East-enders oppose transmission line, support “cleaner, greener”

TORONTO – Residents of several east Toronto neighbourhoods are banding together to fight construction of a giant electricity transmission line now under consideration by the Ontario Power Authority.

“If built, the East Toronto Transmission Line [ETTL] will cost electricity users $600 million that would be much better spent on cleaner, greener energy alternatives,” said David MacLeod, spokesperson for a new community group called Transforming Toronto. “Now is not the time to be pouring our energy into yesterday’s technologies.”

The group has written to Ontario Energy Minister Dwight Duncan, calling on him to issue a legal directive to the Ontario Power Authority that will remove the possibility of the ETTL and invest the $600 million in conservation measures and locally-generated power.

“We’ve heard some general statements from the Minister suggesting that the line might not be built, but ‘might not’ is not ‘will not,’” said MacLeod. “This transmission line is still very much a live issue. We want to see it dead, not just sleeping until the provincial election is over.”

Transforming Toronto plans to make the ETTL an issue in the Oct. 10 election, MacLeod said.

“We’re just a group of citizens, but in the next three months we feel we can reach a lot of people, not only in ridings along the proposed route of the line, but right across Toronto,” he said.

“The future of our city, and our planet, demands strong, progressive leadership on energy issues,” MacLeod said. “What is needed now is a bold approach that says ‘Yes, we can.’ Local power is the answer.”

The group invites all concerned citizens to get involved with the campaign by visiting www.transformingtoronto.ca.