Transparency, information, and specificity are the key things Chatham-Kent Council wants from Hydro One.
Ward 4 Councillors Jamie McGrail and Rhonda Jubenville amended a motion on Monday night to request more information from Hydro One on how they intend to address the impact on water wells during the construction of the St. Clair Transmission Line.
The original motion also obligated the energy company to conduct baseline groundwater studies before, during, and after construction, for three kilometres on either side of the planned transmission line route.
"I'm okay with the amendment," Jubenville said of the change to her motion.
Jubenville said she put the original motion forward because there was no mention of water wells in Hydro One's draft plan for the construction projects and residents in the area are worried.
"Today we were reminded by our legal team that the environmental assessment and the planning phases of the projects are still ongoing. So, as a result, there's additional information that's still outstanding concerning the environmental work that's going to be completed for these projects," Jubenville explained. Acknowledging that Hydro One may have plans in place to address these issues, but they haven't been shared with the public yet.
She noted that she may have been premature in bringing the motion to the table, but she was operating under the December 4 public feedback deadline given by Hydro One. "I was informed that as the municipality we have a bit of extension time," Jubenville said.
She hasn't ruled out bringing forward a motion at a later date if she's not satisfied with Hydro One's plans to protect the integrity of water wells in North Kent during construction.
"Bottom line is we all in Ontario and Canada should have access to clean water," the councillor said.
The amended motion passed unanimously.
Jubenville pulls second motion at council meeting
Councillor Jubenville had another motion scheduled to be discussed on Monday, which she eventually ended up pulling from the floor.
Her motion, seconded by Ward 6 Councillor Michael Bondy, called for the dissolution of the Natural Heritage Committee of the Whole.
Jubenville said that she hadn't heard the committee mentioned or participated in a meeting for the entirety of her time on council and was trying to do some housekeeping.
Several councillors objected to dissolving the committee, citing its importance for environmental issues and committing to scheduling future meetings.
"I'm happy with how it went," Jubenville said. "Now we can move forward with whatever the intentions are for this committee."
