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NextBridge Designated Transmitter to build East-West Tie Line

NextBridge has been designated the Transmitter to build East-West Tie Line. This project will build the 450-kilometer, double-circuit transmission line from Thunder Bay to Wawa, known as the East-West Tie Line Project, to ensure the availability of reliable electricity across northern Ontario.

NextBridge began the bid process in 2013 for the development of the line, meaning engagement with the land owners, doing geotechnical surveys, etc.  HydroOne came in second in that bid process. NextBridge being the successful bidder, continued with developing their Leave to Construct. HydroOne looked at that application (Leave to Construct) in July 2017, looked at the values, costs to build, and decided that those costs were too much, and began to develop their own plan.

On January 17th, the leaders of six First Nations called on the Ontario Government to intervene and fix a broken process created by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB) and the previous Ontario government that ignores First Nations’ rights and northern development pertaining to a necessary and important electricity transmission project planned for Northern Ontario.

“The Government of Ontario needs to clean up a mess that was created by the previous government and grant NextBridge leave to construct the East West Tie Transmission Project,” says Chief Peter Collins, President of BLP. “NextBridge and the BLP First Nations have done all the hard work over the past five years, ensuring that the Duty to Consult and Accommodate was met. These are our lands, rights and welfare that stand to be most affected.”
It was explained that in late December when the OEB ordered that leave to construct the transmission line would go to the company that submits the lowest bid, without regard to legal rights of First Nations, or the real costs of this line. Hydro One came in at the eleventh hour to compete with the NextBridge line, and has not carried out the constitutionally-required Duty to Consult and Accommodate the BLP First Nations, and be built much later than the NextBridge-BLP one, causing delays of about two years and corresponding losses in economic development and risks to electrical reliability. There were also concerns that the Hydro One project was slated to go through Pukaskwa Park which is also subject to an aboriginal title claim.
“The competition to pursue this project was at the leave to develop stage in 2012. NextBridge was awarded that right, and then spent the next several years with BLP to ensure the line would be built the best way including for First Nations,” says Chief Collins. “The previous Ontario government left the door open for this second competition at the leave to construct stage, but it and the OEB failed to account for how that throws all the work already done into the bin, and creates delays, costs and breaches of First Nation rights.”
“Hydro One cannot calculate, or even make fair assumptions on cost, without first consulting with the First Nations and other affected communities, as NextBridge has done,” said Chief Collins. “The OEB or the Ontario Government need to fix this mess now and let NextBridge and BLP get on with constructing the line now. Our First Nations and the north have waited five long years for this transmission project. Enough is enough.”

Today, the Honourable Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, issued the following statement on the East-West Tie Line Project:

“Ontario’s Government working for the People has taken decisive action to designate NextBridge as the transmitter to build a 450-kilometer, double-circuit transmission line from Thunder Bay to Wawa, known as the East-West Tie Line Project, to ensure the availability of reliable electricity across northern Ontario.

“Maintaining reliability and cost efficiency is a top priority for our government. The East-West Tie Line has long been identified as a priority project to provide a consistent supply of electricity that supports economic growth, job creation, and resource development in northwestern Ontario.

“Unfortunately, the Ontario Energy Board’s review process has taken longer than expected, putting the timely construction of this necessary project at risk and potentially increasing costs for electricity customers.

“NextBridge is the right choice to quickly and efficiently complete the East-West Tie Line. NextBridge has finished the preliminary work necessary to complete the project, it has the support of local communities and First Nation and Métis partners, and the project sets in motion opportunities to create local employment for over 200 Indigenous people.

“Moving forward with the East-West Tie Line will support economic growth in northwestern Ontario, it is another signal that Ontario is Open for Business, and it connects northwestern communities and Indigenous people with immediate and future opportunities for good, local jobs.

“I look forward to continuing to work with NextBridge, the Ontario Energy Board, and local communities and Indigenous partners to ensure this necessary project is completed in a timely manner.”

Brenda Stockton
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