09/07/2026
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL PROTEST - THANK-YOU SCOTT DUNN OF THE OWEN SOUND TIMES
Save Georgian Bay members said they feel no one is listening to their objections to the proposed project, in the planning stages for several years.
A drilling rig towers over the blue waters of Georgian Bay, off the Meaford shoreline.
Members of Save Georgian Bay paddled to a drill rig in waters off Meaford on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 in Meaford. The group opposes a hydro-electric pumped storage project proposed by TC Energy, which is using the rig to do related studies.
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By
Scott Dun
September 6, 2026 at 11:36 a.m.
Members of Save Georgian Bay paddled, sailed and jet-skied toward a drill rig in waters off Meaford on Saturday to draw attention to their ongoing protest against the multi-billion-dollar proposed Ontario Pumped Storage project.
The second annual âAnchors Away Armadaâ set off from the Georgian Bay shoreline north of the town of Meaford. They made their way on a sunny afternoon past a vessel with men on it, anchored near the rigâs barge. It shuttles workers to and from the rig.
A few kayakers in bright yellow or orange floatation vests, a sailboat, jet-propelled personal and other watercraft, and a canoe approached the giant structure. About two dozen vessels took part. An OPP boat attended to ensure safety at the request of the group.
The rig sits on an elevated barge over the bay, towering above the turquoise water, on stilt-like legs that rise metres above the platform at each corner and extend to the bed of the bay.
On the cobble shore, volunteers set up a table with Save Georgian Bay t-shirts and caps for sale. Some people, both cottages and full-time residents, talked about their opposition to the project.
They said they feel no one is listening to their objections to the project proposal, in the planning stages for several years. The town has seemed to embrace the project, and has recently agreed to accept up to $4 million from the proponent, TC Energy.
The proposal would create a reservoir on the top of the Niagara Escarpment at the army training base. Water would be pumped up and in when electricity rates and demand for power is lower, and be released through turbines to generate electricity when its needed.
This projectâs 1,000 megawatts output would supply one million homes for up to 11 hours. TC Energy has been advancing the project since 2019.
A TC Energy letter to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, which has begun a full project review, noted more energy will be needed to meet an expected 65 per cent increase in Ontarioâs net energy demand by 2050. By 2034 the province will need 2,100 megawatts of new generation, the letter said.
But some at the shore Saturday expressed safety concerns for those living below the reservoir, should a catastrophic rupture occur. Decades of known contaminants in the ground would be disturbed in construction, potentially harming identified species at risk there and water, they said.
The group has more than a dozen concerns, which also include the project cost they say has quadrupled to $9.8 billion since 2018. Meanwhile, battery technology has advanced to the point that makes pumping water in and out of the bay old technology, they said. The financial price will be borne by electricity ratepayers and taxpayers, the group warns.
Ontarioâs Independent Electricity System Operator found the project wonât deliver a net economic benefit to provincial taxpayers. Then-Energy Minister Todd Smith in a Nov. 10, 2021 letter to the IESO acknowledged IESOâs no-net-benefit conclusion but directed it to advance the project, saying he was giving TC Energy a chance to âmake significant improvements to the ratepayer value . . . including through improved financing.â
âWe think thereâs some serious, serious problems that cannot be mitigated, that cannot avoid harm,â Save Georgian Bay leader Tom Buck said in an interview.
The company has altered the project to accommodate certain concerns, including to move the proposed water intakes farther from shore and draw and release water more gently into the closed system. It has been conducting studies to support the projectâs environmental viability.
Buck said he hasnât been able to find any studies which explain how that water intake and release system would work. Even if bigger fish werenât captured, eggs and minnows would be drawn in, he said.
The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada decided in spring that a full impact assessment is required for the Ontario Pumped Storage project, given potential environmental, social and economic effects.
Potential effects on fish and fish habitat, migratory birds, changes both to the environment and activities on federal lands, and changes to the health, social, economic and environmental conditions of Indigenous Peoples were all cited in the decision.
TC Energy has called the impact assessment process a âvital part of demonstrating that the project is considered thoughtfully, transparently and in the public interest.â
Buck said he has less faith in that process. âI have doubts about that,â he said.
âThe proof will be in the result. But we know harm is going to be done that is well known for a project like this. And for it to be continuing to be advanced, with all of the issues around this project is not only outrageous, it is mysterious.
âThere are better ways of doing this, more efficient, they can be done on the grid. There are other technologies. They donât require offending Georgian Bay or the escarpment.â
Meaford council agreed in July to an arrangement with TC Energy which will provide Meaford with up to $4 million in a three-year pre-development payment.
The money is âto support community initiativesâ and to âhelp ensure Meaford has the resources needed to review project information and participate in ongoing planning and review of the Project,â a July 27 TC Energy project update said.
âThe agreement recognizes the important role host communities play in planning for major energy infrastructure projects,â the company said.
A Deloitte consultancy report to Meaford council in April said total project capital costs were estimated âbetween $8 and $9 billion, with construction activity projected to peak around 2032. The report put the projectâs lifespan at 80 years.
The reservoir would hold approximately 26 million cubic metres of water. A ring dam would be built that is approximately 4.5 kilometers long to encircle approximately 135 hectares of land, TC Energyâs initial project description says.
It would take 5 ½ years to build, anticipated to be between 2029 and 2035, by which time it would be operational, if all permits and approvals were granted, TC Energy says.
It would operate âindefinitely,â the IAAC website said, at Area Training Centre â Central, formerly named the 4th Canadian Division Training Centre, a few kilometres north of the town of Meaford. TC Energyâs Sara Beasley has said it would run for âmany decades.â
