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March is approaching and with it news of IESO approvals. We will update everyone as soon as possible when there is news on the status the projects proposed for Addington Highlands and North Frontenac. Between now and then we are working to keep the pressure on the IESO and other decision makers. Over the next few weeks, you can expect to see a number of press releases. We will also be asking for community support with letter writing campaigns and petitions. These campaigns will be vital and your support is always appreciated. Stay tuned!
There have been a few interesting articles written over the past few weeks on the topic of IWT's in rural communities, we've gathered the links below and hope you find them of interest. Thanks again for your continued support!
Rurals ignored in Ontario wind energy plan
The Ottawa Sun reported on Lessons learned from Ontario wind energy disputes, a paper by Stewart Fast, a professor at the University of Ottawa. The paper writes that the 2009 Green Energy Act gave little thought to the transformation that wind farms bring to rural communities.
Read the full article here
Read Lessons Learned from Ontario Wind Energy Disputes full paper here
Stewart Fast also published two other papers on the topic:
The Attitudes Towards New Renewable Energy Technologies in the Eastern Ontario Highlands (2012) and A Habermasian analysis of local renewable energy deliberations (2013)
Each of these papers speak to research done in Addington Highlands and North Frontenac specifically, citing the use of focus groups including "three township councillors, representatives from the two Conservation Authorities and the two Counties with jurisdiction in the region, the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources, the local regional forest management company, and the local regional tourism association." Some people may remember receiving a survey used to support Stewart Fast's research.
The 2012 paper states that at that time "three private wind development companies" had already "expressed interest in developing wind farms along ridges in the northern part of the study area"
The painful realities of Ontario’s failed green energy experiment
Electrical Business magazine published an article in their January issue calling out a number of issues with the Green Energy Act. "The Province of Ontario, sadly, is a classic example of how not to tackle fossil fuels. Why? Because of green." The article cites a minimum loss of $54 billion dollars over the next 20 years because of the Green Energy act, a 50% oversupply of electricity produced in 2015, and a cost of 2.6 billion to export power from Ontario to the US from 2006-2013.
Endangered turtle key to Amherst Island project opposition
The Kingston Whig reported on the Amherst Island Environmental Review Tribunal writing "Evidence that Blanding’s turtles live on the island could be critical to the project’s opponents." This should act as a reminder of the importance to keep the endangered species of our areas in mind. Amherst Island residents were instructed on how to properly document sightings of Blanding’s turtles, including taking photographs and noting precise locations, time of year and weather conditions to be submitted to the provincial Ministry of Natural Resources.
Read the full article here
How mismanagement of Ontario’s power system affects you
Parker Gallant, vice president of Wind Concerns Ontario, wrote a piece for Ontario Farmer outlining the costs of our provinces power system and how it affects you. There are "530,000 households in a state of “energy poverty,” says the Ontario Energy Board – they can’t pay their bills."
Read Parker Gallant's article here