2026-Feb-09
Federal Review Set to Begin for TC Energy's Proposed Pumped Storage Project
The federal government is taking a giant step in evaluating TC Energy’s proposed $7-billion Pumped Storage Project in Meaford. The federal Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) will be hosting its first public information session on the proposal to be built on the grounds of the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre. This hybrid meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 12, from 5 – 7 p.m. in Meaford Hall and on Zoom for those unable to join in person.
This session will lay out TC Energy’s technical arguments for the project, the federal impact assessment and regulatory processes, and how to participate in the upcoming public comment period. The session will include presentations by:
- Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC)
- Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada
- Department of National Defence
Read more here.
GBA Concerns:
GBA has expressed our concerns about the project since the proposed facility first became public knowledge, which include:
- Risks to water quality, aquatic life, and at-risk species’ habitats
- Potential toxin contamination from the Department of National Defence property
- Lack of economic viability (IESO rejected proposal twice) and smarter alternatives exist
- Local opposition from municipalities and groups around the Bay
Representatives of our TCE Working Group will attend the Meaford session and report on the event.
Advocacy group Save Geogian Bay notes that this meeting is the first sign that the project has moved to the federal level for evaluation. They are concerned that, since both the federal and provincial government have passed bills to fast-track major projects, this consultation process may turn out to be the only real environmental assessment of the proposal’s impact on Georgian Bay.
TC Energy maintains the proposal is a green initiative that would use off-peak power to pump water from Georgian Bay into a 374-acre man-made storage reservoir 150 metres above the Georgian Bay shoreline. The reservoir would hold 20 million cubic metres of water, which would be emptied back into Georgian Bay during peak usage periods to generate electricity.
You can attend the Ontario Pumped Storage Hydropower Project information session in person or register for Zoom here.