Local residents questioning why proposed substation would have to be in Margaret Greene Park

Several residents in the west end of the city say they could lose some of the green space near their homes as part of the move to bring more frequent train service to Guelph.

According to documents posted online as part of Metrolinx’s consultations on the service expansion, the provincial transit agency is looking to build a traction power substation near the line in Guelph, helping power the electrified tracks.

The substation, according to those documents, is needed to transform the power from Hydro One’s 230 kV high voltage grid, down to two 25kV lines running above the track, powering the trains.

However, while the documents show the study area for the substation being vacant with “no current development applications,” it is actually Margaret Greene Park.

In an emailed statement to the Mercury Tribune, Fannie Sunshine, spokesperson for Metrolinx, stated that several sites for such infrastructure “have been discussed with the City of Guelph and other stakeholders (notably the Ministry of Transportation and Hydro One) over the past year, and various concerns, including technical constraints, have been considered and factored into Metrolinx’s decision to proceed with the preferred site.”

Sunshine added that while the documents show the property as vacant, “Metrolinx knows the proposed TPS location is currently zoned as parkland, and that there are existing trails through this land parcel that must be maintained.”

While the city and the province have been discussing this for well over a year, residents near the proposed substation site say they became aware of the issue much more recently, spread through word of mouth in the community.

James Nowell, who has lived near the park for about 15 years, said he first found out about the Metrolinx consultations via “a very, very vague letter” sent to residents in the area a few weeks ago.

“I just brushed it off. It didn’t mention anything about what was proposed for the green space near our house,” he said.

It wasn’t until Nowell was filled in by neighbour Saundra Anderton that he found out about the proposed substation.

Anderton herself found out about the proposal after speaking with another neighbour while they were both out walking their dogs.

This was also recent news to the neighbourhood’s two council representatives — councillors Christine Billings and Mike Salisbury — both of whom said they had only learned of the proposed site after being notified by residents.

“What a horrible blight on the neighbourhood,” Billings said, adding the substation should be built in a non-residential area.

“Why would a public park have a development application?”

Salisbury voiced his pessimism, saying he worries “the request for comments is lip service” by Metrolinx.

“I’m not convinced feedback is going to improve their decision,” he added.

Anderton said the big question people in the neighbourhood want to know is: “Why here?”

“Why did they choose this, and why did they reject everywhere else? Why are they calling it vacant land when it isn’t vacant? It’s a city park,” she said, adding she thinks it’s “all about money, and this is the cheapest thing they can do.”

“We’re planning on holding a larger meeting — not just our little organizing committee here, but a larger meeting for people in the neighbourhood, because people … are very stressed about this.”

“The last thing I want is for this to pass without anyone knowing or without too much of a fight, and all of a sudden there’s bulldozers in our neighbourhood, bulldozing down beautiful forestry,” Nowell said.

“I do not want this to happen because I feel like if that happens, our fight’s done and we can’t do anything else, and I know that there must be a better spot than this.”

In her email to the Mercury Tribune, Sunshine said the study area was narrowed down from one shown during public meetings in November 2019.

“(W)e are currently conducting impact assessments in multiple disciplines for the recommended site as we narrow down the preferred location of the TPS to a space that is 50 metres by 75 metres,” Sunshine stated.

“The preferred site shown on the map is the entire property being considered, and only a small portion will be used for the TPS.”

She added that the design for the substation will be shared with the public as part of the next round of open houses for the GO line expansion project, scheduled for early 2021.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Several residents reached out to the Mercury Tribune after learning of what may become of the park near their homes. While the public consultations themselves saw minor coverage, this was the first the newsroom had heard of a substation potentially being built in what is currently a city park. Despite talks between the city and the province on the GO train service expansion that would necessitate such infrastructure, this was the first many had heard of it.