Trevor Donald has concerns about NB Power’s plan to twin the high voltage power lines that run past his parents house on Babcock Road in Upper Sackville, and he’s hoping that Tantramar council will take an official stance against the project.

Donald will be presenting to Tantramar council next week, on behalf of his family, who before January lived in the Sackville Local Service District, and didn’t have local representation.

An outbuilding on the Donalds’ property is about 260 feet from the right of way for the existing 345 kilovolt line, which crosses Route 940 just before Upper Aboujagane Road. The Donalds are concerned that right-of-way will need to expand to accommodate a second 345 kilovolt line, bringing the cleared right-of-way that much closer to their home.

The proposed new line would run from Salisbury, through Memramcook, and all the way to the Nova Scotia border, where it would continue on to Onslow, Nova Scotia. The total cross-provincial project is 160 kilometres long, and involves constructing 447 new structures. 65 kilometres of wire and 181 structures would be required in New Brunswick, built by NB Power.

Panel image from Nova Scotia Power, who were also part of the July 2023 open house at the Tantramar Civic Centre. Photo: Erica Butler

NB Power did not respond to multiple CHMA requests for interviews, but spokesperson Dominique Couture provided some responses by email. Couture would not say how much the project is estimated to cost.

Currently, NB Power is in the first phase of the project: land rights acquisition. The utility hosted a series of open houses in July to inform owners whose land will be affected, but Donald says the session his father attended at the Tantramar Civic Centre was mostly “promotional”, and didn’t include concrete information or resources for affected landowners.

A surveyor could cost between $1500 to $2000, says Donald, but there was no mention of covering that cost. And the issue of “injurious affection”, where before and after assessments determine the effect of a project on a property’s value, was also not mentioned. “None of this is discussed,” says Donald. “It’s just kind of like, here’s a pamphlet. And then the pamphlet also had the threat of expropriation… Like if we don’t get what we want, we’ll just expropriate, and then you’ll be negotiated with after the project.”

Materials distributed by NB Power outline a compensation process based on estimates from an independent appraisal firm, but also state that the utility may be required to use the Expropriation Act in some cases where the project timeline is compromised, or the title to the land is not clear.

NB Power map of the transmission line crossing above Silver Lake. Photo: Erica Butler

Donald says that there’s a history of expropriation when the original line was built. “They did expropriate property, and they did negotiate with landowners when they put that line in,” says Donald. “And from what I can tell it was not a pleasant process for a lot of people.”

Donald’s issues with the project range from concern for the health and well being of local people and the local environment, the decline of property values, and the fact that the aggressive timeline could mean large numbers of expropriations. He also wonders if there’s a case for the expansion project in the first place.

“The question will remain is the project needed,” says Donald. “That’s going to take a lot of high up policymakers to go over the numbers and make that decision and present options. And I don’t think that those have been adequately looked at.”

Transmission upgrades needed for low carbon future, says Conservation Council

Dr. Moe Qureshi has a different perspective on the transmission line project. As Manager of Climate Solutions for the Conservation Council of New Brunswick, he sees the extra high-voltage line as a vital upgrade to the region’s grid, though he says to make it happen, NB Power needs to tred carefully in how it consults those involved.

Coincidentally, the Conservation Council is releasing a “best practices in community engagement guide for energy projects” next week, and Qureshi is hoping that NB Power will follow it.

The utility needs to communicate “in a meaningful way, in a timely way, and in an inclusive way,” says Qureshi, “including all the stakeholders involved, every step of the way. But regardless, I do think that transmission is a big part of our energy future. The grid that we have right now is simply not reliable or sustainable.”

Transmission of electricity will become more important as fossil fuels are phased out, says Qureshi. “In the future, once you don’t have as much oil or coal on the system, it might be an issue,” he says. “Let’s say it’s not really windy in New Brunswick today, you might need to import a lot more from Nova Scotia, for example. At the moment, you could just burn more fossil fuels to deal with it. But in the future, we can’t burn fossil fuels the same way, you’re going to have to find another solution to get that power. And that’s through transmission.”

Qureshi even thinks NB Power should consider expanding the voltage of the proposed line, to increase the capacity of energy flow. “This is a good start, but I think in terms of a net zero economy, we need to connect all of the Atlantic together somehow,” says Qureshi. “Because if Newfoundland is struggling to get energy from let’s say their hydro, then New Brunswick could be able to sell them our wind, and vice versa, right? So I think transmission is how we get off coal and other fossil fuels.”

NB Power is calling the new line a “Reliability Upgrade”, and Couture says the current line has failed five times since 1992, with the longest outage lasting about four days. “While failures are expected from time to time, having the second line will mitigate the impacts of these outages on customers,” writes Couture.

But the line also follows the route of the proposed and much debated Atlantic Loop, and could be considered part of the larger project. Initially, it’s expected that power will mainly flow into Nova Scotia, but the lines can flow in either direction.

Couture says the project is “a reliability upgrade to help address climate change challenges” and “it will help NB Power reduce overall GHG emissions in the region.” It’s also “a step in enabling secure bi-directional energy flows between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia,” says Couture.

Donald would like more detailed information. “Is there a way for Nova Scotia to become decarbonized without these huge transmission line projects?” he wonders. “I’d like to see the math on it, to be honest.”

Motion opposed to project to be presented next week

Donald will present his concerns to Tantramar council on Tuesday, September 12 at 7pm. With a career working for municipalities in Manitoba and Ontario, he’s no stranger to presenting at councils, but he says this is a new option for many of those affected by the transmission line project, because many of them didn’t have local government before January 1 this year.

As part of his presentation, Donald has prepared a motion that he hopes at least one councillor will be inspired to take on, taking a stance against the transmission line expansion. If a councillor chooses to make a Notice of Motion next week, the matter could come forward for consideration in October.

NB Power says it plans to complete its field studies and register an environmental impact assessment for the project this fall, and that negotiations with landowners will be ongoing.