THUNDER BAY — The owners of eight properties along the corridor for the new Waasigan Transmission Line are the only remaining holdouts as Hydro One continues to acquire the land it needs for the project.
In November 2024, Hydro One applied to the Ontario Energy Board for an order granting it the authority to expropriate corridor easements on 31 parcels of land along the route between Shuniah and Atikokan.
By April of this year, however, the company had reached voluntary agreements with the owners of 18 properties, leaving 11 parcels in Thunder Bay and two parcels in Shuniah still subject to expropriation.
Now that number is down from 13 to just eight, as Hydro One has succeeded in negotiating settlements with five owners.
The 190-kilometre, 230 kV transmission line will pass through a total of 136 privately-held properties, for which the company must provide compensation.
The OEB authorized expropriation after determining the project is in the public interest.
It found that Hydro One had:
- demonstrated the necessity for expropriation
- minimized the land impact by expropriating only the smallest area necessary to construct the overhead transmission lines
- minimized the legal interest it sought to expropriate, as rather than seeking full ownership, it pursued permanent easements while allowing landowners to retain ownership and continue using their land where possible
The company has previously stated it hopes to complete the first phase of the Waasigan line as close to the end of this year as possible.
A second phase will extend the line from Atikokan to Dryden by 2027.
