Less than one month into his new job as Ontario’s energy minister, Smitherman came to Mississauga Wednesday to declare: No new power plant at Lakeview.
In other words — unlike Jim Flaherty — he didn’t want to mess with Hazel McCallion.
But it wasn’t only about getting off on the right foot with Mississauga’s formidable mayor: Smitherman’s decision was made for the right reasons.
First, Lakeview had hosted for almost half-a-century what has been described as one of the GTA’s worst polluters. Another compelling reason is that the 80-hectare site is the last remaining piece of waterfront for miles. It would be a sacrilege to despoil it with yet another power plant, especially when it could be transformed into a “destination” place devoted to trails, parks, an aquarium or stadium and a university campus.
Smitherman did point out that while defusing the Lakeview controversy, he is fuelling another. A new station must be located between east Oakville and west Etobicoke and the frontrunner is a site in the Southdown neighbourhood, just west of Lakeview.
But this was about fairness and doing the right thing — a concept Smitherman evidently understands. Making nice with Hazel was just a bonus.
