Assiginack water plant moves to next stage

by Michael Erskine
ASSIGINACK---The shortcomings of local democracy and majority rule in 
municipalities which are made up of amalgamated yet distinct 
sub-communities were highlighted in the latest round of public 
discussions on a water plant solution for the Township of Assiginack, 
as residents of Sunsite Estates pleaded to the township's water plant 
committee to reconsider the two-site water plant option preferred by 
the more numerous residents of Manitowaning.
The township, like many other municipalities across the province and 
the Island, requires a new water treatment plant be built soon in 
order to meet the stringent new public water system rules which 
flowed from the legislature in the wake of the Walkerton tainted 
water scandal.
In a public meeting earlier this year, the majority of comments and 
'votes' were dominated by a desire for two separate water treatment 
plants, one to serve the larger community of Manitowaning, and a 
second, smaller plant which would meet the needs of the people in 
Sunsite Estates. If a two-rate water use payment scheme was 
implemented, the two plant scheme option would be less expensive for 
the residents of Manitowaning, and more expensive for the residents 
of Sunsite Estates.
Emotions have run high over the issue, and Assiginack Water Plant 
Committee Chair, Bud Rohn, opened the meeting with comments on the 
tactics of some members of the community.
"I am disappointed in some of the tactics that some people have been 
using," he said. "They have not been following procedure."
Mr. Rohn indicated the committee would not be jumping back and forth 
to explore options willy-nilly, but that any proposal should be 
presented to the group in writing for consideration.
He pointed out that the decisions of the committee would also be 
effecting the committee members personally, and that he himself was a 
resident of Sunsite Estates.
"I think this committee will explore every aspect, opportunity and 
cost to get the best possible result," he said. "There is not a line 
that has not been scrutinized and talked about a dozen times."
The bottom line on the debate, and the driving force behind the 
committee's final decision will be based on cost, said Mr. Rohn.
"Why are there two different costs to water users?" asked Jim 
Griffin, of Sunsite Estates. Mr. Griffin noted that in other 
municipalities, such as nearby Sudbury, the water rate is set for all 
of the users, whether they live in the far east, where the water 
requires little treatment and is very inexpensive, or in the more 
contaminated and heavily populated west, where the water requires 
heavy treatment to be safe for human consumption.
"No matter where you live, everybody pays the same rate," said Mr. Griffin.
Responses from the audience made it clear the residents of 
Manitowaning were unwilling to consider 'subsidizing' the water rates 
of residents of Sunsite Estates. One Manitowaning resident jokingly 
offered to sell town plots to residents of Sunsite Estates.
Provoked by what she considered the smug tone and timbre of the 
comments from the audience, one Sunsite resident angrily retorted 
that the tyranny of the majority was making a mockery of the 
democratic process.
Mr. Griffin pleaded with the committee to further explore the 
possibility that the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation 
(NOHFC) would fund more than the standard 50 percent of the municipal 
share of the construction of the new plants, citing the NOHFC mandate 
which allows it to make such a consideration.
The committee members replied that the decisions of that organization 
to date leave little hope that such relief would be forthcoming.
"The bottom line is that you have a tough row to hoe to get the 
province to see Sunsite as a separate small community," said Peter 
Sladen, a consultant with Mashall, Macklin and Monaghan, the 
Engineering firm contracted to conduct the Class Environmental 
Assessment who presented a report on the progress to date during the 
meeting. "They are going to say Assiginack is a (relatively) larger 
community."
Mr. Griffin posited that should not be a reason for not trying at 
all, and he noted that no letter of any kind has even been sent from 
the township to NOHFC.
Mr. Rohn noted that without firm estimates the committee was not 
prepared to submit to outside organizations. He agreed that those 
figures were now available to the committee.
"We did submit a request for 90 percent," said Committee Member Rob 
Maguire, Assiginack economic development officer. "We are now trying 
to build a business case to support that application."
Mr. Rohn noted that Sunsite Estates is not the only community in the 
province to be faced with this situation.
"Nobel is in the same fix, and they have tried everything this 
committee has tried," he said.
"We have heard you loud and clear," said Reeve Hugh Moggy. "This 
committee and council will be working to get every dollar we can. We 
are doing our best."
The underlying fact is however, that the province has made it law 
that water systems will be strictly user-pay, and that the method of 
that payment will not include the general tax levy of the community.
The proposed division of costs would see the owners of serviced lots 
in each sub-community paying the debenture costs of construction, 
while the cost of actual operation would be divided among those 
actually using the water.
There are 247 actual water consumers in Manitowaning, and there are 
347 serviced lots. In Sunsite Estates there are 64 consumers and 64 
serviced lots.
With a membrane-based plant (the least expensive option identified), 
the annual debentured construction costs will be $154 for each 
serviced lot in Manitowaning versus $382 for Sunsite lots. Annual 
operating costs, under the same system, will amount to $336 per 
consumer in Manitowaning and $607 for Sunsite Estates' consumers.
While much was initially made by Mr. Sladen and Mr. Rohn of the 
'voting' by comment by the community residents who attended the first 
public meeting, and the role that those comments from the two 
communities played in the committee's forthcoming decisions, it 
quickly became evident that there were limits on the role of direct 
democracy in the overall process as this meeting progressed.
When questioned directly on whether Sunsite Estates residents would 
be given an opportunity to vote on what type of plant they wanted, 
Chair Rohn made it clear that the final decision on what plant or 
plants would be built, and what type they would be, would be decided 
by the committee.
"There will be no vote on the plant," he said.
"Because of the research and work done by the committee," said Mr. 
Sladen. "We can make a fairly good decision."
Input from community members will be accepted in writing by the 
committee until April 17, 2003, and, although there was no firm 
commitment that delegations in person from the community would be 
accepted, Mr. Rohn said such requests would be considered if it was 
felt to be productive or necessary on an individual presentation 
basis.
During Mr. Sladen's presentation, he outlined the progress and work 
completed to date. The meeting was the second and final of two public 
input sessions to be held as part of the process.
Beginning on May 1, and for 30 days following, an Environmental Study 
Report will be available for public review. Comments from the public 
will be documented and, if possible, resolved.
Should anyone have concerns which remain unresolved, they will be 
able to request a 'Part II' order be issued by the Environment 
Ministry, which will address the need for an individual environmental 
assessment.
There were no environmental issues raised during the meeting.
The decision on what type of water treatment plant will be built has 
not been made, said Mr. Sladen, and the purpose of the meeting was 
not to select the type of treatment, but to look at the alternatives.
"If there is one thing which has come out of this process," he said. 
"It is that cost rules here."
Mr. Sladen pointed out that 95 percent of the 'votes' and comments 
collected to date have been for the two-plant option, the cheapest 
option under present provincial government rules.
"That option calls for individual plants in Manitowaning and Sunsite 
Estates," he said.
The consultants have determined that there appears to be no 
insurmountable environmental concerns arising from the two-plant 
option.
"Anything considered an issue is mitagatable," he said. "There appear 
to be no show stoppers."
Specifically, the assessment indicated that the impacts on natural 
areas, surface water, land use, boating and tourism, community and 
business, noise, and archeological was assessed as low and that the 
proposed sites met all of the criteria of reliability and future 
expansion.
Next, the consultants considered the costs associated with each type 
of plant, in each location. Costs were reviewed, including both the 
building of the plants and the ongoing cost of operation and 
maintenance. Those costs were shown on charts and handouts given to 
the audience. Each was broken down to show the estimated costs and 
the annual cost if the construction is debentured over 20 years.
Three types of plant were investigated for each site: Rapid Sand, 
Slow Sand and Membrane Filtration. Costing for each type were 
presented in a handout and on information sheets given out during the 
meeting.
A member of the audience questioned the operating and maintenance 
costs presented, warning that Wikwemikong had found the costs of 
their membrane plant far exceeded initial estimates.
"Be prepared," he warned.
"I was astounded at the very wide range of material costs we received 
in each quote," said Mr. Rohn, to the nodded agreement of other 
committee members. "They covered an unbelievable range, we thought at 
first there had been some kind of mistake."
The time frame for completion of the plant was also questioned, with 
doubts expressed as to whether a completion date of next spring was 
realistic, given the limited number of qualified contractors and the 
number of plants currently under construction.
The committee, noted Mr. Rohn, was aware of those issues and it was 
expected that when the process was fully underway there would be some 
leeway available from the Ministry for unavoidable delays.
The meeting ended with members of the Sunsite Estates delegation 
expressing continued dissatisfaction over what appears to them to be 
a foregone conclusion which will see them paying more for water than 
other Assiginack residents. While the province makes no distinction 
between the small communities within larger amalgamations when 
funding water plants, the power of voting blocks within those 
communities means a great disparity between what each sub-community 
will pay when the final bill arrives in the mail.

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