'A very small victory': Concerns remain as Richmond Hill asks Alectra to amend hydro poles

Province may change policy because of what happened on Leslie Street

Yorkregion.com
Aug. 20, 2021
Yoyo Yan

After back-and-forth negotiations for two months with Richmond Hill, Alectra Utilities has agreed to amend the hydro pole construction plan on a section of Leslie Street.

From late May to early June, Alectra installed an array of 80- to 95-foot-tall hydro poles along the western residential side of Leslie Street between Major Mackenzie Drive and Princeton Drive.

The newly erected poles sparked an outcry among the affected residents, raising concerns about impact on health, safety and property values.

Alectra has halted construction to review technical options and estimate cost since a Zoom town hall meeting was held June 15.

Now an alternative option has been proposed to transfer the existing street lights on the west side of Leslie Street onto the distribution poles, Richmond Hill Acting Mayor Joe DiPaola told residents at a Zoom meeting Aug. 11.

If those street lights were to be transferred at similar levels, overall pole heights could be reduced by approximately 10 feet. But the number of additional poles will not be known until assessments are done to ensure road illumination is maintained.

The proposed changes would result in a 3.5-month delay to the overall project, and the option is estimated at $3.5 million for the overhead wires section. The incremental cost of $200,000 will be covered by Alectra.

But the city will have to cover the cost of installation and transfer of the city street lights, or removal of existing street light poles.

DiPaola said that cost will be put on to future development charges for the businesses on the other side of Leslie so it won't be borne by taxpayers.

But concerns remain for residents who were upset by the poles right in front of their houses. They said they wonder why these poles cannot be relocated, and they worry about health and safety risks.

Underground is not an option for Alectra, as the cost is around $15 million, and it will take up to 12 months, according to Ward 3 Coun. Castro Liu.

However, according to DiPaola, Alectra is not compelled to make any changes to the approved project, but they are making concessions on goodwill and under threat that residents are serious about pursuing legal options.

“So, there is a very small victory in the fact that we have got them to see the light that they need to co-operate,” said DiPaola.

DiPaola said the issue has been brought to the attention of the province, because hydroelectric utility is currently not a consideration in the municipal planning process.

“They’re going to change the way decisions are made in the future because of what has happened here,” he said.