As president of the Bipole III Coalition, I wholeheartedly support the position outlined in Pallister says party would re-evaluate Bipole III if elected (Sep 16).
Our organization, composed of retired engineers and Hydro executives as well as landowners, has consistently condemned the Bipole III route selected.
The original reason for rerouting the line to the west side of the province near the Saskatchewan border no longer exists, as the application for the UNESCO World Heritage Site designation of the east-side boreal forest has been denied pending submission of further information. The rejection of the application had nothing to do with the presence of structures, but with a failure to prove aboriginal connectivity to the land.
The road now being built through the area, while sorely needed, will be far more disruptive to the natural environment than any transmission line.
This line will exist for more than 200 years -- we must get it right. It's foolish to proceed with building a line in a location condemned by all the experts and with a strong chance of being stopped.