Hydro corridor spurs compensation fears
Property owners affected by the widening of the Bruce-to-Milton hydro transmission corridor say expropriation isn’t working and a political solution is needed to ensure fair compensation.
“Landowners are orphans in the system,” spokesperson Dennis Threndyle told Brockton council recently. “All we want is proper valuation.”
Landowners along the corridor aren’t opposed to the new set of towers needed to carry power out of the Bruce nuclear site and from a growing number of wind farms on the Lake Huron shoreline, Threndyle said. In fact, they’ve been working with Hydro One for two years on route planning and compensation.
They’re frustrated, however, with delays and a lack of transparency.
So far only a handful of landowners have compensation offers, and they’ve been told to keep them confidential.
A dozen landowners went to Brockton council asking for political support in their search for compensation.
Many landowners already have two or three sets of towers on their property and fear this widening, to be completed in 2011, will not be the last.
The province should persuade Hydro One to drop expropriation and begin “open and transparent” negotiations, according to a statement from the landowners.
A corridor three towers wide devalues property, Threndyle told Brockton council. “Is it agricultural land with a hydro corridor, or a corridor with limited agricultural use? We believe it is the latter,” he said.
Land affected by the Bruce-to-Milton hydro corridor has an estimated total value of $400 million, including farms, homes, businesses and recreational properties.
The new hydro transmission line could devalue that land by 25 or 50 per cent, Threndyle said, describing the amount as “worth fighting for.”
He said landowners rejected taking their case to the Ontario Municipal Board after being told it would cost $200,000 each.
Pat Halpin
Record Correspondent
23 January 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
Some possibly related stories:
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- Local wind projects to have limited impact on Brockton
- Transmission line clears OEB hurdle
- Innisfil considers meteorological towers; Could be precursor to possible windfarm
- County not contacted by wind farm developer
- Bruce seeks wind turbine health study
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