Landmark smokestacks toppled in Mississauga

[GLF]

Hundreds of spectators turned out to watch the implosion of the Lakeview Generating Station's smokestacks known as the Four Sisters, which have dominated Mississauga's waterfront for more than four decades.

At 7:30 a.m. on Monday, the four smokestacks came tumbling down in a controlled explosion.

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion was among dignitaries who gathered in a nearby park to watch the demolition.

"This has been a landmark in the city of Mississauga. It has been a landmark for sailors, for boaters, especially for the fishing boats," said McCallion.

The generating plant was built on the shores of Lake Ontario in 1961. At the time, it was the largest coal-fired power plant in the world.

But while the four smokestacks have been a part of the landscape for 43 years, the generating plant has also been a major pollution contributor.

McCallion said she hopes that if another generating plant is built on the site, it's a cleaner-operating one.

Ontario Power Generation, the utility that generates most of the province's electricity, has not yet announced what the site will be used for in the future, though it will remain industrial.

Now that the smokestacks have been demolished, crews will begin dismantling the remainder of the generating station on the 21-hectare site.

[SkeinMachine]

You can watch it HERE.