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jeicow

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THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
End of an era not far off for Lakeview's Four Sisters
Power generating station slated for demolition

JOHN STEWART
May 29, 2006

The stacks of the Lakeview Generating Station, symbolic of a bygone industrial era, will soon be blasted into history.

"It's certainly the passing of an era," said Jayme Gaspar, executive director of Heritage Mississauga, on Friday. "Another part of our history is being taken down."

On June 12, contractors for Ontario Power Generation (OPG) will detonate several blasts to remove the stacks, known as the Four Sisters, from the landscape.

"They are a landmark, for sailors, for pilots and for the community," said Gaspar, adding she understands the stacks must be removed to make way for potential redevelopment.

"We are making sure the site is in a safe and secure condition," said John Earl, spokesman for OPG. "We're working toward a brown-fields situation where the property could be used again in an industrial process. Although we have no specific plans for it at this time, this property is still a valuable asset to the company and we believe it could be a prime site for electrical generation."

More than 100 people turned up Thursday afternoon for a public information forum hosted by OPG and Murray Demolition. Officials answered questions about the timing of the removal of the stacks, equipment and buildings set to come down over the next two years.

A couple of service buildings will remain because they could be valuable to future purchasers.

"It is unique even by Ontario Hydro standards," said Richard Collins, past president of the Mississauga South Historical Society. "It was the largest-scale development of its kind at the time."

Although the structures are anything but pretty, Collins said they are typical of their era.

"They might be ugly, but they're part of the neighbourhood," he said.

The Four Sisters are legendary landmarks for sailors. On a clear day they can be seen from Welland.

"They are marked as 'conspicuous' on navigation charts," said Collins. "You can see them from a long way away and take your bearings from them. People are going to miss it because Lakeview was unique."

The City of Mississauga will review designated land uses for the property as it updates the Lakeview District Plan.
 
Please keep me informed as to the blast time. I can see them very clearly from my place (well, except for the smog today).
 
Four Sisters should have been Saved

I personally wanted the stacks saved. To many they are a landmark, for boaters on the lake, to bikers along the waterfront trail, to drivers on Lakeshore and commuters on the GO line.

It's like Mississauga's version of the Nuclear Power Plant in Springfield on the Simpsons. It's something unique to Mississauga.

If we had some vision and political will we could turn the plant into a massive new art gllery, like the Tate Modern in London.

At the very least, and at one meeting the developer of the Port Credit Village project agreed with me, we could tear down the station, but keep the stacks in tact as a piece of art and history. Similiar to what they did with the off ramps off when the eastern part of the Gardiner Expressway came down.

Louroz
 
Re: Four Sisters should have been Saved

I agree FM. In a city with so little standing history, it'll be sad to see them go.
 
I second that motion FM. The station probably has to go but why not keep the tower landmarks even if we don't have the vision to deal with them in the short-term?
 
Re: Four Sisters should have been Saved

It's funny, the site where the plant is now was "the site of the first commercial air training airport in Canada and the home for many war time munitions plants during World War II. The Lakeview location is documented by the presence of Aviation Road running south off Lakeshore Road just west of Cawthra Road. The site is further acknowledged by National Historic Plaque #1166" It also was a major transportation hub for pilots during WWII but all that history got destroyed when they put up the Generating Plant. There’s actually a book I need to get from the library about Port Credit and Lakeview and how the generators for it had to be brought in on specially designed train cars, which were the largest built at the time.

Btw, the plaque they have near it is the most pathetic thing you’ll ever see. It’s set back from the road, next to a row of bushes that usually overgrows it, and unless you know it’s there you’ll never see it.
 
Re: Four Sisters should have been Saved

While I do think that preservation is an option that should be considered in cases like this, there are many cases where it doesnt make a lot of sense either. First and foremost is the issue of safety. Stacks are constantly monitored and maintained when plants are in use to ensure their structural integrity. Once this process stops, they can quickly become hazards, which is why stacks are usually demolished fairly soon after a plant or factory has been decomissioned.

There is also the cost involved in rehabilitating or adapting plants such as Lakeview. Chemical and asbestos cleanup alone can be rather expensive on there own, and of course, structural work can range greatly depending on the condition of the facility.

Industrial restoration and readaption projects are great when they can work. But the cost of these projects can be enourmous and the bigger the building, the harder it is to create a project that can cover the cost of conversion.

It would be nice if sites such as Lakeview and Hearn could have a second life. But since no one person or group has ever put forward a plan that would make their preservation feasible, its no real lose. I'd rather see them destroyed as quickly as possible and the land used for other purposes instead of letting structures like Lakeview become rotting, dangerous, industrial relics.
 
Re: Four Sisters should have been Saved

Jeicow: I agree with you about the plaque. I have seen it but it is not obvius to most people.

The Arsenal lands, a little to the east, are now an undeveloped city park, but some kind of park development is about to happen. This may provide the chance to recognize the history of the area a little better. Both the former Arsenal and the old air base could be recognized as part of Canadian history with larger plaques or interpretive signs with old photographs, etc.
 
The Four Sisters are legendary landmarks for sailors. On a clear day they can be seen from Welland.
Click to expand...

My dad owned a boat back when I was a kid living in Burlington. The four sisters were our bearing point when heading for Toronto. Just keep the bow pointed to those four stacks, and you are on your way to T.O.

Greg
 
Blast is scheduled for Monday, June 12 at 7:30 a.m.

The city of Mississauga is looking at recovering/preserving large pieces of the stacks/building for a future waterfront park.

Louroz
 
Thanks! I'll make a point to watch it from a distance over breakfast before heading to work. Also surprised it's planned for a Monday, rather than a weekend.
 
I won't make the crosstown trip to see the demolition, but chances are somebody will get a video of it and post it on YouTube for all to see!
 
Reminder, the 'Four Sisters' are coming down Monday morning at 7:30. I believe it's being carried on Breakfast Television
 
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