and gas lines would be very close to railway lines, which creates the potential for safety issue, including in the event of a derailment. Fogging and icing also raise serious safety issues for the railways lines, as well as the nearby QEW and other roads.
   

How you can help

1. Join Citizens for Clean Air at www.c4ca.org. We will keep you updated on current developments.
2. Make a contribution on our website to help fund our legal, health, envi­ronmental expertise. Your donation is the single most important way you can help!
3. A lead person is needed for each street in Oakville to help communicate and coordinate our actions with your neighbors. Volunteer to be a street captain by e-mailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your name and address.
4. Be visible in your support of our cause. Purchase a lawn sign.
5. Attend meetings and rallies. Rally your friends and neighbors to join in.
6. Volunteer. Expertise is needed in the following areas - Legal, Health, En­vironmental, Engineering, Fundraising, Marketing, Public Relations, Youth and Administration.
   
   

We are counting on each and every household to join us in our fight to ensure a healthy environment for our families, homes and schools.

The time is now to get involved, get engaged, and make a donation.