Families take break from Thanksgiving to protest at Bala Falls

A good sized crowd gathered today at Bala Falls to once again voice their opposition to the planned Swift River Energy Ltd. hydro plant. At the rally, which was organized by Save The Bala Falls, many  wore the trademark red shirts carrying the group’s name. They gathered on Turtle Island and throughout the property where protester Peggy Peterson has been maintaining her 24 hour vigil for 42 days now. Participant John Wright tells the Moose there was a real sense of community at today’s rally. “It’s family time and people were out taking a break from family time to get the message out there that this thing needs to be stopped,” he said. About 200 people were in attendance and most posed for a group shot taken from out on the water. They were there primarily to send a message to Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne that they don’t want the plant in Bala. The earliest Swift River can make a move on the property is October 20th – the company recently rejected calls by the District of Muskoka to hold off until Wahta First Nation’s concerns are dealt with. The First Nation has told both the Province and the Federal government it was not consulted with adequately enough about the project, including the decision to ban portaging at the site. The portage is important to them as it was there that they first landed when they came to the area many years ago.  (Photo by Sandy Currie)