Residents in Quebec’s Eastern Townships express concerns over a new Hydro-Québec project that may disrupt their scenic landscape and community.
Brome-Missisquoi: A new Hydro-Québec project is stirring up worries among locals. Residents are anxious about how a new electrical substation might change their beautiful rural area.
Peter Smale, Jasmin Preville, and Nancy Benitz live on Riddell Road, right between Sutton and Lac-Brome. They love their picturesque neighborhood, especially in the summer when cyclists come to enjoy the scenery.
But now, they’ve learned that Hydro-Québec is eyeing a large piece of land at the end of their road for a substation. This isn’t just any small project; it’s massive—about the size of seven football fields!
Smale pointed out that this project feels out of place in their agricultural and scenic community. He’s worried about how the new transmission line will look, especially with those tall metal towers that could ruin the views.
Communication from Hydro-Québec has also been a big issue. The trio feels the company isn’t being straightforward about the project. They mentioned a public webinar that was announced just two days before it happened, which didn’t give people much time to prepare.
Plus, the webinar was only in French, which doesn’t sit well with the 60% of the local population that speaks English. Preville expressed frustration over the lack of English communication.
Hydro-Québec’s spokesperson, Pascale Poinlane, admitted that not all information has been available in English but assured that they’re trying to improve. He explained that the current electrical system is outdated and overloaded, leading to frequent outages.
He emphasized that no final decisions have been made about the substation’s location yet, as they’re still in the study and consultation phase. The goal is to ensure the power system can meet modern needs.
While locals are worried about the size and visibility of the new infrastructure, Poinlane explained that the current wooden poles can’t support the new, heavier lines. They need to be higher off the ground for safety.
Residents are understandably anxious about the ecological impact of this upgrade. They want to ensure their community remains the charming place they love.
The study phase for the substation started last fall and is expected to continue until the end of 2025, with plans for the project to be operational by 2028.
