Close to 200 people joined together in Bala Saturday to protest a controversial power dam project.
The rally was held near the Bala Falls, where Swift River Energy wants to build a power dam. The company started preliminary drilling work for the project earlier this year, but it was halted. Rally organizers say they feel they still have time to stop it.
They're sending a petition to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne asking her to intervene, saying safety near the falls is their main concern.
One concern, according to Mitchell Shnier, is the dam will create “treacherously turbulent water just feet from where for over 100 years, children, families and visitors have played in otherwise serene North Bala Falls.”
“Our job is to make sure people understand the situation this would create,” he says.
Representatives from Swift River Energy have not returned CTV’s request for comment on the protest. In the past, the company has said the project will not adversely affect the falls and has said the plant will be underground about 10 metres away from the falls.
On its website, Swift River says it's currently completing the detailed design for the project, negotiating equipment supply contracts and getting the required permits and approvals.
