by L. G. William Chapman, B.A., LL.B.

It is effortful not to tilt one’s head and smile when arresting one’s eyes upon the freshly scrubbed and beaming face of an innocent child. Likewise the fresh face of a young and especially attractive person can have the same magnetic affect. Nature loves a winner and when it comes to winning, good looks are no booby prize. For those of us past youthfulness and who as a result prefer to avoid reflective surfaces, it can be one of life’s unexpected rewards to discover the bounty of the cosmos expressed in the sanguine features of vitality characteristic of a young and winsome person. Beauty has such an inescapable authenticity. It is virtually impossible to divert one’s eyes from it. It is a priceless commodity for whose arena there is no charge of admission.

Thankfully for us all the quality of the treasure we adore is different. Not everyone’s view of beauty is considered ideal. What for one person is captivating is for another not so. Certainly there are those whose appearance is so universally artistic and profoundly meritorious that most would not deny it being a thing of beauty. More often than not the appeal is the balance and harmony with nature, though always subjective. Nonetheless there have been attempts throughout history to establish a classic look interestingly involving mathematical dimensions such as symmetry and proportion. It is also believed that the model of beauty oddly derives from the “averageness” of one’s features, the less likely one’s appearance is markedly different from the sum of the total.

The word beauty evolved from the Greek word meaning “hour”, the implication being that beauty is aligned with the ripeness of one’s age, which nicely captures the beauty that can be found in both a baby and an elegant octogenarian. Be that as it may, I find that elegance does not compete with the verve of a fresh face. To pollute the idea of outer beauty with the necessity of inner beauty is in my opinion equivalent to retailing the product in a new package.

A fresh face can come at a cost. When the bloom is gone, the flower is cast aside. For some who have been lucky enough to be endowed with visual appeal, the loss of it through misfortune or attrition can precipitate unwelcome consequences. The loss of beauty and its collateral advantages of personal attraction can unleash devastating results if the person has not acquired other skills of association and social interaction. Even when not dissolved, beauty presents a standard of comparison which can invite enmity and lead to discontentment.

Inevitably even the fresh face becomes common-place. The analysis of time always points to the defects of nature. Time, no matter how little of it may have expired, is an exhausting fuel, one which leaves its own less flattering patina instead. Much of the draw of a fresh face is its mere novelty. How quickly we become heedless of contemporary beauty! Yet no sooner does one fresh face fail to attract than another passes by. Nature is generous in its provision of moments of beauty.

In spite of full-length hopes and earnest and conscientious exertion, historically it is assured you’ll not get through the day without one set-back or another. Just when you think you’ve succeeded aligning the factious elements of life, something comes along to scotch it. Such predictable calamity fuels mercurial elevations, guaranteeing not eternal happiness but persistent instability. It’s a rock-ribbed road, life.

Approaching perturbation philosophically is all very well, but my experience is that it is a persuasion reserved for hindsight only and does little to tranquillize current agitation. Nonetheless we continue to indulge ourselves in the perceived luxury of potency howsoever ephemeral, and however likely it is a deception. Some might argue that to do otherwise effectively marries us to the prospect of inevitable ruin, hardly the makings of a spring in one’s step. It seems though that the condition humaine is guided rather by general optimism than by pervasive gloom. And no matter the regular gutters of despair, we day by day prosecute an undying struggle towards irrepressible felicity.

Not so long ago it was reckoned the domain of eternal happiness was confined to spiritual life after death; to imagine that such euphoria was attainable whilst our corporeal existence yet prevailed was incongruous at best, not to mention the overriding submission to ultimate loss. But thinking has changed. Many are not about to abandon the possibility of elation before the end of the world as we now know it. As such we daily divert ourselves along the path of this one-way street with countless undertakings, relationships, purchases and general satisfaction of our desires. The melancholic truth is that even those diversions are unsustainable in the end, so it becomes a matter of delay only.

Having said that, there is some strength in acknowledging the futility of it all if for no other reason than that it encourages us to get the most out of it while we can. To the dedicated hedonist this is a licence to steal, with about the same consequences unless one’s zestfulness is diluted by the further concept that true pleasure rises above being completely bent upon personal demolition. There is after all a difference between going up to the trough and getting into it.

The real imbalance of life is that we are perpetually doomed to disappointment. Having a good day now and again is more the exception than the rule, and all that business about some rain having to fall into everyone’s life just doesn’t make it for me. So the unavoidable conclusion is that eternal happiness is either a myth or not something we mortals will ever achieve. As an arm-chair thinker I would be reluctant to retail the possibility of eternal happiness to anyone whom I considered a friend. Reluctantly I am instead bound to trot out the usual theses of expecting problems, seeing difficulties as opportunity to open new doors, to accept one’s fate and so on. Oh, and if you do by chance have an especially good day, relish it!

Lift your spirits with beautiful song.  Almonte in Concert presents the Cantata Singers of Ottawa in a performance of light-filled music by Gabrieli, Fauré, Brahms, Lauridsen, Rutter, Togni, Whitacre and others.

When:  Saturday, May 25 at 8:00 p.m.

Where:  Almonte Old Town Hall, 14 Bridge Street, Almonte

Tickets:  Available at the door – $25 adult, $10 student

All Canadians, whether employed in the trucking industry, purchasing produce grown in Mexico, or on a family driving adventure across the Trans-Canada highway are aware of the importance of safe roads in a transportation infrastructure. What many Canadians are not aware of, however, is the strategic importance of roads in developing and maintaining our economic, political and social security.

Mr. de Pretto stands out among Canadians as a long-standing and committed international actor in both promoting and facilitating the development of safe road transportation in all countries. We only hope that Canadian political representatives and business leaders actively consider his insights in fully developing, and protecting, all of Canada.

2. Mr. de Pretto, can you tell us a bit about your background and how long you have worked with the International Road Transportation Union (IRU)?

I was born in Ottawa in 1961 and did my undergraduate and graduate studies in Political science and International relations at Carlton University.  I started my professional career working as a legislative assistant for Marcel Prud’homme from Montreal and then Joe Comuzzi from Thunder Bay. My Involvement in transport started when Joe Comuzzi was named transport critic for the Liberal Party. The rest is History! From Ottawa I went to the ICC in Paris in 1992 to take on the position of Head of the Transport Division, and I was shortly afterwards named Deputy Director responsible for International Commercial Practices and Techniques. I joined the IRU in 1995 as Head of Economic Affairs and then became Policy Coordinator and Head of Strategy. I was appointed Deputy Secretary General in 2002, and elected IRU Secretary General in April 2013.

1. Before getting into more serious questions, have you ever driven the entire route of the Trans-Canada highway?

No, but I was always envious of those who have with the exception of a good friend of mine from Kingston who did the entire road on a mid-size motorcycle. It has always been my dream to explore my Canada from coast to coast. One day I will. Sounds like a great retirement plan! In the meantime, through the IRU, I will be exploring the highways of the five continents, even where they don’t have highways!

1. Given the expanse of Canada, most Canadians realize that ‘transportation’ is a fundamental component of our basic infrastructure. From your perspective, do you think that Canada’s road transportation infrastructure is sufficient to meet our current and future needs in the movement of goods and human travel?

Canada, in comparison to other countries with such great expanse, such as Russia which is 1.7 times bigger than Canada, or Brazil or China, has quite an advanced infrastructure network. This said, I am of the firm belief that economic development cannot be achieved without adequate infrastructure and in particular road infrastructure.  The road transport industry is grateful for every millimetre of road built. However, the greatest beneficiary of each millimeter is economic prosperity. It also brings greater safety and environmental sustainability to the benefit of society as a whole. Roads create growth. Any country that wants a brighter economic future is obliged to make certain that its roads can permit growth.

1. Is the technology available to allow us to develop our road infrastructure in the northern sections of our provinces, and the Arctic region? If not, should we direct more attention and public funding to other forms of transport for these geologically diverse areas?

It’s not technology that prevents building roads in the North, but rather scarce resources. This said, development requires road infrastructure. Thus, it’s a question of political will based on an economic imperative.

1. You mentioned in a speech you delivered to the IRU Security Seminar in 2007, that road transport industry has an “important role to play – that of ensuring security, not alone, but in cooperation with all of its partners, such as the WCO, the European Shippers’ Council, the US Chamber of Commerce and, above all, with the full support of IRU members. Are Canada and the United States contributing to establishing the parameters of what the role of the North American road transport industry should be in relation to overall ‘national’ and ‘local’ security?

While both Canada and the US have not only joined the UN TIR Convention, and indeed, have already developed implementing regulations, neither has effectively implemented the UN TIR Convention which could significantly enhance trade security in North America, and ultimately to the South.

1. In North America, ‘reality’ television has given us some insight into the issue of ‘safety’ for long distance truck drivers. I’m referring in particular to a series called ‘Ice Road Truckers’. I’ve interviewed truck drivers who are engaged in this sector of the road transport industry. Many acknowledge that the ‘pay is good’ and the ‘challenge is exciting’. Do you think that the safety of these drivers is adequately addressed, or do the private and public sectors have to do more to ensure their safety? If so, what improvements could they undertake?

Every study I have seen regarding road safety clearly indicates that some 85% of accidents involving trucks are caused by human behaviour. As such, the most cost effective means of reducing road accidents involving trucks is vocational training. Indeed, the IRU has created an IRU Academy to this end and has developed specific training programmes for truck drivers, whether they operate on Canada’s ice or the sand of the Middle East and Africa.

The accident causation studies also show that 75% of accidents involving trucks are caused by other road users. What public authorities should thus focus on is ensuring that other road users, especially youngsters learning to drive, learn to share the roads with trucks. When I was 16 and learning to drive in Ottawa, I remember that my driver’s ed course made no mention of trucks. I had to learn the hard way, luckily with no incident, of a truck’s blind spot and turning radius. These basics should be part of every driver ed curriculum.

1. Have all European signatories to the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) TIR Convention implemented the details of such?

Yes they have. In fact, it was the implementation of the TIR Convention post WWII that permitted the reconstruction of war-torn Europe without all the impediments at borders which were previously the norm. The TIR Convention today is expanding European trade all the way to China, the Middle East and even Africa.

1. Similarly, the World Customs Organization (WCO) has developed a framework to improve and enhance international trade via road transport. Although acceptance is non-binding. From your perspective, have North and South American countries that are signatories to the Framework met the measures outlined therein?

As you say, the WCO instruments only provide a framework. The UN instruments, such as the TIR and Harmonization Conventions, on the other hand, provide concrete tools to facilitate and secure trade and international road transport and container movements.  

1. You’ve also acknowledged, in conjunction with the WCO SAFE Framework, that multilateral communication between countries is of primary importance in implementation of the details of the Framework. Based on your experience, what have been, and/or are, the main obstacles to successful global communications between, governments, businesses and workers in the road transport industry?

What was lacking was a common communication platform. For this reason the IRU developed the CuteWise TIR application which is in effect a common communication platform for Customs officials and the road transport industry. This is one of the reasons why the TIR Convention is today the most effective means to implement the WCO SAFE Framework. In fact, the TIR Convention meets all the security requirements of the WCO SAFE Framework.

The only disadvantage of such electronic communications is that not all countries have electricity 24/7! This reality is too often overlooked…

1. How severely has the Great Recession (2008) affected the road transport industry in Europe? If it has, is recovery possible and what would it take for the industry to return to pre-2008 levels?

There is a direct correlation between economic growth and road transport growth. As such, every economy that suffered from the effects of the 2008 recession equally saw its road transport industry considerably diminish tonnes transported. What is too often forgotten is that economic recovery can be expedited by promoting and further facilitating road transport which drives the real economy. Any penalty on road transport is an even greater penalty on the economy as a whole! This is valid in Canada as it is in every economy of the world. 

Sean Niefer, Afghan War Hero,  graduated and received his commission at RMC of Canada in May 2013.

Sean received the key to the Mississippi Mills a few years ago following his courageous exploits in Afghanistan where he risked his life to save the lives of his comrades. He subsequently received the Canadian Medal of Military Valour.

Sean Nieper receives his commission scroll from Lt. Gen. Devlin at the Royal Military College of Canada

Sean flanked by his wife Jessica and long time Appleton resident and Sean’s mother, Michelle Niefer

Please join the Therapeutic Riding Program for our very first annual Strawberry Social, Sunday June 30^th from 2-4 pm at the Herb Garden (3840 Old Almonte Road, Almonte Ontario K0A 1A0 (613)256-0228)

Tickets are $10.00 per person and Include tea / coffee, strawberry shortcake, silent auction, raffle, door prizes & access to the Herb Garden for the afternoon.

Tickets are available at Read’s Book Store in Carleton Place or by calling (613)257-7121 x 238  (Amy Booth)

 With the support of the Herb Garden and Beckwith Berries, the Lanark County Therapeutic Riding Program is very excited to be hosting their very first Strawberry Social fundraiser. The Riding Program is in its 27^th year of offering support to disabled adults and children in and around Lanark County. The Riding Program does not have ongoing government support, so fundraising events are a big part of their mandate.

Come and join us for a lovely day at the Herb Garden and support this great cause!  www.therapeuticriding.ca

 Enjoy a movie under the stars on Friday, June 14^th. Think “Drive-In” with bikes!

Fasten your lights, don your helmet, pack your snacks and bike down to Coady’s Car Care Lot on Mill Street in downtown Almonte.  There will be a bike park area on site where you can leave your bike with trusted volunteers.  This is a ‘BYOC’ event (bring your own chair!).

The movie will start at dusk but arrive early for festivities at 7:30pm. There will be face-painting, bike demos and other exciting offerings. If the forecast calls for rain, join everyone indoors at TYPS Youth Centre at 65 Mill Street (through the carriage way, behind Kentfield Kids).

There will be fresh popcorn, drinks and some home-baked goodies available for sale from the kitchen at TYPS.  Almonte’s newest food truck: The Deli Lama will also be featuring ‘extra-terrestrial’ specials!

Everyone is welcome at this event. By donation only! All money will go to stocking the shelves with food for our Thursday Night ‘Family Dinners’ at TYPS. If you would like to help with this project, TYPS would LOVE to have you.

Please contact: Amica Perrie amica.typs@gmail.com / 613-325-2165

With the public gallery full and dozens of extra chairs occupied on Tuesday night, it was determined that the assembled audience exceeded the occupancy limit for fire code regulations.  Some residents had to leave to the Council chamber before the public meeting on May 21 could proceed to review a controversial zoning application for a proposed firearms training facility.  Those who gave up their seats, or arrived late, strained to hear the proceedings from the lobby of the municipal building.  Others discovered the adjacent meeting room and clustered around the doorway that opened into the assembly.  It was indeed the place to be.

With no room left in the Council chamber, dozens of residents strained to hear the meeting from the lobby of the town hall.

Residents of the Cedar Hill area in Mississippi Mills were shocked earlier this month to discover that a firearms training facility was being proposed for their countryside community.  They quickly mobilized to learn more and discuss their issues of concern.  This was reported in The Millstone News on May 12, link here , and May 18, link here.

 At Tuesday night’s public meeting, preregistered delegations had an opportunity to express their views on the zoning application before Council members.  The presentations were thoughtful, well researched, and passionate.

The residents of Cedar Hill love the area they call home.  They describe it in terms of peace, quiet, tranquility, good neighbours helping each other in times of need, and the rich diversity of wildlife they see and hear every day.  They’re more than a little worried that what they cherish could be destroyed by a development where the sound of persistent gunfire would instead rule the rural landscape.

On the recommendation of the town planner, Council voted to defer the application until further details were available.  This was greeted by applause from all sides of the chamber and out into the town hall lobby.  Another public meeting will be scheduled after additional information has been provided by the applicants, or the public relations consultant they hired last Friday to represent them.

Council was certainly influenced in its decision by the residents who were in attendance.  With power point slides and personal impact statements, they made a very convincing argument that this proposal should not be approved.  Federal, provincial, and municipal documents were cited to support their case, and point out the many problems associated with a zoning change from RU to C5 and the subsequent development of a firearms training facility.

 COMMUNITY OFFICIAL PLAN

 The rules are clear. “Despite any other general or special Act, no public or private work shall be undertaken and no by-law shall be passed for any purpose that does not conform to this Plan.”

The purpose of the proposed rezoning for a firearms training facility:

•  is not a permitted C5 rural use;
•  is not compatible with existing surrounding uses and environmental features;
•  is not consistent with the rural character of the area;
•  does not protect traditional land uses of the area.

The application does not conform to the official plan and therefore Council should not approve it.

  PROVINCIAL POLICY STATEMENT

 The official plan is the most important vehicle for the implementation of the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS).  Under the Planning Act, the PPS focuses growth within settlement areas and away from significant and sensitive resources.  The proposed development is near provincially significant wetlands, and not in a settlement area.  This application is not compliant with the Provincial Policy Statement and should not be approved.

 MANY OTHER PROBLEMS

 There are more than a few other problems for the proposed development and operation of a firearms training centre in our community.

Facility Approval

The development of a shooting facility requires Ministerial approval.  There is no evidence that the necessary documentation has been prepared and submitted by the applicants, or approved by the province.

Noise

Noise from an indoor shooting range could be a problem for residents living close by and in the neighbourhood.  No details have been available from the applicants on the design, building specifications, or noise-proofing commitments of this proposed facility.

Noise from outdoor shooting will be a serious problem.  The laws of physics encourage  the transmission of gunfire sound over long distances in an outdoor environment without discriminating whether it is generated by pistols, or machine guns, or assault rifles that are used in target practice, or tactical training, or counter attack exercises.  From what is understood about the application, and the accompanying from Millbrook Inc., the community could be overwhelmed by gunfire from members of the Canadian armed forces, federal and provincial police, and other security stakeholders using the site.

There is legitimate fear that the noise of gunfire that will be generated from this proposed business will damage health.  A landscape defined by this kind of gunfire will destroy a way of life.  Noise of this nature will lower property values.  It will also adversely affect Cedar Hill businesses that successfully attract thousands and thousands of visitors each year to their quiet, rural settings.

Under noise by-law 02-89, citizens have a right in our community to an environment free of unusual, unnecessary, or excessive noise which degrades the quality and tranquility of our lives.  Although it doesn’t seem this proposed business will produce an effluent stream of toxic air, or water, or material waste, its anticipated byproduct of loud, repetitive, persistent, and intrusive noise should be considered just as much of a health danger.

The presentations to Council by residents of Mississippi Mills on May 21 were thoughtful, well researched, and passionate.

Environment

The proposed development is on land close to provincially significant wetlands.  The nearby landscape is also compatible habitat for threatened and endangered species.

This application seems to have proceeded without the requirement of the official plan for an environmental review.  Such a review is necessary for development proposed on lands within or adjacent to areas that have been designated as environmentally sensitive/significant.  There is no evidence of an environmental review with this application.

Furthermore, where a development proposal could affect certain natural heritage features or land adjacent to such features and areas, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) shall be conducted.  An EIA is required to support planning applications, including zoning by-law amendments.  There is no evidence of an EIA with this application.

If you missed the 11 p.m. news on CBC TV Tuesday night, you can watch the 2:03 minute archived feature about the meeting with reporter Sherry Aske  here. A 4:19 minute feature with CBC Radio One reporter Andrew Foot, which was aired Wednesday, May 22, on the Ottawa Morning program, is archived here.

Site Access

The current access to the property is by a private lane primarily on an unopened road allowance.  Substantial portions of the lane traverse the private lands of three owners who will not permit access over their property if a firearms training facility is approved by rezoning.

Fire

The community is proud of its volunteer fire service.  There is a genuine concern, however, that our firefighters and residents would be at considerable risk if a fire ever escaped from the property and spread across the rugged landscape we call home during the advanced training activities on site that Millbrook Inc. has referred to in its letter of support.

First published in  The Globe and Mail Tuesday, May. 21 2013

During his trip to Peru and Colombia this week, Prime Minister Stephen Harper will attend the Pacific Alliance Leaders’ Summit in Cali, Colombia. Launched in April, 2011, the Alliance is a free-trade bloc made up of Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru.

Last year, Canada became an observer to the Alliance. Why? Because it represents what we are trying to achieve through our Americas strategy.

The Americas strategy – announced in 2007 as a major foreign policy initiative of the ‘new’ Harper Government – is designed to revive and expand Canadian political and economic engagement in the Americas.

Interpreted by some as an effort to distinguish itself from previous governments’ focus on Africa, progress on the Americas strategy has been more tortoise than hare.

At the outset, attention to the Americas was diverted by the global economic mess that demanded all hands on deck. Then the government reopened the door to China, and public attention shifted to the Pacific.

At the same time there is the promise, still unrealized, of the Canada-Europe Trade Agreement. And, as always, there is the United States and the eternal quest around secure access for our goods, people and services.

All of this left little time for the rest of the Americas. There remains some skepticism about our ability to sustain relationships. It takes two to tango and our overtures were not always met with enthusiasm. There were problems, not all of our own making.

Mexico, with whom we should have the strongest partnership, was preoccupied with the existential war with the drug cartels.

Brazil, now the world’s seventh-largest economy, has global aspirations. Notwithstanding our long commercial ties, especially in resource development, we have had our differences over beef and Bombardier.

Canada recently began negotiations with Mercosur – Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Venezuela, but it’s complicated. Argentina doesn’t like our policy on the Falklands and we don’t like its protectionism. Cuban admission to Mercosur – the Brazillian goal – presents problems.

Still, there has been progress on the strategy.

On the democracy front, we have participated in 47 OAS electoral observation missions in 17 countries since 2009, and Canadians played a lead role in brokering the peace in Honduras. But promoting democracy is a work in progress. Even post-Chavez, populist authoritarianism continues to cast its seductive spell.

We play a growing role in security through targetted development and assistance programs aimed at strengthening policing and the judiciary. Our warships patrol the waters on both sides of the Isthmus of Panama to preserve maritime order and stem the drug trade.

In the last four years we have concluded free-trade agreements with Peru, Panama, Colombia and Honduras.

With more than 2,500 Canadian companies active in the region, our overall trade since 2007 has increased by a third. Canadian interests account for 60 per cent of the region’s international mining investment. This map visibly demonstrates the network of our development and investment initiatives.

But we need to do more if we are to realize the opportunities for our goods and services. Latin America’s middle class now numbers 50 million – it grew by 50 per cent during the past decade.

As a first step we need to look at how we market ourselves. Investment flows are mostly one direction – from Canada to the Americas. Latinos look askance at our closed telecommunications sector. Our labour costs are a comparative disincentive to investment in manufacturing, except as part of supply chain dynamics.

Secondly, we need to apply the creativity we have demonstrated in our immigration policy to our visitor visa program.

Having fixed the loopholes in our refugee policy, we should lift the visa requirement on Mexico that has cut visitors by more than a third since its imposition in 2009.

During a meeting with Mexican president-elect Enrique Pena Nieto in November, Mr. Harper said he’d like to see visa-free travel. Why not announce it in Cali? We could also establish a fast-track a Nexus-standard visa for Alliance members.

And, as a third step, let’s take a chance on the Pacific Alliance and seek full membership.

It would give Canada a “second NAFTA”, argues Latin scholar Carlo Dade, and complement the Trans-Pacific Partnership, currently into its 17th round of negotiations in Lima. With Japan’s inclusion, the TPP will cover nearly 40 per cent of global economic output and one-third of all world trade.

The Pacific Alliance is smaller but the degree of trade liberalization is more ambitious. It aims at an integrated stock exchange, labor mobility and a single window for all moving goods. In its look at the Pacific Alliance, the Economist sensed a “hard-nosed business deal, rather than the usual gassy rhetoric of Latin American summitry.”

Its member countries are four of the fastest growing economies representing one-third of the population of Latin America. Collectively it constitutes the world’s ninth biggest economy.

We have FTAs with each member. We risk losing the advantage of those agreements if we continue to sit as an observer.

Importantly, they want us. “Canada is a natural fit” said Mexico’s Foreign Affairs vice-minister Sergio Alcocer last week.

They recognize in us a like-minded country with a deep democratic tradition that is serious about liberalizing trade and investment. From our perspective, we have more pull with them than alone.

Built around western-style free markets, the rule of law and democratic politics – the essence of our America’s strategy – it’s time to move beyond observer status in the Pacific Alliance. Our place should be at the main table.

A former diplomat, Colin Robertson is vice president of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute and a senior policy advisor to McKenna, Long and Aldridge LLP.

Mississippi Mill Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to send a letter to Queens Park seeking answers to outstanding questions about the project. The sole matter of discussion on the matter was an attempt to reduce the wordiness of the motion, and another to include additional recipients when the motion is sent.

Introduced by councillor Alex Gillis, and seconded by councillor Shawn McLaughlin, the motion calls on town council to inform the provincial authority of outstanding questions, and ask that clarification be given before the provincial government makes any decision on the proposed power plant expansion.

Among the four issues identified in the motion are: operation water levels in the Mississippi River Water Management Plan, along with the zone of influence for the proposed plant; a request for hydraulic modelling to determine the potential for increased future flood risks; a determination on the appropriateness of the scale or the project and whether it is suitable to call this an expansion given its scope; a determination on whether both the existing and proposed plant fit the criteria of ‘run-of-river’ operation; and an evaluation of the impact on Mississippi Mils, including loss of character in Almonte, and the potential for loss of natural and heritage assets.

Councillor Gary Dalgity said he believes this is an important step toward finding the answers that have so far eluded both council and the community.