SW
STANDINGWAVES
FROM THE FRONTLINES
I’m begging for your help here. For years you’ve been reading my col- umn in Rapid. All this time, I’ve been sharing stories of what rivers mean to various people, and thereby trying to express what they mean to all of us. But now I don’t need to make allusions or find connections. Now it’s my river that is in trouble. Here’s the deal. The Petawawa is a major tributary to the Ottawa Riv-
er, draining the east side of Ontario’s iconic Algonquin Park. It hosts the east’s favorite and most accessible multi-day whitewater canoe trip, On- tario’s best full-day river run on the Upper Pet, and defines an urban play river. Long before other communities invested millions in creating white- water parks, the Petawawa’s natural flow through its namesake town has always been just that. Three big drops and a half dozen play spots form the heart of downtown
Petawawa—the riverbanks are lined with parks, walking paths and swim- ming beaches. Kayakers are a staple of the community all summer long, with a shuttle that is easier to walk than drive. Here’s the deal breaker. The river will be dammed and with it the urban
whitewater damned. The town and the river are inextricably entwined. It really is the defining feature and very soul of Petawawa. As part of Ontario’s Green Energy initiative, Xeneca Power Development
Inc. secured permits for two hydro projects on the river. The two proposed dams would create power at high demand times, otherwise holding water
18 RAPID EARLY SUMMER 2011
UGLY TRUTHS SURFACE WHEN THE FIGHT FOR A RIVER IS YOUR OWN
back. This means the outflow will yo-yo on a daily basis, from dry river bed to high water, disrupting the aquatic environment, washing away beaches and endangering swimmers, boaters and fishermen. There are absolutely zero benefits directed towards the community: no
jobs, no consideration for social costs, no input from the people who live here. For these five megawatts trickled into the grid, the town of Petawawa will lose its river. I could go on, but I just get pissed off. This is difficult for me to write because it is very personal. What really
upsets me isn’t the developer-biased legislation, loss to the community or losing great play spots. It’s trying to sort out how losing this river affects who I am. I live here because of this river. Sense of place plays large in my life. I’ve
had the opportunity to work around the world and have seen how discon- nected many people are from their natural and social environments. I’ve chosen to return to where I grew up because I recognize it defines me as much as my family, my job and the things I do for fun. If this river goes, what does that say about me? A distant financial deal is going to affect where I live, the way I live and
undermine my basic belief in my country. If I knew it was for sale, I would have bought the goddamned hydro permit myself. I have this overriding need to do more when there is nothing more to do. I’ve written passionate letters (several times) and received unfulfilling form
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