City, CLOCA looking to have say on pipeline

By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express

The City of Oshawa and the Central Lake Conservation Authority (CLOCA) are both looking to put in their two cents when it comes to the Eastern Mainline pipeline that could see a 245-kilometre natural gas pipeline bisect city lands and naturally sensitive areas.

Through official channels, both groups have filed an application to participate with the National Energy Board, the deadline for which was March 3.

In what capacity they will be able to participate is yet to be determined. Currently, a three-member panel at NEB is reviewing the applications for their merits.

“What the board is doing right now is reviewing all of the applications to participate that were submitted on a case-by-case basis to determine if those individuals will be allowed to participate and at which level,” Katherine Murphy, spokesperson for the NEB, tells The Oshawa Express.

The NEB received 315 applications to participate. Of those that are accepted, they will be designated as either commenters or interveners.

According to Murphy, commenters are allowed a one-time opportunity to provide a letter of comment with concerns and comments on the project. The letter is added to the public record of information surrounding the project.

Interveners have a more involved role, Murphy says.

“It’s a much more intense degree of participation,” she says, explaining interveners are able to ask questions, have questions asked of them and receive all documents filed through the hearing process in a much more involved role.

Due to the case-by-case analysis of the applications, Murphy said it is not known what capacity any of the applications will be designated at this time.

The final decisions are set to be released by the middle of this year.

The City of Oshawa has a vested interest in being a part of the process as the current route shoots directly through land slated for development. The city hopes Trans Canada, the company proposing the pipeline, will consider re-routing the pipeline along the Highway 407 corridor.

“It’s just to continue to participate in the process…and express support for council and for an alternative route that parallels the Highway 407 and doesn’t go through our future living area as currently shown in the plan,” says Paul Ralph, the city’s commissioner of development services, of council’s decision to file its application.

The pipeline, planned to run from Markham to Iroquois, also runs through several significant watersheds in CLOCA’s operating area, including Oshawa Creek and Farewell Creek.

“The new alignment does go across the CLOCA jurisdiction and whether it’s twinned with the existing alignment or going an alternative route, as it is proposed to do in certain areas, there will be impacts to the environment,” says Chris Jones, director of development review and regulation with CLOCA. “We want the ultimate alignment to minimize the environmental impacts and we’ll be doing that through the review of the proposal.”

Ralph says the city is working in collaboration with CLOCA to ensure both their priorities are in line.

“They phoned us as well to make sure we’re all on the same page and working together collaboratively,” he says.