Mortelliti's motion may be jumping the gun
Editorial

There is a definite possibility that a parcel of land in King Township, potentially in the area of the Holland Marsh, might be chosen as the prime spot for a natural gas-fired power generating station. It's also true that a number of King Township residents have also raised their voices in opposition to such a plant being placed within this municipality.

In that regard, we have to applaud the latest move of Councillor Cleve Mortelliti to obtain a definite position from Township council on this idea.

He has put forth a notice of motion, slated to be debated at the April 28 council meeting, calling on the Township to send a communication to the Ontario Power Authority, stating that King "does not intend to accept any proposal for a natural gas-fired power generation facility."

The motion went on to say such a facility would be more appropriate in a commercial or industrial area.

This motion seems to accurately reflect the will of King Township residents, at least the ones who have been heard so far. If there are any people living in the municipality who like this idea, they have been very quiet thus far.

But our concern is this motion, if successful, will close the door on any proposal, before it has been heard. That would be decisive, to be sure, but is there also a danger that it could be premature?

Assuming a property in King gets the nod (and it's important to point out that nothing has been decided yet), then the Township will be called upon to deal with issues of zoning, building permits, etc. Does the municipality want to go on the record of having opposed something before it was even formally proposed? Is there not a danger that such quick action could come back to haunt the Township, in the event of an appeal?

There are people in King who are speaking loudly in their opposition to the possibility of such a plant being placed here, and we respect Mortelliti for trying to respond to their concerns.

But we also have to hope that no one is jumping the gun in this case.