As residents wait to see if a ban on the portage at Bala Falls will be reversed, supporters are talking up its rich history. Save the Bala Falls supporter Mitchell Shnier says prior to the ban, the MNR had asked people for historical facts about it, which was provided to the ministry…
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Thompson also documented that the portage was on the south side of the north falls, which people continued to use until recently. Swift River Energy Ltd.’s Project Manager Karen McGhee says Thompson’s portage was “100 yards to the right of the Falls”, which would put him in what is now the south channel and that the south channel was just a depression in the land then and was later excavated out when the south dam was constructed. “So yes it appears Thompson portaged on the south side of the north falls at Bala,” she said, “But not on the crown land the project will be on.” By the project, she is referring to the hydroelectric facility Swift River plans to build at Bala Falls. The portage is just part of the big picture when it comes to Save the Bala Falls’ concerns about the location and the controversial hydro plant which could go there…
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Ontario’s Court of Appeal could take months to reach a decision on the ban.