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w w w .o a k v il le b e a v e r. co m O A K V IL LE B E A V E R W ed n es d ay , F eb ru ar y 10 , 2 01 0 6 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5571 Classified Advertising: 632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742 Open 9-5 weekdays, 5-7 for calls only Wed. to Friday, Closed weekends The Oakville Beaver Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. OPINION & LETTERS Letters to the editor The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville, ON, L6K 3S4, or via e- mail to editor@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. In the aftermath of Sundays massive explosion of a 620-megawatt, gas-fired power plant in Middletown, Connecticut, perhaps its time the Provincial government and the Ontario Power Authority reconsidered the wis- dom of locating an even larger power plant in Oakville. At the risk of sounding alarmist, we cant help but wonder what if this explosion had occurred in Oakville at the TransCanada site on Royal Windsor Drive. The explosion at a gas-fired power plant under con- struction by Kleen Energy Systems occurred on a 137- acre plot of land in a remote area in Middletown. The nearest home to the plant is about a kilometre away. The explosion, which killed five construction workers and injured 12 more, reportedly blew out the windows of a hospital three kilometres away and shook homes as far away as 50 kilometres. We shudder to think what would happen if a similar explosion occurred at the 900-megawatt TransCanada plant, next to the Oakville Ford Plant, less than 400 metres from the nearest residential area not to men- tion an elementary school and walking distance from the QEW one of the most heavily travelled roadways in North America. A 50-kilometre radius covers all of Oakville and a good portion of Mississauga. The loss of life and damage to property is unthinkable yet the province still acts like theres nothing to worry about. Sundays explosion, definitely proved the unthinkable can happen. TransCanada was quick to issue a response that the company has interests in 20 power facilities across North America and there has never been a serious incident dur- ing the operation of its facilities. While TransCanada asks for calm as it monitors the Middletown investigation, no one with authority is put- ting the brakes on this development and saying: Wait a minute. Oakville Mayor Rob Burton and Town Council are doing a good job of throwing up legislative roadblocks against this juggernaut, but the sad truth is if the Provincial government wants the plant in Oakville, it can force its will on the municipality. While we recognize an abundant supply of energy is vital to the economy and well-being of Ontario, at some point someone has to ask, At what risk? We believe this risk is too great and plead with the Province to rethink this plan. No matter what safeguards are put in place, no one can guarantee that the explosion in Middletown cant happen in Oakville. To continue down this path of putting a gas-fired power plant in a densely populated area like Oakville is pure folly. Media Group Ltd. The Oakville Beaver is a division of NEIL OLIVER Vice President and Group Publisher of Metroland West DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief ROD JERRED Managing Editor DANIEL BAIRD Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director SANDY PARE Business Manager MARK DILLS Director of Production MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution SARAH MCSWEENEY Circ. Manager The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981.Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typo- graphical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the appli- cable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Letter to the editorWake-up call Oakville MP spins a proroguing tale RE: Wrong spin being put on pro- roguing, Oakville Beaver, Jan. 28. Allow me to first respond to some of Oakville MP Terence Young's justifi- cations for prorogation. The examples of the Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan legisla- tive breaks are adjournments, not pro- rogations. When those legislatures re-open, they will continue with the legislation they were working on before the break, not start from scratch. Alberta and BC prorogued after passing virtually all standing legisla- tion. All but one of the prorogations called by Jean Chren came after the passage of anywhere from 67 to 101 Bills. It is also worth noting that in all the examples you give, prorogation was supported by a majority of the peoples elected representatives. Over the past 100 years, Canada has had 99 Parliamentary sessions with an average of 68 Bills passed per session. In the four sessions since your party took office, it has passed an aver- age of 30 Bills. In the last two sessions, that aver- age dropped to 17. After passing no Bills in the last Parliamentary session, would it not have been better to buckle down and get some work done before cancelling all legislation yet again? Starting over when so little has been accomplished is not a routine practice in Canadian politics. Rather, it is the sign of a govern- ment using prorogation as a tool to advance its own interests. It is a fact that minority govern- ments face greater difficulties than majorities in passing legislation. But Canada has seen its share of both effective and ineffective minori- ties. Successful minority govern- ments compromised with other par- ties, in order to give Canadians an effective government in the absence of a majority. In doing so, they gained the sup- port of a majority of the people's repre- sentatives, fulfilling the basic principle THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: ATHENA Award THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Recognized for Excellence by Canadian Circulation Audit Board Member Canadian Community Newspapers Association Ontario Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America It was unfortunate to hear of the explosion in Middletown, Connecticut this past week- end. An explosion at a gas power plant could- nt have come at a worse time. It puts the concerns about the TransCanada plant into a spotlight. With TransCanada having its Power Plant Open House tonight, theyll have time to develop a response. After a little research, I found the following facts about the Connecticut plant situation, that does not parallel the proposed Ford site plant. Firstly, the Connecticut legislators took 10 years to assess and debate the technology and location for the plant. I only wish our provincial leaders would take such prudence in the assessment of where to locate a plant. I know the Town of Oakville wants to make educated plans. Secondly, the plant is in a remote area on a 137-acre plot of land. The TransCanada plant is proposed to be squeezed into a plot of land next to highways and critical commuter rail lines. Lastly, Middletown, population 48,000, is a small community that has a low population density and vast areas of trees and fields. We all know where TransCanada is propos- ing to build the plant: next to homes and schools. I hope the loss of life in Connecticut wont go without some benefit. I hope the Provincial government wakes up and sees that the proposed plant location is dangerous and should not go forward. In addition to the loss of life, imagine the impact of such an explosion next to the Via/GO lines and the QEW not to mention the pop- ulation residing nearby and attending school. JOE EVERS Explosion turns spotlight on power plant n See Reader page 9