Tag Archives: Nation Township

What Premier Wynne doesn’t want you to know

05 Sunday Mar 2017

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

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What Kathleen Wynne isn’t telling you about hydro bills

Premier Wynne says she’s being ‘fair’ but she’s not telling you everything, says Wind Concerns Ontario… [PostMedia photo]

The Premier of Ontario put out a news release on March 2, claiming the government was going to reduce Ontario’s electricity or “hydro” bills substantially.“I’ve heard from you loud and clear,” Kathleen Wynne said in her statement. “Nobody should have to choose between keeping the lights on or buying groceries.”

The Ontario Liberal government still claims the high electricity prices were because of improvements it “had to” make to the system. The news release concluded with these statements.

“We are – and always will be – committed to making Ontario a fairer and more inclusive place for everyone. And fairness means ensuring government investments don’t disproportionately affect today’s electricity ratepayers. One generation of ratepayers should not have to pay for the sins of the past and for a system that will benefit Ontario for decades to come. So our plan reduces costs today and stretches out costs over the long term so rates are fairer for everyone.”

Fairness. We’ve heard that before, like “transparency.” But again, the government is being disingenuous. Its latest move is simply stretching out the costs of its policy decisions, not taking action to reduce costs. (Our favourite pronouncement on this comes from electricity analyst Bruce Sharp who calls this tactic, “delay and pray.”)

Not reducing costs

The truth is, the government has signed more expensive wind power contracts for power the province doesn’t need.

At the moment, these six contracts, awarded in 2016,  total $3.3 billion in costs over 20 years. In addition, there are five more contracts for wind power projects that were approved but which are not yet on the grid –including White Pines, Amherst Island and Fairview Wind which are all in legal contests– that add up to another $1.8 billion.

The total for wind power contracts awarded, which represents new costs no yet on Ontario electricity ratepayer bills, is $5.1 billion.

That is not “reducing costs today”.

The government needs to cancel the 2016 wind power contracts (which contain clauses for pre-construction liability should the government cancel), and buy out of other contracts.

 

2016 Contracts and 20-year costs

Otter Creek Chatham-Kent– $218 million

Romney Wind Chatham-Kent– $$261 million

Strong Breeze Dutton-Dunwich — $250 million

Eastern Fields The Nation Twp — $$139 million

Nation Rise North Stormont — $436 million

Henvey Inlet Parry Sound — $$2 billion

Source: IESO

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Related Stories: Kevin Libin in The Financial Post: http://business.financialpost.com/fp-comment/kevin-libin-kathleen-wynnes-sleazy-desperate-hydro-ploy-to-fool-ontarians-is-well-brilliant

Steve Aplin: http://canadianenergyissues.com/2017/02/23/torstar-inadvertently-hamfists-a-headline-thats-true-they-had-it-right-the-first-time-no-one-cant-you-read-that-right-cant-make-electricity-cheap-again/

Video of Kathleen Wynne announcement: http://news.nationalpost.com/full-comment/national-post-view-kathleen-wynnes-liberals-bail-themselves-out-with-public-money-again

 Reposted from Wind Concerns Ontario www.windconcernsontario.ca

Local MPPs present petitions to halt wind power contracts

06 Tuesday Dec 2016

Posted by in Ottawa, Renewable energy, Wind power

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No community support for greed in Nation Twp [Photo: Ontario Farmer]

No community support for greed in Nation Twp [Photo: Ontario Farmer]

December 6, 2016

Residents of Nation Township and North Stormont recently gathered signatures on a petition and letters demanding the Ontario government halt the Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) process permanently (it is currently “suspended”), cancel the LRP I contracts awarded for five wind power projects earlier this year, and cancel contracts for wind power projects that have not yet been built.

The Premier of Ontario recently admitted that her government’s energy policies were a “mistake” that resulted in higher costs for Ontario citizens.

The Ontario Association of Food Banks recently released its Hunger report, placing the blame for Ontario’s “shockingly high levels of food bank use” on the electricity bills, and other factors. Hydro rates have increased 3.5 times and “off-peak” rates are now eight times what they were. Remedies proposed by the Wynne government, the association says, are a “drop in the bucket.”

The petitions filed at Queen’s Park yesterday refer to the high electricity rates and growing poverty and also to the fact that the Wynne government, specifically Energy Minister Glenn Thibeault, says it now has a “robust supply of power” for the years ahead.

So why pay out the millions for these new contracts, for power we don’t need, say the residents.

MPPs Jim McDonell and Grant Crack (the LIBERAL MPP for Glengarry-Prescott-Russell) read the petitions in the Legislature yesterday, while representatives of Save The Nation/Sauvons La Nation and Concerned Citizens of North Stormont watched from the Gallery.

A story on the petition may be found here.

Here are the details for the five contracts awarded by the IESO last spring.

Project name Capacity MW 20-yr cost $ Max payout liability $
Otter Creek 50 218 million 500,000
Romney Wind 60 261 million 520,000
Strong Breeze 57 250 million 515,000
Eastern Fields (Nation Twp) 32 139 million 464,000
Nation Rise (N Stormont) 100 436 million 600,000

Source: data from IESO contracts

 

Seismic effects of wind turbines affecting wells “across Ontario” says groundwater association

16 Saturday Jul 2016

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

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July 16, 2016

Here is a podcast from News 1310 Carol Anne Meehan show with an interview she did with Water Wells First Kevin Jakubec of Dover Township on the effect wind turbines have had on the groundwater and local wells for homes and farms.

His group is reacting to three years of disturbed wells, due to nearby wind turbines. The wind power developer has offered bottled water to residents … not much help for farm owners with livestock.

Water Wells First has demanded the resignation of the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Glen Murray.

http://www.1310news.com/audio/the-carol-anne-meehan-show/

Our question: what will be the effect of the vibrations from the construction and operation of wind turbines in Nation Township which everyone knows is sitting on Leda Clay?

Landowners need to consider this before signing any option or lease.

Intense community backlash but Ontario still plans new wind power contracts

03 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

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Communities may have “more say” in the wind power project selection process but they still can’t “say” NO. Meanwhile, Ontario is set to dole out contracts for 300 more megawatts of wind power generation, despite a surplus and the fact the Auditor General says we’re paying way too much

More than 100 wind farms set for Ontario

London Free Press, March 2, 2016

Ontario will press ahead with more wind farms despite calls from critics for a halt to the multi-billion dollar projects in the face of energy surpluses.

A spokesperson for the Independent Electricity System Operator said Wednesday that Ontario will award contracts within weeks for another 300 megawatts of wind power after receiving proposals for more than 100 projects.

“Originally, we said we would award contracts by the end of the year, but that wasn’t possible given the number that we received so that was pushed back to March. We are on track to announce it this month,” said IESO spokesperson Mary Bernard.

No specific date for announcing the contracts has been released.

After facing an intense backlash from many communities opposed to wind farm development, especially in Southwestern Ontario that’s home to the province’s largest wind farms and its largest number of turbines, Ontario overhauled the process, requiring companies submitting bids to consult with municipalities.

Many communities bristled when the province, in its plunge into green energy, took away their zoning control over where the giant highrise-sized turbines can be built.

This time, companies also stand to be given preference if they can win backing of municipalities, local landowners or First Nations communities.

The 300 megawatts of power — equivalent to about what four large-scale industrial wind farms would produce — to be awarded this month is a relatively modest amount compared to earlier procurements that pushed installed wind energy capacity in Ontario to more than 3,200 megawatts in 2015.

It’s estimated one megawatt of wind power can supply enough electricity to power about 270 Ontario homes. Besides contracting for additional wind power, Ontario is set to award contracts for 140 megawatts of solar energy, 75 megawatts of waterpower and 50 megawatts of bioenergy.

Jane Wilson, president of Wind Concerns Ontario, a coalition of groups opposed to wind energy, said the 300 megawatts Ontario plans to contract through IESO will be intermittent and unreliable power that isn’t needed. …

Read the full story here.

EDITOR’S NOTE: There are seven wind power projects proposed for Eastern and East-Central Ontario, from Nation Township through to Addington Highlands and North Frontenac. Almost every single wind power project approved in Ontario has been appealed by communities.

Wind power info meeting in St Albert October 20

15 Thursday Oct 2015

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

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No community support for greed in Nation Twp [Photo: Ontario Farmer]

No community support for greed says Save The Nation [Photo: Ontario Farmer]

Community Information Session in St-Albert 
The volunteers from Save The Nation have planned an information session to explain the reasons why our group is against the industrial wind turbine projects in our areas.
Producing green energy in Ontario is a complex issue. The session will help you better understand the role of the provincial government and the Green Energy Act, the role of our municipality and the repercussion of their decisions on all of its citizens. Other topics will include the negative impacts of wind turbines on humans, the economy and the environment.
Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Location: St-Albert Community Centre, 201 Principale, St-Albert
Time: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. (English)
8:00 to 9:00 p.m. (French)
Why continue the opposition movement?
Although our municipality has officially declared its opposition to wind turbine projects, it is the province that decides which projects will go forward. We sincerely hope that the Ontario government will respect its promise to not impose projects on municipalities that have declared themselves “not a willing host”.
However, the Ontario government has designated the Eastern and Central parts of the province as priority regions for the development of wind energy. The Nation Municipality is therefore in a designated priority area. Even if the St-Isidore and St-Bernardin projects are not selected in this current round of proposals, they can be considered in 2016 or 2017. If the Crysler project is chosen in the neighbouring municipality, there could be an extension into St-Albert, and even Embrun and Limoges.
What you can do to support the work of Save The Nation
• Keep your lawn sign visible. There will be signs available for purchase at our St-Albert event.
• Contact by phone or email your provincial member of parliament Grant Crack and the premier Kathleen Wynne.
• Continue to be informed on the subject. Attend municipal council meetings to show your interest in the decision they make on our behalf. All the meetings are public and take place on Mondays starting at 4 p.m. The dates and times of the meetings are posted on the municipality’s website.
Request for proposal process – Next step
IESO (Independant Electric System Operator) will evaluate the proposals by industrial wind turbine companies by the end of November 2015. They will announce the selected projects by the end of the year. Save The Nation will submit its official opposition in a written statement before the deadline of October 23rd. We are also researching our options in the event that our region is selected.
More information
Visit our website for a list of documentaries and articles on industrial wind turbines.
Sauvons la Nation – Save The Nation
Thank you for your interest and support of this important cause!
Please forward this message to friends and family.

Nation residents to fight wind farms

08 Saturday Aug 2015

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500 residents crowd community centre: “this will destroy The Nation”

"Save The Nation" banner says it all [Photo: Wind Concerns Ontario]
“Save The Nation” banner says it all [Photo: Wind Concerns Ontario]

More than 500 residents of the municipality of Nation, about 45 minutes east of Ottawa, met on Wednesday night to learn more, and discuss action on two wind power proposals for their community: a 150-megawatt project by EDF, and a 75-MW project by Leader Resources.Among the speakers was Carmen Krogh, known internationally for her research on the impacts of wind turbine noise emissions on human health. A particular concern for Krogh, she expressed that evening, is the effect of the wind turbine emissions on children. Despite clear guidance from the World Health Organization and other bodies in public health about exposing children to possible harm, Ontario has proceeded to build wind power projects in communities close to homes.

Other speakers detailed the environmental impacts of the proposed wind turbine arrays, and commented on the degree of impact on the community for very little benefit.

Organizer Julie Leroux commented that the public was left out of a decision by council to support wind power; after signing an agreement to be an unwilling host as a member of the United Counties of Prescott-Russell, Nation then approved a motion of support for a wind power project by Sierra Nevada, in 2013. Nation’s mayor has gone on record in the agricultural media as saying he supported the current EDF proposal, and that Nation is a “willing host.”

We are not, said Leroux.

The community group Save The Nation requested time to make a presentation to Council but was not scheduled to do so now until August 31st; the deadline for wind power proposals under the new process is September 1st, the next day.

Questions and comments afterward were a clear demonstration not only that the community is already well informed on this issue, they are passionate about protecting their way of life, the social fabric of Nation, and the agricultural economic base.

“This will destroy the Nation, if it happens,” said one gentleman.

Another, who had travelled to Wolfe Island to see turbines to educate himself (Note: a better trip would be to Brinston, south of Ottawa, where EDP is operating 3-MW turbines in the South Branch power project), said he was shocked at the environmental impact of the wind power machines. “The foundations for these things are huge,” he said, “and they will never go away.”

If the wind power projects are approved said one young farmer, who said he was speaking for others in his demographic of 20s and 30s, it will destroy the local economy and way of life in Nation. “We’re leaving,” he said simply.

Organizers for the event and members of Save The Nation  said that no members of Nation council attended the meeting as far as they knew but MPP Grant Crack’s executive assistant was there.

Breaking News: Wind Concerns Ontario has learned that Nation Council will be discussing the community reaction to the wind power proposals on Monday, August 10.

Concern rises in Eastern Ontario as news of wind power proposals spreads

21 Tuesday Jul 2015

Posted by in Ottawa, Renewable energy, Wind power

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Ottawa Wind Concerns is receiving emails daily from residents of Nation Township as concerns mount about a large wind power generation project proposed by energy giant EDF.

The company claims as many as 160 farm owners have signed up, but residents say, those numbers don’t add up

Quoted in a recent article in Farmers Forum the mayor stated that Nation is a “willing” host to wind power, but again, residents say, all is not as it seems—that motion was passed years ago, without any notice to or discussion by residents. It is now being used to demonstrate community support for the wind power proposals.

A public meeting is being planned for Nation residents; we’ll keep you informed.

Wind Concerns Ontario signs and brochures are available from us at ottawawindconcerns@gmail.com

 

Money lures Nation Twp farmers to lease land for wind turbines

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

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“If I didn’t sign, I would see the windmills without revenue”: cash crop farmer Marc Bercier

Not too many years ago, cash cropper and seed grower/processor Marc Bercier was actively opposed to green energy projects being proposed and built in his area, but this February he signed for a potential five windmills* and one substation to be located on his 1,700 acres.

“If I didn’t sign I would see the windmills without revenue,” said Bercier.

Pointing to the 29 pages of documentation involved for his portion of the 10,000-acre proposed windmill project, Bercier noted how the negotiated sections on soil compaction, erosion and overall environmental protection were vital to him, considering that his farm is only just over the requires 500 meters from this village. [Editor: what? Do you mean from the project?]

The documentation showed that Bercier was promised $15,000 per windmill per year as a base price, with incentives for more power and compensation for anything that affected the surrounding land. The substation lease was $20,000 per year.

Township Council passed support motion

It’s a massive community project that seems to have the support of Nation Township Mayor Francois St. Amour. A January 20, 2014 council motion passed, stating it [council] “supports the application under the Ontario Power Authority’s Large Renewable Procurement Program.”

… Ontario Farmer obtained documentation showing that, as of March, 2015, 165 landowners had been approached by the EWG windmill company, of which 128 had signed agreements and 37 were in discussion.

“They are all farmers,” said St. Amour, noting that the required setback distances from the windmills meant that a lot of land was involved per windmill.

As of mid-June, almost everyone of the former holdouts had signed up and joined, said Bercier.

OFA ‘incredibly helpful’

The company had persuaded and signed up a local, prominent farmer who then went up and down the concessions promoting the project to individuals, said Bercier.

… “yes, there are liens on the project,” said Bercier. However all lien documentation has been passed by his lawyer, alleviating all concerns as to affecting the farming operation, he said.

The OFA has been incredibly helpful in promoting the project, noted Bercier.

Spending $42,000 a year of hydro costs for his farm, “double what it would cost if I was in Quebec,” Bercier is well aware of the extra hydro costs the public pay to finance such green energy projects.

“We had an election, the Liberals won. The voters chose to pay for more electricity,” said Bercier.

By Ian Cumming

Ontario Farmer

June 23, 2015

*They’re NOT “windmills”!