Lakeshore 'extremely disappointed' with Hydro One path through Comber

Hydro One announced Monday a long-term plan to build five new hydro transmission lines across Southern Ontario.

One of them, the Lakeshore Transformer Station (LTS), will require at least three new transmission lines to be placed through the small community of Comber.

“We met with them (Hydro One) ten times on it,” says Lakeshore Mayor Tom Bain.

“The residents are concerned that it's coming through the middle of the town and we’re concerned that it’s coming through one of our commercial-industrial areas.”

Bain is quick to add it’s not that they don’t want the transmission line, far from it.

“We have a couple of industrial projects on the backburner that we're going to need that hydro power too,” says Bain. “Our concern was where the line was running. Not whether or not the line came in.”

He tells CTV News they have asked Hydro One to consider shifting the line to the north side of Highway 401, away from the commercial plaza and a planned residential community on the south side of the highway.

According to a map provided by Hydro One, the LTS will connect transmission lines between Chatham, Longwood Transformer Station (near London) and eventually a third line to Windsor.

The news release says the Chatham to Lakeshore line will be done by the end of 2025.

The Hydro One announcement comes just two weeks after Stellantis and LG announced they will invest $5 billion (CAD) in Windsor to build a factory to produce to batteries for the electric automotive industry.

“I think it's fair to say that we all have a shared goal,” says Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, when asked about Lakeshore’s concerns with the LTS.

“The shared goal is to see and realize this joint venture (Stellantis and LG’s new battery plant) get up and going on their timeline, which is extremely aggressive,” says Dilkens.

Stellantis officials won’t say which power line they need, in order to open their facility sometime in 2024.

Mayor Dilkens says the factory, projected to employ 2,500 people, is going to be good for the entire region, not just the City of Windsor.

“The commitment is there to still do the consultation, to still work with the people who are in Comber or who are in Lakeshore who have concerns to see if there's a way to mitigate those concerns in a reasonable way that allows the project to still proceed at the same time,” says Dilkens.

Bain says Lakeshore Council will likely discuss the Hydro One announcement, and discuss whether or not they can take any further action, if anything.

Hydro One says in a statement to CTV News that they are committed to engaging with Indigenous communities residents to ensure feedback is heard and considered as they plan to deliver their projects.

“As part of the Chatham to Lakeshore project and the process to select a preferred route, Hydro One held virtual discussions, community open houses, and organized one-on-one meetings with local stakeholders,” said the statement.

Hydro One says they are committed to completing consultation with all communities in southwestern Ontario and adhering to the full Environmental Assessment process, and the Ontario Energy Board’s (OEB) regulatory process.

“We are aware of the Lakeshore community’s concerns and we continue to engage with property owners and the community as we work towards minimizing impacts to residents, while we complete this important project to support economic growth in the region,” states Hydro One.