Residents take a stand on power line proposal

It's standing room only.

All but one or two of the people at March 10 meeting are there to talk about Alberta PowerLine's planed 500 kilo-volt, $1.43 billion power line project that may end up winding its way through Westlock County.

The 25 to 30 people there for the power line weren't angry, but many of them were worried. Very worried.

Reeve Bud Massey leads the gathering in a reflection, almost using it as a caution.

'We start our meting with what is called reflection. Some choose to pray, other people choose to think. The purpose of it is to get ourselves in a space where we're making decisions for the good of the community at large," he said.

Before the meeting is opens, Massey tells everyone that the public forum will be separated from Alberta PowerLine's presentation by 90 minutes of council meeting.

He also prefaces the discussion with his own take on the current situation, saying he's received a lot of correspondence on the issue.

'I certainly appreciate all of the phone calls I've got, and all of the e-mails, I think I'm up around 50 some," Massey said.

Residents, business owners and workers then stand up, one at a time, and talk about their expectations and fears.

The comments are passionate, eloquent and rational. Many of them accept power lines are a requirement for the future of Alberta, but they question if the one planned near them is needed.

This isn't a gathering of angry tree-huggers. The room is filled with every day people, genuinely concerned for future of their every day lives.

The whole meeting is incredibly civil. The challenge is going to be keeping that way.

The Fort McMurray West 500-kV Transmission Project is a 500-kilometre power line from Wabamun to Fort McMurray.

Presently there are two proposed routes, neither of which is set in stone. One is the west route, which runs through the County of Barrhead.

The other, known as the east route, enters Westlock County just west of the 5th Meridian, runs north past the golf course, cuts its way east over the top of town and then winds north into the Municipal District of Lesser Slave River.

'For both of the routes we have provided to the public, for feedback, the intent was to try and get to the Crown land in the shortest distance possible to try and reduce the impact on private land," said Scott Merrifield, project manager with Alberta PowerLine.

The line itself will be made up with majority of 'guyed ‘V' lattice structures." They are huge guy-rope supported towers, with the point of the ‘V' sticking in the ground.

The four guy-ropes run out 35 to 45 metres from the tower and give it an overall average footprint of 1,540 square metres.

Alberta Powerline admits they're the least costly - not of lesser quality but they are the lower-cost option. The amount of steel used in the ‘V' pylon is way less than the permanent freestanding towers you might see around places like Fort Saskatchewan.

The reason it's a cheaper solution is because Alberta Powerline - a consortium made up of ATCO and Quanta Services - was the successful bidder in an open tender process. Alberta PowerLine's primary objective is to generate profit and it got the job by being the lowest, or close to lowest, bidder.

'The whole nature of this project being put under a competitive process was to put downward pressure on costs and try reduce electricity costs for all Albertans," Merrifield said.

What does this mean? Don't expect a gold plated anything.

The project's timeline is currently in the public consultation phase - before it came the bidding and planning phases and following it will be its approval and construction.

Paul Goguen is a senior vice-president at ATCO and veteran of these types of projects. He's goes to lengths to place an emphasis on the public consultation phase of the development.

'Ultimately for me, there's key elements and part of it is hearing from the public. It's so crucial as it does impact on how the AUC (Alberta Utilities Commission) will review and test our application.

'We will have to apply for something and that input is critical. It's what they are seeking. If we do not produce that type of information it's hard for them to make any decisions."

If the project goes ahead and does take the east route, affected landholders will be compensated and Westlock County will get tax revenue from the line.

Compensation in a project like this can come in a number of ways. There could be money available during construction, or once land is taken up with the towers and even money for having to live with the towers.

Alberta PowerLine gets to decide what compensation is offered and only if and when the amount is disputed does an arbitrator become involved.

'The factors that go in (to compensation) are proscribed by legislation and there is a body that's called the Surface Rights Board that governs that element of the Act," Goguen said.

'So if there's a compensation dispute of any sort there's an avenue for landowners to certainly be heard, but obviously we attempt very hard to make sure we meet or exceed the requirements of that legislation.

'Ultimately our aim is to be fair and reasonable on all fronts."

Back in the council chambers, compensation is the furthest thing from most people's minds - at this point they don't want compensation because they don't want the project.

Nelson Jespersen, from Tuxedo Farms, thanks the councillors for their time and receptiveness and urges them to continue making their dealings with Alberta PowerLine public, as he believes the company will try and keep as much as it can silent.

He goes onto list many reasons why he opposes the planned development. Pollution, infrastructure damage, loss of farmland, increased costs of doing business and loss of income are all concerns.

'This power line can potentially be a scar on our community, both literally and figuratively," he said.

But Jespersen is also honest about his opinions.

'I think ATCO will tell you one thing, I'm going to tell you another and the truth is somewhere in-between."

Rose Bibby goes next, and reads an impassioned letter she's written to council. Her emotion is clear and her voice wavers with the sounds of someone who is worried, but determined.

She and her family are proud of the things they've been able to achieve over three-generations of hard work.

'We have taken time and steps to insure we have a sheltered area to winter feed and summer graze our animals utilizing nature to our advantage," Bibby said.

'We have invested time and money to insure this is a sustainable process. Why would we choose to compromise this?"

Person after person, the concerns keep coming and council has to move a motion to extend the public hearing.

Issues like environmental impacts, loss of access to land, weeds, the foot-print of the towers, ducks flying into the power lines are also raised.

The final word comes from Gordon Carnegie. He arrived late and along with a few other people, has been milling about the entrance to the chambers.

His input is brief and to the point.

'Council is saying, ‘You're looking at this and looking at that,'" he said.

'I think there's only one thing council should be looking at. You're an elected body and council should look at the ratepayers, the ratepayers have everything at stake here. Councils come and councils go, but ratepayers stay the same."

The comment sets off murmurs of agreement from the gathering and Massey, who has correctly read the mood, picks up on Carnegie's words.

'That's a really good quote, Gordon. I wouldn't be surprised if it ends up in the paper."

Back at the Westlock County offices a few days later, Massey has taken Carnegie's words to heart.

Whether he likes it or not, as county reeve, Massey is going to be one of the key local figures involved.

He's trying to remain impartial but knows it's not a position he can maintain for very long. At some point he's going to have to pick a side.

'My stand is very simple, I think there's no doubt where I stand, I'm standing beside the people who elected me."

He's offered to mediate a public forum between the people affected and Alberta PowerLine, but it's yet to be seen if they'll take him up on the offer.

County council has been relegated to a sounding board for public opinion during the process and as an elected body it's unable to take a public stance on the issue beyond the role it currently plays.

'We have been told very clearly that we have no input. We could have input as land owners, but as a council we are not part of the decision making process," he said.

'When I spoke the other day, I spoke only as an individual councilor representing Division 4."

Massey is also aware that the issue has the potential to cause divisions within the community.

'In may experience, it begins as very civil process and tends to deteriorate when people realize the limitedness of their ability to change decisions," he said.

'The concern is there's an opportunity to divide our residents, but the opposite side of that is the opportunity to unite. I would hope neighbors stand beside neighbors even if it's not on their property ...that we unite as a community."