1,000 full-load trucks and 10,050 passenger vehicles projected over a period of two years

After listening to a presentation from Ontario Power Generation, city council opted to delay any decision to allow the company access to Carrigan Road and Ice Chest Lake Road for its Frederick House Lake Dam Project.

That decision — or lack of a decision — delighted a large contingent of area residents concerned about the impact of increased traffic and heavy loads during construction.

Earlier in the meeting, the same group of vocal residents sat through a presentation outlining possible solutions for the closure of the Porcupine River Bridge.

They were, however, clearly not in favour of OPG’s request to make use of Carrigan Road and Ice Chest Lake Road.

Pranav Jindal, manager of projects for OPG, noted he had heard a number of concerns from the group prior to outlining the scope of the project.

“I really appreciate people coming out and talking about some of that stuff,” he said. “There will be some takeaways here. We can see the neighbours are very passionate. I didn’t appreciate how sensitive this issue was, especially because of the bridge closure.

“Safety is paramount for OPG and we don’t want anybody to get hurt. It is always going to be our top priority.”

Jindal noted all of the OPG facilities included in the project are on treaty and traditional territories of Indigenous peoples.

“In Timmins, we honour the traditional territory of Mattagami First Nation, which is part of Treaty 9 and Territory of Anishinaabek (Ojibwe and Algonquin) and Mushkegowuk Cree,” he said.

“We are a learning organization and continue supporting the road to reconciliation, using the OPG Reconciliation Action Plan as our guide.”

The Frederick House Control Dam is located approximately 50 km northeast of Timmins.

Built in 1937-38, the dam was constructed to regulate water levels at Frederick House and Night Hawk lakes, and augment the generation of renewable and low-cost energy at Abitibi Canyon Generating Station.

In 1909, the High Falls dam had been breached by Father Paradis for gold prospects, which drained the lakes.

In 1916, the province built the Connaught Dam to raise the water levels, but it was washed out in 1937.

In 1938, the Hydroelectric Commission of Ontario (now OPG) began construction of the Frederick House Lake Dam.

Jindal indicated the dam has operated safely and reliably for the past 85 years.

The proposed project will refurbish the dam and extend its service by an additional 50 years, while upholding the highest standards of dam and public safety.

He indicated the planned construction period will run from June 2023 to the spring of 2025.

“Right now, we are in the detailed design phase,” Jindal said.

“We are planning to go out for RFP (request for proposals) in October and then award the contract by Q1 (first quarter) of next year and start the construction in June of 2023.

“This timeline is critical because of the current condition of the dam. We don’t want to risk that. We want to go and proactively repair the dam.”

Once completed, there should be no impact to existing flow capacity, water levels, or flows.

The benefits of the project, outlined by Jindal, include:

• Employment and commercial opportunities for local businesses and citizens including Indigenous business;

• Supports OPG’s continued commitment to safety, operational excellence and regulatory adherence; and

• Supports OPG’s Climate Change Plan with clean, renewable power.

“The big thing for us is to get the construction traffic, which is mostly concrete and the other types of construction materials we need to the site,” Jindal said.

“Currently, the most direct route is Carrigan Road and Ice Chest Lake Road, then we will take the bush road up to the dam.

“We are presuming most of the deliveries are going to come from Timmins via Highway 101.

“In addition to it being a direct route, it does save about 20 minutes one way and that is very critical when it comes to concrete.

“The concrete is likely going to be coming from Timmins, so there is a time limit from mix to pour, which is about 90 minutes.

“So, the time limit does play and important role. The 20 minutes does play a big role there.

“Also, a lower travel time reduces our carbon footprint.”

In terms of expected traffic volume, OPG is projecting about 1,000 full loads and 10,050 passenger loads over a period of two years.

“We are not going to have a (construction) camp at the project site,” Jindal said.

“Folks are probably going to be living here in Timmins and travelling back and forth. That’s where those other loads come from.

“We are expecting about 40 skilled labourers working on this project.”

In concluding his presentation, Jindal noted OPG was seeking full-load access for construction vehicles to use these two roads in question year round, except from April 1 to June 1, with proposed mitigation measures:

• Provide security deposit for potential road damages;

• Subsidize any incremental road maintenance, calcium application and snow clearing;

• Implement new measures that maybe needed to improve road safety and address neighbours’ concerns; and

• Timely response to local inquires or concerns.

Further, he indicated OPG proposes to support shared understanding through some form of agreement (license, MOU, permit) for road use.

Ward 2 Coun. Mickey Auger offered a suggestion on how OPG could reduce the planned 10,050 passenger loads during the two-year period.

“Wouldn’t it be better to have a bus drive the passengers, pick them all up at say 5 a.m., drive the bus up and then at the end of the shift they could take the bus back so you are not having cars going up and down the road?” he said.

“Some young people are liable to speed up because they want to get home in a hurry.

“This way, on the bus, they could go in and come out say at 5 p.m., or whatever, a 12-hour shift.”

Jindal said, “Yes, bus, shuttles, whatever it takes to reduce the traffic.”

Auger continued, “I am just worried about the people on the road. The kids play around and they see all the cars going by. It is a safety issue for me.”

Ward 4 Coun. John Curley was left with a number of concerns after listening to the OPG presentation.

“I like the idea Coun. Auger mentioned about the bus,” he said. “It would take away a lot of the traffic on that road.

“In a lot of areas when they do these camps, or what you are going to be doing up there, for that amount of work and that much concrete, is to have a batch plant.

“So, never mind all these concrete trucks coming from Timmins out there, whoever gets the concrete deal they could build a batch plant out there so the concrete is already there.

“There would be none of these concrete trucks running, because what you are providing here is a deposit for potential road damage.

“There is no potential. It is going to be damaged. No matter what road you are going to take, it is going to be damaged.

“Fix it before you use it. If we can’t come to some sort of agreement where the roads are going to be brought up to standards … If you go down the highway towards Matheson, you have to take a detour because of the work being done.

“The side road they have in place, they have paved it already. Everything was pre-done to accept the existing extra amount of traffic.

“These concrete trucks are going to be coming through town, beating up our roads through town and of course they are going to destroy any roads they go on down south or in that area.”

Curley went on to suggest the traffic should be directed down Municipal Road, instead of the proposed route.

“That road is made for trucks,” he said. “Take the Municipal Road and then the Frederick House Road, that is what is going to need some paving to hold up to the concrete trucks and whatever else is going to be hauling.

“But if you do the batch plant, you won’t have to worry about a lot of this stuff.”

Curley indicated he could not support the proposed project until he sees his concerns addressed and further suggested OPG should delay its project by one year — until the Porcupine River Bridge issue has been resolved.

“That would shorten your drive, of course, because now we are going off (the highway) at Hoyle, the new bridge would be there, it is a very short distance,” he said.

Responding to Curley’s comments, Jindal noted OPG had explored the possibility of using a batch plant for concrete but that it is not economical because of the quality of concrete they are looking at for the project.

“It is less than 2,000 cubic metres of concrete, so it is not economical to put a batch plant there,” he said.

“In the end, it would affect everybody’s rate (for electricity).

“We looked at the camp option and again, same thing. It would not be economical for the project.

“Deferring the project, we all know there has been COVID-19 and escalations in commodity prices, and that is increasing the project costs, as well.

“That came up, but it is not an option because of public and dam safety.

“We don’t want to compromise, because if there is a dam failure it would impact communities downstream and all the recreation upstream, for fishing and everything else that goes with it.

“That is a big risk if we try to delay a project that is driven because of dam and public safety concerns.”

Ward 3 Coun. Joe Campbell suggested OPG look at building its own road to the site in an effort to avoid any potential conflict with local residents.

“How far is the dam away from Highway 11 North?” he asked.

“Have you ever thought of putting in your own road, from Highway 11 North, rather than inconveniencing the residents of Ice Chest Lake Road and Carrigan Road and Frederick House Lake Road?

“OPG has been known to do that, put a road through, and that doesn’t bother anybody at that point.

“You are coming off a main highway onto your own road. Has that option been explored?”

Campbell’s suggestion didn’t prompt any response from OPG.

Ward 5 Coun. Michelle Boileau, currently the city’s lone candidate for mayor, offered a different view on the OPG proposal.

“I feel like it is important to remember what we are talking about are infrastructure upgrades that are important, not only to the City of Timmins, but for the region, the province — and I don’t know the reach of where this power is going necessarily,” she said.

“We are talking about extending the life of a power-generating site by 50 years, so a dam, we are talking about the life of a very important piece of infrastructure to our power grid by 50 years versus the inconveniencing residents for two years.

“So, I am having a hard time just shutting down this project when the magnitude of the project far outweighs the inconvenience, in my opinion.

“We are talking about upgrades to impacted roads. It sounds like we have a very responsible partner in OPG, who is willing to work with the city to see what is required, not only by the city but by the residents who will be impacted.

“I am hearing approximately 40 jobs for the next two years for skilled trades people in the area, so to me this is a very positive partnership we could be developing with OPG.”

Boileau stressed, however, that any reference to “inconveniencing residents for two years” in so way suggests sacrificing the safety of those local residents.

At-the-time still Deputy Mayor Kristin Murray noted roads are a “pain point” with Timmins residents.

“So, it is definitely a conversation we want to be having before we enter into this agreement,” she said.

“It is not like we are not wanting to do business with OPG, but I think there are some real concerns and our roads, as we hear as councilors, we get a lot of communication back and forth, so it is really about making sure that partnership is strong and we have a good understanding on both sides as to what we are entering into.”

Jindal indicated OPG plans to meet with residents living along the roads in question to address their concerns.

Following the OPG presentation, Ken Krcel, the City of Timmins’ director of Public Works and Environmental Services, presented a report calling for council to approve the use of Carrigan Road and Ice Chest Lake Road as the travel routes to the Frederick House River dam for construction traffic and heavy loads for OPG’s rehabilitation project.

“If we work in partnership with OPG, we retain control of what happens on our roads,” he said.

“We all know our roads are public roadways, open to the public. If we do not enter into an agreement with a partner like OPG, the project may go ahead and they may use the Evelyn Township forestry access road for their heavy loads because they won’t be able to haul on Carrigan Road and Ice Chest Lake Road because they are permanent half-load roads.

“We understand that, but there is nothing stopping regular construction traffic from driving on an open public roadway.

“If we don’t enter into agreements, there is no reason to have a bus haul construction traffic out there.

“If all the skilled labourers decide to drive from Timmins and they decide to take the shortcut, Public Works has no control of enforcement of road use unless we have road-use agreements in place.”

Krcel noted he totally understands and emphasizes with the public on Carrigan Road.

“The last thing we want to do is put more traffic on a road when we don’t have to,” he said.

“We didn’t want to close the (Porcupine River) Bridge but it was a safety issue for the public.

“Working with a partner, we can provide a higher level of maintenance, provide more dust control, more grading.

“When issues pop up, road failures start, we have someone in place who can deal with them immediately, as opposed to trying to reorganize our own forces.

“There are a number of things we would enter into in a road agreement, additional snowplowing, over and above what the city does, additional road grading over and above what the city does, controlling speeds.

“When you work with a partner, there are methods they can put in place to make sure speeds are maintained.

“They can ask that their contractors have AVL and anytime a truck exceeds a speed limit within a zone, they can penalize their contractor.

“There is always a benefit to working with someone, but when you don’t work with them, you lose control.”

Krcel acknowledged he understands council’s desire to defer any decision on OPG’s request, but stressed Public Works’ position on the issue.

“When we don’t work with partners, we really do lose control,” he said. “We can’t force a company to pave Frederick House Lake Road if they are driving legally, regular loads, outside of spring half-load from Municipal Road to Evelyn Township Road.

“We know there are parts of the road, through Connaught, that are all surface treated. There are no paved roads out there. It is gravel roads and surface treated.

“We don’t have a leg to stand on at this point in time if there is a truck driving on Frederick House Lake Road during the normal summer/winter season.

“That’s really just the way it is. The police can’t charge someone if they are not violating the Highway Traffic Act.

“So, working with a group, I think is in the best interest of the city, financially, responsibly.

“We all know what happens when we don’t get to our infrastructure quick enough.”

Curley, however, was not convinced and stressed a desire for OPG to fix the roads prior to being granted use of them for the project.

“After the fact, when the road is damaged, and the residents are traveling on it every day to go to work, school buses or whatever the cases may be, now we know it is damaged, we will get it repaired,” he said.

“It is too late then. We can’t even police what we have out there now.”

It is expected OPG’s request will be brought back to council during its next meeting, on Sept. 13.

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