Dam appeal to be heard Friday

FORT FRANCES—The Ontario Municipal Board will hold a hearing here Friday morning of an application of objection to Abitibi-Consolidated’s proposal to separate the power dam from its mill here.
The public is invited to attend the hearing, which will take place at 9 a.m. in Room C-150 at Confederation College.
The application of objection was filed in August by Toronto law firm Caley Wray, representing appellant Allan T. Bedard with the support of the Communications Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.
This was made in response to a set of 11 applications from Abitibi-Consolidated, all of which had to do with separating the mill’s power-generating assets from its pulp and paper assets here, which first went before the town’s committee of adjustment in July.
These applications were approved by that committee July 17.
Then there was a 20-day appeal period, during which time Bedard filed the appeal.
Both the approved applications and the appeal then were sent on to the OMB in late August.
Local unions made a plea to town council Aug. 28 to stop Abitibi’s application process and take more time to study the issue before forwarding the applications approved by the committee of adjustment to the OMB.
Union members at that time expressed concern a new separate power company would sell electricity back to the pulp and paper mill at a rate which would affect its viability.
But at that same meeting, it was revealed council cannot, under the Planning Act, overturn a judgment made by the committee of adjustment.
When contacted Wednesday, Bedard declined to comment “because of the legal sensitivity of the legal proceedings on Friday morning.”
He deferred any further comment to Caley Wray lawyer Ken Steubing.
Steubing was not expected to be in town until after press time Thursday.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)