To members of Renfrew County Council and the public:
We would like to draw attention to recent donations made by the TransCanada Pipeline Energy East project within Renfrew County. Two recent examples are cause for concern.
The Eganville Leader (August 19, 2015) included an article which announced that Laurentian Valley Township accepted $2,500 from TransCanada (TC) for a new generator for the Rec Centre. Mayor Bennett was quoted as saying this financial support …�ï�¿�½�Â��ï�¿�½�Â�¬�ï�¿�½�Ã� �ï�¿�½�Â�strengthens the relationship between the township and TransCanada, one of our community partners…�ï�¿�½�Â��ï�¿�½�Â�¬�ï�¿�½�Ã��ï�¿�½�Â�. It is precisely this …�ï�¿�½�Â��ï�¿�½�Â�¬�ï�¿�½�Ã��ï�¿�½�Â�strengthening…�ï�¿�½�Â��ï�¿�½�Â�¬�ï�¿�½�Ã��ï�¿�½�Â� that seems inappropriate at this point in time. The proposed Energy East pipeline is not yet approved, and in fact, the Ontario Energy Board raised some serious concerns. There is a lot of resistance throughout the entire country and certainly in Renfrew County.. Accepting money from this company will certainly make it difficult to vote objectively on whether or not this pipeline should be accepted for Renfrew County, and it seems unwise for our municipal leaders to put themselves in that position. We hope that others are not tempted by offers of financial support.
It seems that TC is being generous to this area. The company is ironically a sponsor for the 2015 World Freestyle Kayak Championships held in Beachburg from August 30 to September 5. This world-class whitewater area, by all accounts, is unparalleled in the world and is a priceless asset to this region. The fact that TC sponsors an activity on this section of the Ottawa River is a jaw-dropper. They are proposing to ship Tar Sands bitumen, diluted with toxic chemicals, through 24 waterways (streams and rivers) in the Valley which drain into the Ottawa River. They could be the very ones who ruin this for generations to come. When a leak occurs, this bitumen is heavier than regular oil and sinks to the bottom of a body of water. So far, there is no method for completely recovering it. TC…�ï�¿�½�Â��ï�¿�½�Â�¬.�ï�¿�½�Â�.s proposed Energy East pipeline is incompatible with recreational activities like whitewater kayaking that depend on clean and healthy rivers.
We are a County that needs money and that is not being denied. But we must be careful of the hand that offers it. Because so many residents are against this Energy East project, we would suggest that this source of money is currently not a popular one.
Sincerely,
Members of Pipeline Awareness Renfrew County
www.parcrenfrew.org
