To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario: Whereas the Bala Falls (North Dam Area), herein “the site”, is currently designated by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) as a suitable location for development of a hydro electricity generation facility pursuant to applicable site release policies; and Whereas the geography and socio-economic conditions of Bala Falls make the site very valuable for its social, historic and tourism value; and Whereas the median family income in the district of Muskoka is arguably $10,000 below the provincial median income; and Whereas construction of a powerhouse on the site is unreasonable as it would adversely affect the prosperity of the residents and other stakeholders of Bala by restricting services and access to the town during construction and by forever diminishing the tourism value of Bala Falls for the district of Muskoka and the Town of Bala; and Whereas construction of a powerhouse on the site would adversely affect the residents and other stakeholders of Bala by causing undue psychological stress resulting from disruption of life during construction and resulting from the permanent destruction and loss of use and traditional enjoyment of the native shoreline vegetative buffer and natural rock formations at the site; and Whereas the MNR site release policies are poorly written and do not provide adequate public input and safeguards for protecting the best interests of the community and other stakeholders; and Whereas the MNR may have acted in bad faith when it authored its site release policies by unfairly targeting sites for release where the MNR wishes to offload its dam operation and maintenance obligations onto the private sector; and Whereas the MNR, is not positioned properly to create policies that affect the provincial renewable energy strategy, or, in the alternate, failed to create workable policies that adequately prioritize the hydro generation potential of the provinces lakes and rivers; and Whereas the selection of the site at Bala Falls and 18 other sites ahead of hundreds of other potential sites in Ontario may be inappropriately motivated by political gain on the part of the governing party; and Whereas the quantity of energy expected to be produced at Bala Falls under the current proposal is not sufficient to justify the adverse affects the current proposal will have on the community and other stakeholders; We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows: That the members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario rescind the current provincial policies pertaining to the release of crown land for construction of new hydro generation facilities; and that members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario rescind the release of crown land at Bala Falls for use in the development of a hydro electricity generation facility pending consideration of alternates that might achieve a better balance of the best interests of the community of Bala and the needs of society. I hereby support this petition.

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