I recently learned that Hydro One and the Ontario government have proposed a high voltage powerline to be carved through farms, homes and Carolinian forest for their "Windsor Lakeshore Power Line" project.

The 2 proposed routes would cut through ecologically sensitive forested areas on private property (requiring clearcutting old growth trees, including the biggest Chinquapin oak I have ever seen in Ontario and 3 old growth white oaks that are over 200 years in age).

The screenshots below show where the two routes would be clearcutting through forests in Woodslee.

Here is the interactive map showing the two proposed routes so you can see for yourself where they intend to clearcut forest.

(route 2)

(route 1)

Here is a picture of a Chinquapin oak that is in the intended pathway for the powerline in route 1 above (the tree is over 12 feet in circumference at 5 feet off the ground, likely over 250 years old).

We live in a time when governments and corporations are arriving at our front doors with a smile on their face telling us we need to allow them to seize our land in the name of “the public good” so they can clearcut the old growth trees and build industrial scale powerlines to perpetuate and scale up their racketeering operations (for electric car factories, industrial chemical soaked hydroponic grow operations and Data Centers). They tell us it is “sustainable development” they inform us that they do not care that 200 year old plus oaks will have to be cut down for their powerline to go on their intended route.

They talk about clearcutting some of the last bits of Carolinian Forest and old growth trees we have left in this county (after over a century of industrial development has decimated 99%+ of the old growth forests here) with euphemisms like “vegetation management” and they try to tell us this appalling ecologically degenerative behavior is “necessary”.

I refuse to buy nor tolerate their lies and nefarious behavior any longer.

The proposed Windsor Lakeshore Power Line Transmission Line threatens to obliterate sections of rare Carolinian Forest habitat. The power company (Hydro One) and government is attempting to force a choice between two needlessly ecologically devastating routes that would result in unacceptable ecological devastation.

These proposed powerline routes represent a serious misalignment between corporate interests and community values, and we need to make our voices heard to protect what forests we have left for future generations. Both routes represent a government-endorsed corporate intrusion into not only endangered forest habitat but people's homes and way of life. This isn't just about trees, it's about protecting the sacred for the 7th generation that comes after us and about standing in defense of what remains of the old growth Carolinian trees of southwestern Ontario within our lifetime.

The ecological impact of clearcutting these forested within their current proposed routes areas cannot be understated. 

For those that think this powerline is absolutely necessary (which it isn’t) it seems obvious to me that path of the powerline should be only going over land that is already deforested (which already makes up the vast majority of Essex county).

No one should have to sacrifice their farmland or their homes for projects like this (for “fair” compensation against their will) if they do not want to, but above all else, it is unthinkable that they would clearcut intact forest in this place that has so little forest left for a powerline.

We have been conditioned (through a lifetime of indoctrination) that it is “normal” and “acceptable” for a faceless entity called “government” to declare that people must uproot their lives and move out of the way when the machines of industry want to decimate the forests, wetlands and farmlands so that corporations can continue their march of profitable exploitation of the earth forward.

That conditioning obscures the reality of such an action from being seen for what it really is, for if someone without the proper uniform and papers were to arrive and demand that we leave our property “or else” and that they will give us “fair compensation” for the land, many of us would see them as organized criminals, and perhaps take physical action to defend the land we are stewarding. Yet, when this group of humans that call themselves “government” engage in this same behavior many lay down, move aside and accept their meager bribes telling ourselves “there is nothing you can do”.

There comes a time when the “sustainable development” and “necessary for the public good” rhetoric becomes so transparent and obviously a smokescreen for nefarious exploitation of the sacred lands we steward, that we must take a stand and say Enough Is Enough to protect what is left for future generations.

Now, is that time.

Consider the alternatives:

1. Rerouting the transmission line through already deforested farmland/or developed areas like roads. 
2. Utilizing existing infrastructure corridors to minimize new environmental footprints.
3. Investing in underground transmission technologies that circumvent the need for deforestation entirely.

4. Don't build it at all, it is a project mostly designed to benefit oligarchs and not local everyday people.

### Why This Matters

The Old growth Carolinian trees and forested riparian habitats are not a renewable resource. Once gone, it is a loss that will reverberate through generations. We have the power to stop this and we must demand more mindful and responsible interactions with this landscape that aligns with the needs and consent of the community it impacts.

### How You Can Help

Take a stand with us. Help safeguard Southwestern Ontario’s few remaining old growth trees and forested areas by urging policymakers to oppose the current proposals for the Windsor Lakeshore Power Line. Sign this petition to amplify our voices and show those in power that we will not stand idly by while our cherished Carolinian forest is put at risk.

Let’s work together to foster more honorable and ecologically sound options for powerlines and take steps to that protect our forests, our homes and our future.

Sign this petition and become a part of the movement to reroute, rethink, and rehabilitate strategies for infrastructure that respect and preserve the few forest ecosystems with old growth tress that we have left here.

We, the undersigned , strongly oppose the currently proposed route for the Windsor Lakeshore Power Line Transmission Line.