New minister needs to hear from transmission line opponents

Ontario’s new Minister of Energy needs to hear the voices of opponents to the proposed East Toronto Transmission Line (ETTL), a local citizens’ group says.

“The recent provincial election confirmed that, contrary to some reports, the ETTL is still on the table as a way to bring electricity into Toronto,” says David MacLeod, spokesperson for Transforming Toronto. “The Ontario Power Authority says the line is still an option, and Liberal candidates in the election campaign refused to rule it out even though they were given ample opportunity to do so.

“That’s why it’s so important to tell Gerry Phillips that opposition to the line is as strong as ever,” MacLeod said.

Phillips, the new Minister of Energy, became an MPP in 1987 and has been a fixture in Cabinet since Dalton McGuinty became Premier in 2003. His appointment is a clear signal that the Premier wants to take no chances with the often-sensitive energy portfolio.

If built, the ETTL would run through Scarborough-Agincourt, Phillips’s riding.

Full information on the East Toronto Transmission Line is available at www.transformingtoronto.ca. To send an e-mail message to Gerry Phillips now, go here.