Category Archives: Renewable energy

Municipalities demand formal support be mandatory requirement for new wind power bids

17 Friday Jun 2016

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

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Since this news release was issued, two more municipalities in Ontario have asked the Wynne government to change the wind power bid process, so communities can plan for sustainable development — and not have power plants forced on them

NorthFrontenac

NEWS RELEASE

Plevna, June 15, 2016

Municipalities call on Ontario government to make municipal support mandatory for wind power bids

Seventy-five municipalities have now endorsed resolutions that call on Ontario’s Independent Electrical System Operator (IESO) to make formal Municipal Support a mandatory requirement in Ontario’s next round of procurement for renewable energy projects.

Mayor Ron Higgins of North Frontenac, who put forward a resolution now supported by other municipalities, says making municipal support mandatory is key to fairness in the process. “It will force proponents to seriously address local concerns when developing these proposals, rather than just going through the motions,” he says.

The IESO process allowed municipalities to express their concerns about wind power projects but that had little impact on the outcome, Higgins says. In spite of the fact that then Energy Minister Chiarelli said a contract in an unwilling community was “virtually impossible,” three of five wind power contracts were awarded in municipalities that did not support the projects proposed by developers.

The municipality of Dutton Dunwich, which also created a mandatory support motion, held a referendum on the wind power project bid there — 84 percent of residents said no. The municipality is now fighting a contract award.

Municipalities across Ontario support these resolutions, including former Energy Minister Chiarelli’s home municipality of Ottawa. Municipalities in Northern Ontario also endorse the resolution.

“Communities know what type of development is appropriate and sustainable,” says North Frontenac Mayor Higgins. “Our resolution points out that utility-scale wind power does not reduce greenhouse gas emissions or appreciably benefit the environment. In fact, in our case, it would have harmed it.”

The recent Environmental Review Tribunal decision revoking the approval for the Ostrander Point wind turbine project underscores the importance of community input into the process of awarding contracts and approving power projects. The community in Prince Edward County went through two appeal hearings and two hearings in court before succeeding in its goal of protecting the environment and endangered wildlife from a power project.

Recent feedback published by the IESO shows that the current bid process was resoundingly condemned by municipal officials and community groups for a lack of openness and transparency.

###

Contact:

Mayor Ron Higgins, North Frontenac, 613-884-9736

Mandatory Municipal Support Resolution

  1. Adelaide-Metcalfe, Middlesex County
  2. Alfred & Plantagenet, Prescott-Russell County
  3. Amaranth, Dufferin County
  4. Asphodel-Norwood. Peterborough County
  5. Algonquin Highlands, Haliburton County
  6. Arran-Elderslie, Bruce County
  7. Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Huron County
  8. Bayham, Elgin County
  9. Bluewater, Huron
  10. Brockton, Bruce
  11. Brooke-Alvinston, Lambton
  12. Bruce Mines, Algoma District
  13. Cavan-Monaghan, Peterborough
  14. Central Elgin, Elgin
  15. Central Huron, Huron
  16. Chamberlain, Timiskaming District
  17. Chatsworth, Grey County
  18. Clarington, Region of Durham
  19. Dutton-Dunwich, Elgin
  20. East Ferris, Nippissing District
  21. Elgin, County of
  22. Essex, Essex County
  23. Enniskillen, Lambton County
  24. Gananoque, Leeds and Grenville County
  25. Georgian Bluffs, Grey
  26. Grey Highlands, Grey
  27. Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Peterborough
  28. Hornepayne, Algoma
  29. Howick, Huron
  30. Huron, County of
  31. Huron-Kinloss, Bruce
  32. Kawartha Lakes, City of
  33. Killarney, Sudbury District
  34. Kincardine, Bruce
  35. Lakeshore, Essex
  36. Lambton, County of
  37. LaSalle, Essex
  38. Laurentian Hills, Renfrew County
  39. Leeds and the Thousand Island, Leeds and Grenville
  40. Lennox & Addington, County of
  41. Mapleton, Wellington
  42. Magnetawan, Parry Sound District
  43. Marathon, Thunder Bay District
  44. McDougall, Parry Sound
  45. McNabb Braeside, Renfrew County
  46. Meaford
  47. Newbury, Middlesex
  48. Mono, Dufferin County
  49. Morris-Turnberry, Huron
  50. Nairn and Hyman, Sudbury District
  51. North Frontenac, Frontenac County
  52. North Glengarry, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
  53. North Grenville, Leeds and Grenville
  54. North Perth, Perth
  55. North Stormont, Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
  56. Northern Bruce Peninsula, Bruce
  57. Ottawa, City of
  58. Peterborough, County of
  59. Plympton-Wyoming, Lambton
  60. Prescott-Russell, United Counties of
  61. Prince Edward, County of
  62. Rainy River, Rainy River District
  63. Ramara, Simcoe County
  64. South Bruce Peninsula, Bruce
  65. Southgate, Grey
  66. Tillsonburg, Oxford County
  67. Trent Lakes, Peterborough
  68. Tudor and Cashel, Hastings County
  69. Tweed, Hastings
  70. Val Rita-Harty, Cochrane District
  71. Warwick, Lambton
  72. Wainfleet, Niagara Region
  73. West Grey, Grey
  74. West Lincoln, Niagara
  75. Zorra, Oxford

Ottawa to Energy Minister: municipal support must be mandatory for wind power bids

15 Wednesday Jun 2016

Posted by in Ottawa, Renewable energy, Wind power

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Municipal approval key to sustainable development, Canada’s capital city tells the Wynne government

Ottawa: how about WE get to say what happens?
Ottawa: how about WE get to say what happens?

The City of Ottawa, Ontario’s second largest city and Canada’s capital, sent a letter to the Minister of Energy requesting a return of local land-use planning powers removed under the Green Energy Act.

Ottawa is a city but it also has a large rural area, which makes it a “draw” for wind power developers, Councillor Scott Moffatt wrote in the letter. Moffatt is Chair of the city’s Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee, and the representative for the rural Rideau-Goulbourn ward in the city.

The City is not opposed to renewable energy projects, the letter states, but because wind power projects have “significant implications” for planning, Ottawa believes their approval should “go through the existing planning framework that takes Ottawa’s Official Plan, community sustainability, and input of the community into consideration.”

Under the current Large Renewable Procurement process, Ottawa’s letter says, municipalities’ role is “consultative” only, and without “decision-making authority.”

The letter was sent to the former Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli, whose own riding is in Ottawa.

In 2013, the City supported a Not A Willing Host declaration by residents faced with a 20-megawatt wind power project that would have been close to hundreds of homes and a school.

See the letter from Ottawa here: OttawaLetter2016-05-30-minister-chiarelli-wind-power

The Ottawa resolution, passed unanimously at Council in May reads as follows. Ottawa is among 75 municipalities now requesting the IESO and the Ontario government to make municipal support a mandatory requirement for new wind power bids.

Ask the Province of Ontario to make the necessary legislative and/or regulatory changes to provide municipalities with a substantive and meaningful role in siting wind power projects and that the “Municipal Support Resolution” becomes a mandatory requirement in the IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator) process.

Wind turbines do not trump natural environment, Tribunal says

07 Tuesday Jun 2016

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

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The long awaited decision of the Environmental review Tribunal on the appeal of a proposed wind power project at Ostrander Point in Prince Edward County was released yesterday. The Tribunal says that due to the clear danger to endangered species, the proposed project — approved by the Ontario government — is “not consistent” with the goals of renewable energy policy.

South Shore Prince Edward County: wind power does not trump protection of natural environment [Photo Point 2 Point Foundation]

South Shore Prince Edward County: wind power does not trump protection of natural environment [Photo Point 2 Point Foundation]

The Kingston Whig-Standard, June 6, 2016

By Bruce Bell

PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY – It appears the gates to Ostrander Point are closed and there will be no turbines allowed entry.
An Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) issued it’s ruling early Monday, upholding an appeal of the nine-turbine project by the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists (PECFN), saying the installation of gates on access roads won’t adequately protect the population or habitat of Blanding’s turtles.
In their decision, ERT members Heather Gibbs and Robert Wright found “the remedies proposed by Ostrander [Gilead] and the Director are not appropriate in the unique circumstances of this case. The Tribunal finds that the appropriate remedy under s.145.2.1 (4) is to revoke the Director’s decision to issue the REA [Renewable Energy Approval].”
The issue has raged on since Gilead Power received their Renewable Energy Approval (REA) in 2012 It was almost immediately appealed by PECFN. Another appeal by the Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County, based on potential harm to humans was dismissed by the ERT
“We feel so vindicated with the decision,” said PECFN president Myrna Wood shortly after news of the decision was received. “Especially since the Tribunal said it understands how important renewable energy is to the future, but it cannot override harm to the species and their habitat.”
In 2013, the ERT upheld the PECFN appeal of the REA to Gilead Power — the first time an appeal of an REA under Ontario’s 2009 Green Energy laws had been successful. A year later, an Ontario Court reversed the ERT decision, only to see the Court of Appeal side with the PECFN earlier this year, but did allow for Gilead to propose remedial action to circumvent environmental damage.
“Our south shore is so important to so many species and that environment simply cannot be destroyed for the development of renewable energy,” she said. “We were the first appeal on environmental grounds and I think that will likely have an effect going forward and I would think that’s why we were fought so hard by the Ministry of Environment.”
The project would require the construction of more than five kilometres of access roads to construct and service the nine turbines and as part of the remedy, Gilead proposed to reduce traffic by installing gates
Wood said she wasn’t certain if there was another step Gilead Power could take following Monday’s decision.  …

Read the full news story here.

Citizens, municipalities say thumbs down on IESO wind power contract process

04 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by in Ottawa, Renewable energy, Wind power

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‘Resounding condemnation’ of wind power bid process: WCO on comments to IESO

The IESO asked for comments on its Large Renewable Procurement process. Looks like nobody is happy, least of all Ontario citizens and the municipalities that would be forced to have the power projects.

Communities have valid reasons for objecting to huge power projects but government is not listening [Photo: Prince Edward County]
Communities have valid reasons for objecting to huge power projects but government is not listening [Photo: Prince Edward County]

London Free Press, June 3, 2016John Miner

The agency setting the ground rules for the next multi-billion-dollar round of wind farm development in Ontario says it can only go so far to meet demands for changes in its program to acquire more electricity.

Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), which picked the winners in the last round, asked residents, wind farm developers, municipalities and First Nations how the controversial program could be improved.

A persistent theme in the 120 pages of responses was a call for municipalities to be given a veto over developments, a power stripped away by the Liberal government — to the anger of many municipalities — when it launched its green energy program.

“Municipal support must be a mandatory requirement. There must be greater consideration given to the impact of the power projects on the community, and on the people who must live near them,” wrote one respondent.

But Adam Butterfield, IESO’s manager of renewable energy procurement, said such a decision would have to be made by the provincial government.

“The feedback we get will be communicated up to the Ministry of Energy for them to consider any related policy changes. We provide our advice, as we always do, on these aspects. But at the end of the day there are some policy ones, such as the veto aspect, that are in the government’s purview,” he said.

In Southwestern Ontario, home to the largest wind farms in the province and the most wind turbines, the Liberal government’s decision to take away local control over where the highrise-sized turbines can be built left many centres joining a movement of so-called “unwilling host” communities for energy projects.

Butterfield said he doesn’t know how the government will respond to the latest feedback.

“To date they have been pretty firm that renewable energy is a provincial issue and so they haven’t been amenable to considering a (local) veto. We will provide the feedback up and see where things go over the course of the summer.”

Jane Wilson, president of Wind Concerns Ontario, a provincial coalition opposed to wind farms, said the survey responses show the process doesn’t respect Ontarians and their wishes for how their communities develop.

“The point is made repeatedly that the process for locating renewable power projects differs from any other sort of development — that there is little openness or transparency, and that municipalities ought to have real ‘say’ in where these power projects go,” Wilson wrote in an email.

“The comments are a resounding condemnation of the procurement process,” she added.

The IESO has been instructed by the government to procure another 600 megawatts of wind energy, with the contracts awarded by 2018.

The generating capacity is being added at a time when the IESO’s own forecasts project Ontario will remain in a surplus power position for at least a decade.

A report last year by Ontario’s auditor general concluded Ontarians paid $37  billion extra for power over the last eight years because of the government’s decisions to ignore its own planning process for new power generation projects.

Along with suggestions for a municipal veto, other respondents to the IESO survey called for more openness by companies about their plans and an end to non-disclosure agreements with property owners.

“Proponents intentionally misled, failed to follow the process (meeting and information distribution), and used other methods to ensure the community was misinformed and had little time to respond,” wrote one. …

Read the full news story here.

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Ottawa Wind Concerns Editor’s NOTE: As of today, 73 Ontario municipalities (the majority of communities that would be vulnerable to wind power projects) have passed a resolution stating that municipal support MUST be a mandatory requirement in future wind power bids. That list includes Ottawa.

Want to do something?

Write to the IESO: LRP@IESO.ca and tell them you agree, municipal support MUST be a mandatory requirement. You deserve a say in where power projects go.

Write to the Energy Ministry. By email: http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/en/contact-us/

By post: Ministry of Energy
900 Bay Street, 4th Floor
Hearst Block
Toronto ON M7A 2E1
Canada

And thank your Ottawa councillor for voting in favour of the mandatory support motion.

NoMeansNo_FB

You’re not listening to us: IESO publishes comments on renewable power bid process

31 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

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“Overwhelmingly fraudulent”; “we were ready with a team of lawyers”; “property values are decreased because of forced wind turbine projects” … and more.

Ontario community groups, municipal representatives and individual citizens responded to the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) request for feedback on its renewable power bid process.

The IESO published a summary of comments received in its online survey, yesterday.

Ottawa Wind Concerns was among the community groups responding to this survey.

Key issues were the fact that the process was difficult to understand, unfair to individuals and communities, and that so-called “community engagement” was a false promise, given that community support (or lack of it) was just one of the rated criteria in the bid process, not a mandatory requirement.

Municipal governments are forced to determine whether they support a power project with very little information, representatives said. The rated criteria activities to indicate community support were ineffective, said most of the municipal government representative responding: 70 percent said the activities prescribed were “somewhat” or “very” ineffective.

The mandatory meeting was set up in a format that was to leave everyone with the least amount of say as possible. There were large displays set up showing the project. There was no intention for any real interaction with the participants. We had to basically demand a question and answer period. Questions and answers in a public format is the way these mandatory meetings should be set up to ensure that the correct info is actually being presented.
The mandatory community engagement requirements and optional rated criteria community support activities were neither clear nor successful in raising awareness within the Project Community. How can a requirement to consult members of a community (and having owners sign a support form) on an existing line that had already been fully and duly permitted and that represents no new or additional impact for them be considered mandatory and successful in raising awareness or support for the project? The Rated Criteria points associated with obtaining a support resolution from the municipal council gives too much negotiation leverage to the Municipalities. Rated Criteria points should also be allocated following a prorated basis instead of a all or nothing basis, especially the ones associated with abutting landowners support.

Some respondents questioned the municipal support process, saying that councils ignored community wishes and/or had pecuniary interests in the proposed power projects.

I was part of the General Public who attended meetings and proposal meetings. Our elected officials were not responsive to the general public opinion which was 80% plus against the proposal so we had to fight our representatives. The process was very poor and at least 1 of our political persons refused to withdraw from voting and would directly benefit from the projects if approved. I felt like I lived in a 3rd world country.

Other respondents decried the loss of good Ontario farmland for power projects, and the social impact on communities when some landowners took out leases or accepted payments for support of abutting power projects.

Another concern was the communities and neighbours to power projects had no idea the bid was coming until it was put together.

Very simple. Let communities decide whether they want these projects or not. Let neighbors know from the very outset that their communities are being considered. Holding a propaganda session once the project is ready to be submitted is not community involvement.

The IESO document is available here.

ottawawindconcerns@gmail.com

House and wind turbine at Brinston, just south of Ottawa. Propaganda meetings are not 'community engagement' says an Ontario citizen

House and wind turbine at Brinston, just south of Ottawa. Propaganda meetings are not ‘community engagement’ says an Ontario citizen

 

 

Wynne government thumbs nose at Ontario’s small communities

31 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by in Ottawa, Renewable energy, Wind power

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While Manitoba is bending over backwards to foster cooperation and benefit for both rural and urban communities, the Ontario government is doing the opposite, says PostMedia writer Jim Merriam. In fact, the Wynne government has made it very clear what it thinks of rural/small-town Ontario –you’re there to supply our power and bury our garbage.

Orillia Packet, May 31, 2016

You tiny little annoying people...
You tiny little annoying people…

Rural-urban divide a wedge issue in Ontario

By Jim Merriam

Although Manitoba and Ontario are neighbours, their differences far outnumber their similarities.

One of these differences is the way their leaders treat the rural-urban divide.

Brian Pallister, recently elected Conservative premier of Manitoba, has coined two new words: “rurban” and “urbal,” according to the Western Producer.

The Manitoba premier is trying to create a new reality in Manitoba, wherein his urban members of the legislature care about rural areas and vice versa. He is trying to convince legislators that, “You do not think about yourself. You think about your team.”

The new boss went on to say “there are rural situations that many people in the city don’t fully appreciate.”

In contrast, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne has been all over the map on the same issue.

As recently as two years ago she denied the divide even existed. Then last November, she told a rural audience “the issue of bridging the rural-urban gap” has been on her mind since she was first elected in 2003.

The reasons for the divide are various, but some stand out.

No. 1 is the way this government has shoved industrial wind turbines down the throats of rural dwellers. The province is still approving new developments over the strongest objections of municipal leaders in a wide area of the province.

During the last provincial election, the Liberals told rural Ontarians their voices would be heard on wind farm developments.

Yet, in April, just weeks after awarding controversial contracts for five wind farms, Ontario said it’s opening bidding for double that amount of wind energy.

Recent approvals included a development in Dutton-Dunwich in southwestern Ontario where 84 per cent of residents who voted, didn’t want such developments.

In November 2013, Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli testified before a legislature committee that municipalities wouldn’t be given a veto over projects but it would be “very rare indeed” for any to be approved without local backing.

Garbage is another source of friction …

Read the full article here.

NOTE: The City of Ottawa does not presently have any wind power projects under contract, but the IESO is set to begin its new Large Renewable Procurement process later this summer. Eastern Ontario has a “green light” in the wind power expansion process. Earlier this month, Ottawa City Council unanimously passed a resolution asking that municipal support of power projects be a mandatory requirement for new bids.

ottawawindconcerns@gmail.com

Wind power contracting process trounces democracy in Ontario

19 Thursday May 2016

Posted by in Ottawa, Renewable energy, Wind power

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No one is forced to have wind turbines on their land, and communities shouldn’t be forced to have them, either.

Ontario Farmer, May 17, 2016

By Jane Wilson and Warren Howard

Recently, a Mitchell, Ont. resident wrote to Ontario Farmer saying that the wind turbine siting process seems fair to him: “no one [has been] forced to have a wind turbine.”

We beg to differ: with almost 2,600 industrial-scale wind turbines now operating or under construction, the fact is thousands of Ontario residents have been forced to live with wind turbines, without any effective say in the matter.

The decision to host wind turbines should not rest with the few individuals who lease land for the project, but also with the entire community; many people can be affected by this decision.

The Green Energy Act of 2009 removed local land-use planning for wind power projects, at the same time as it overrode 21 pieces of democratically passed pieces of legislation, including the Planning Act, the Heritage Act, the Environmental Bill of Rights — even the Places to Grow Old Act.

Can’t say NO

The result is a process in which citizens and their elected governments now have no “say” whatsoever. Ontario Minister of Energy Bob Chiarelli said this past March that it would be “virtually impossible” for a power developer to get a contract in a community that did not support turbines, but that’s exactly what happened.

It's 'impossible' to get a wind power contract without community support, Minister Chiarelli said. Turns out, it wasn't.
It’s ‘impossible’ to get a wind power contract without community support, Minister Chiarelli said. Turns out, it wasn’t.

Even a community that held a formal referendum, in which 84 per cent of residents said “no” to wind power, is now being forced to have turbines.

Compare this to the procedures for other forms of development: they are relatively open, in which the community is presented with detailed information and opportunities to comment on the type and scope of development proposed.

The opposite is true for industrial-scale wind power projects. Municipalities are asked for support with very little information on environmental, economic, or social impacts. In some cases, where the developer has determined formal municipal support is unlikely, the company simply files a document saying it “tried” to get municipal support but failed — the truth is, municipalities will meet with anyone. Failure to meet on such an important project should be a red flag to contracting authorities about the nature of the development and the degree of opposition to it.

The public information meetings held by developers often occur after municipal support is requested. A paper produced by a team of academics published this year termed these meetings “dog-and-pony shows” which is an indication of how much real information is offered.

Municipal support must be mandatory

Wind Concerns Ontario submitted a series of recommendations to the Independent Electricity Systems Operator (IESO) on the contracting process, which included: a requirement that all documents related to the project should be released prior to any public meeting or municipal consultation; the precise location of turbines must be revealed as well as a broader set of site considerations; there must be a process through which municipal government, community groups and individuals can comment on these documents and their accuracy; and last, municipal support must be a mandatory requirement of any contract bid.

It may be true as the letter writer suggests: no one is forced to have a turbine on their own property, but communities and neighbours should not be forced to have them either.

Before people sign for lease turbines, they need to talk to their neighbours (because the whole community will be affected by the decision to lease) and learn from the experiences in other communities where turbines are operating. They may discover that the small lease payments offered are not worth the impact on the community, and on their friends and neighbours.

The fact is, wind turbines result in high impact on communities for very little benefit. The Ontario government needs to respect the right of Ontario citizens to make decisions on wind power developments for themselves.

Jane Wilson is president of Wind Concerns Ontario. Warren Howard is a former municipal councillor for North Perth.

 

NoMeansNo_FB (2)

OTTAWA WIND CONCERNS NOTE: The City of Ottawa is among the 59 municipalities to date which have passed resolutions demanding that municipal support be a mandatory requirement for wind power contracts.

Ontario’s big green suicide plan: The Financial Post

17 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

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The end of Ontario’s lifetime of economic progress…

Environment Minister Murray : the first time assisted death has been tried on a whole province, says Kevin Libin

Environment Minister Murray : the first time assisted death has been tried on a whole province, says Kevin Libin

The Financial Post, May 17, 2016

To get an idea of what Ontario could look like a couple of decades out under Liberal energy minister Glen Murray’s “climate action plan” — which was revealed in detail in Monday’s Globe and Mail — who better to rely on than the man himself, Glen Murray?

Back in 2008, when he chaired the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, Murray — along with his acting CEO, Alex Wood, now executive director of the Ontario Climate Change Directorate — offered up a plan that looked remarkably similar to the new Liberal cabinet document. In fairness, the NRTEE document hardly offered the perniciously micro-managed prescriptions for people and businesses that Murray has graduated to now. And this new plan, billed by the Liberals as a “once-in-a-lifetime transformation” for Ontario’s economy, may also prove the end of Ontario’s lifetime of economic progress. In an era where assisted dying is the big thing with Liberals, this could be the first case where it’s tried on a province.

The leaked cabinet document, reportedly signed-off on by Premier Kathleen Wynne, lists a jaw-dropping 80 or so policies including: The eventual ban on heating new homes and buildings with natural gas, with only electric or geothermal being legal; $4 billion to be doled out by a “green bank,” funded by carbon taxes, to subsidize retrofits of buildings to get them off natural gas; the requirement that homes undergo an “energy-efficiency audit” before they can be sold; and a stack of rules, regulations and handouts to get an electric car into every two-car household within eight years, including rebates, free electric charging, and plug-in stations at every liquor store. Naturally, there will be billions more in traditional government-spending programs on public transit, bike paths, upgrades for schools and hospitals, and “research” funds and centres of climate excellence, not to mention new ethanol fuel standards that will gratify the Liberals’ top corporate donors in the biofuel lobby.

Read the full Comment here.

Councillor Moffatt demands more say in wind farm contracts

06 Friday May 2016

Posted by in Ottawa, Renewable energy, Wind power

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CBC News, May 5, 2016

As the Ontario government prepares to open a second, more ambitious round of bidding on large-scale renewable energy projects across the province, some Ottawa city councillors want more local control over where wind farms go.

“There’s no way for a municipality to express concerns about location, or if and when these projects would happen in our municipalities,” said Scott Moffatt, who represents the rural ward of Rideau-Goulbourn.

In March Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator awarded contracts to 16 renewable energy projects, three quarters of which had support from the local municipality, the government said at the time.

Five of the contracts were awarded to wind projects, including the 100-megawatt Nation Rise Wind Farm in North Stormont Township, a municipality which had previously declared itself an “unwilling host” to wind farms.

A motion approved Thursday by councillors on Ottawa’s agriculture and rural affairs committee urges the province to strengthen legislation to require municipal buy-in before contracts are awarded.

Communities want a voice, councillor says

Moffatt said communities want a voice in the planning process.

“This isn’t just for Ottawa. We’ve had this issue in the past in Ottawa, specifically in North Gower, but you look at Nation, you look at South Dundas and Brinston,” said Moffatt, describing proposed wind farm locations.

“Are those municipalities able to respond adequately or is the IESO just going to run roughshod over them? That’s the concern.”

In an email, a spokesperson for Ontario’s Energy Ministry said the government is proud of the 75 per cent support rate from municipalities for its first round of contract offers, and noted 60 per cent of neighbouring landowners also supported them.

“By putting emphasis on price and community support, we believe the right balance has been struck in early community engagement and reduced prices for consumers through the procurement process for renewable energy projects,” wrote the spokesperson.

930 megawatts sought in 2nd round

The IESO is gathering feedback on its first competition, and could use that information to fine-tune the process the second time around.

The Ontario government intends to issue a request for qualifications by August for projects that can generate a total of 930 megawatts of renewable energy, two thirds of which will go to wind farms.

That’s more than twice the size of the initial contract offer.

The ministry’s ultimate goal is to have 10,700 megawatts of wind-, solar-, and bioenergy-powered projects feeding the grid by 2021.

Municipal support must be mandatory for wind power contracts, says WCO

05 Thursday May 2016

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

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Coalition of community groups and Ontario citizens says planning process for industrial-scale wind power projects needs to be revised, with municipal support mandatory for any contract

Citizens have good reason for objecting to wind power plants, but government's not listening [Photo: Prince Edward County]

Citizens have good reason for objecting to wind power plants, but government’s not listening [Photo: Prince Edward County]

May 4, 2016

Wind Concerns Ontario submitted a series of recommendations to the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) as part of the “engagement” process on the Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) process on May 3rd.

In a letter to IESO CEO Bruce Campbell, WCO president Jane Wilson wrote:

WCO has been involved supporting individuals and community groups dealing with wind turbines imposed on communities since before the Green Energy Act was enacted. We saw the government’s commitment in 2012 that it would only place wind turbines in communities willing to host them as a positive first step toward addressing the concerns of rural Ontario.  The results from the RFP I process, however, made a complete mockery of this policy. The Minister of Energy stated as recently as March 7 that it would be “virtually impossible” for a contract to be awarded without municipal support.  Yet, three of the five successful bids for wind turbine contracts in LRP I were awarded to municipalities that did not support the project.

The wind power contracting process shows no respect for Ontario citizens and communities, Wilson said.

The key issue is: neither the government nor participants in the procurement process have listened to valid community concerns or displayed any learning from problems created by the existing projects. Most people in rural Ontario seem to know more about the impact of wind turbines (economic, environmental, societal) than the people proposing projects, who continue to use outdated and limited information to support their proposals.  Far from streamlining the process, the Green Energy and Economy Act has created a confrontational environment.  Based on local activities such as municipal resolutions, public demonstrations and media stories, it is clear this situation is not going to change until provincial government agencies deal seriously with the problems that have been created by wind turbine projects to date.

WCO recommendations: let communities choose

The recommendations to change the RFQ and RFP process as well as the generic contract are driven by four objectives.

  • Activities within the process need to be consistent with the high levels of openness and transparency that the provincial government expects of agencies and municipalities.
  • Full disclosure of project information is needed to allow the community to provide meaningful feedback.
  • Mechanisms need to be included within the process to measure the responsiveness of proponents to input from the community.
  • The process needs to place value on and respect for community views on proposed projects.

Among the recommendations was the need for municipal support to be mandatory. “More than 90 municipalities have declared themselves ‘unwilling hosts’ to wind power projects,” says president Jane Wilson. “They have good reasons for that. But this government has no respect for Ontario citizens and their elected governments, who want to plan what is appropriate and sustainable for their own community.”

 

Highlights of WCO Recommendations:

Qualification of bidders

Failure to deliver past projects on time should result in disqualification of bidders

Inappropriate behaviours or actions such as clearing land that is habitat for endangered species while a project is still under appeal, should result in disqualification as a bidder

The qualifications of proponent team members should be evaluated: “experts” in noise and health impacts for example, should have appropriate training/education and proper professional credentials

 

Community engagement

“Engagement” should not be confused with “support”

Public meetings should be more accessible and greater in number, and take place before a municipality is called upon to determine whether it supports a wind power project bid

Communities need much more detail about projects than they were given under FIT or LRP I

Proponents should disclose and have available the full range of documentation on impacts of the proposal including impacts due to environmental noise (potential for adverse health effects), and effect on property value as well as other economic considerations (e.g., airport operations, tourism)

Municipal support must be a mandatory requirement in contract bids

Proponent engagement with Aboriginal communities should be subject to the same disclosure requirements as for other communities

Site considerations

IESO needs to do an independent technical review of proponent submissions

Municipal support

Full documentation should be provided to municipalities prior to bid submission, so that local governments can review the information and comment as to completeness and accuracy

Again, a resolution of support from a municipality must be a mandatory requirement for a bid in the RFP process

contact@windconcernsontario.ca