The City has just posted dates for Ottawa’s rural communities to participate in the Rural Summit, a special opportunity to discuss issues of concern to rural residents.
Here are the dates and locations for the drop-in sessions and events:
The following in-person workshops are planned:
April 10 at 7 pm – Ward 19 workshop at Navan Memorial Centre and Arena (1295 Colonial Road)
April 19 at 7 pm – Ward 19 workshop at Sarsfield Community Hall (3585 Sarsfield Road). Bilingual workshop to be conducted primarily in French.
April 24 at 7 pm – Ward 20 workshop at Greely Community Centre (1448 Meadow Drive)
April 29 at 6:30 pm – Ward 21 workshop at Alfred Taylor Recreation Center (2300 Community Way). There will also be a drop-in session between 1 and 4 pm.
May 27 at 7 pm – Ward 1 workshop at R.J. Kennedy Community Centre and Arena (1115 Dunning Road)
June 1 at 9 am – Ward 5 workshop at West Carleton Community Complex (5670 Carp Road)
These workshops will help identify the challenges facing rural communities and highlight potential opportunities that could be addressed at the summit. All consultations and outreach will inform the agenda for Rural Summit 2024.
Take the survey
There is also a survey to gather info on issues of concern. The link to the survey is here:
(There is a question on wind turbines–be sure to answer!)
It’s a great idea to subscribe to get updates on the Summit too. Just use the link above for the survey, to find the SUBSCRIBE button, on the right (or at the bottom if on your smart phone)
New procurement announced, but difference from Green Energy Act is that municipalities now have final say in approvals of siting for projects, and can create bylaws for siting
Turbines and transformer station at Nation Rise wind power plant [submitted photo]
Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator or IESO has announced that it plans another round of procurement for new power generation, which will include “non-emitting” generation such as wind, solar, hydro and bioenergy.
The announcement also states that IESO will look at “options options to re-acquire, upgrade, or expand existing facilities”.
The news release came on the eve of the deadline for the most recent procurement initiative which, the IESO says, was intended to increase capacity. The next round will attract “new supply will help meet the province’s overall energy needs, according to IESO CEO Lesley Gallinger.
A report in the Toronto Star framed the announcement as the Ford government doing an “about-face” on earlier policies about wind and solar. The Star said that Minister of Energy Todd Smith stated in a speech earlier this week that the Ford government approach would be different.
“Smith was quick to contrast this new round of renewable energy from the previous build out that took place under Liberal governments,” the Star said.
Wind and Green Energy Act was ‘fiasco’
“When we talk about this much renewables, many minds are immediately going to turn to the absolute fiasco that was the Liberal’s Green Energy Act … when wind and solar projects were forced on unwilling host communities,” he said, according to the Star.
“We’re doing it differently by competitively procuring these resources. Based on system need, we can deliver these projects for much lower costs. In fact, the IESO’s report today confirmed that we could get wind and solar for far less than the Liberals (did).”
The Star said “Smith highlighted how the Progressive Conservative approach of competitive procurement has already resulted in recontracting existing generation at 30 per cent below what was being paid before. The IESO estimates the next round of wind contracts will go for less than half of what the province paid in the mid 2000s.”
Wind Concerns Ontario president Jane Wilson* expressed concern over the announcement.
“Everyone knows there has been nothing but problems with Ontario’s wind power fleet,” she explains. “Not only is wind an intermittent, unreliable source of power but it has also caused problems for many of the communities that were forced to ‘host’ these industrial power installations. They produce noise and vibration, and have had other environmental impacts such as disturbing local aquifers and affecting water supply. We know from tracking internal government documents created since 2006 that there are literally thousands of files of noise complaints. And, unfortunately, there are still, after all these years, wind power projects that do not have final audits completed verifying their compliance with regulations. That’s not acceptable.”
Any effects from wind turbines are regulated by the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks. Regulations which include setbacks between wind turbines and homes as well as noise limits, have not been revised since they were created after the Green Energy Act in 2009.
Wind Concerns Ontario says experiences with wind turbines around the world indicate it is past time to review and revise the regulations.
Power is in municipalities’ hands
A critical difference between the current PC government and the previous Green Energy program, Wind Concerns says, is that support from the local municipality is required for renewable energy projects. Municipalities also have been given back the power to pass zoning by-laws that regulate how turbines are sited in their communities.
These energy policies place Ontario’s municipal Councils at the centre of energy policy debates moving forward.
“At the end of the day, as citizens, taxpayers and ratepayers, we question the value of wind as a reliable source of power,” Wilson says. “Everyone wants to do the right thing for the climate and the environment—intermittent, invasive wind power that effectively industrializes communities, isn’t it.”
contact@windconcernsontario.ca
ottawawindconcerns@gmail.com
*Jane Wilson is also Chair of Ottawa Wind Concerns
Renewable energy projects are an industrial land use, and people must be protected from noise and other impacts, says Ottawa Wind Concerns [Photo: D. Larsen for Wind Concerns Ontario]
July 12, 2023
Ottawa City Council today passed an amendment to the Official Plan, that will not allow for new renewable energy projects to get municipal approval until after the City has new zoning bylaws appropriate to that land use.
Municipal approval is now mandatory for successful proposals to the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). The IESO is launching another Request for Proposals in a few months, and will begin another RFP in 2025, as Ontario plans to double its power supply with “clean” emissions–free sources of generation.
“This is a step forward,” says Ottawa Wind Concerns Chair Jane Wilson. “We were concerned that proposals might come forward in the 2023 RFPs and there would be no protection for rural residents from noise emissions and other impacts of wind and solar power projects, which are an industrial land use. The City of Ottawa has clearly shown that they are aware of the need to protect health and safety as they move forward with new zoning bylaws.”
Municipal approval is mandatory and with the repeal of the Green Energy Act in 2018, planning powers removed by the McGuinty government were returned to municipalities—that means they can determine setback distances, noise limits, and other regulations to control development. A key concern for Ottawa is the protection of valuable agricultural land.
As regards the risk of noise pollution and other impacts such as danger from fires, turbine collapse and ice throw, City staff have said they want to “do the right thing.”
Following approval of the proposed amendment at last week’s meeting of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee, a spokesperson for a local group spoke out against it, saying there was no reason to slow down renewable energy proposals. Angela Keller-Herzog of Community Associations for Environmental Sustainability was quoted by the CBC as saying we need battery energy storage systems for example during power outages so “our kids” can do their homework.
According the hydro authorities, the major cause of power outages is damage to transmission lines, which prevents power from any source reaching homes.
“It is interesting when ‘environmental’ groups appear not to actually care about protecting the environment,” says Ottawa Wind Concerns’ Wilson, who is a Registered Nurse.
“Our concern is to ensure that health and safety are protected so that families can live in peace and safety in Ottawa’s rural communities.”
The amendment states in part:
This report is an interim step towards regulating renewable energy generation facilities in accordance with policies in the Official Plan which direct renewable energy generation facilities that require provincial approval to certain rural designations. Once the amendments proposed in this report come into effect, renewable energy generation facilities will not be permitted in any zone until such time as a subsequent report is approved with appropriate provisions to regulate such facilities.
Ottawa Wind Concerns’ input was noted in the report, with the statement that we will be kept informed of any developments.
Also on the Agenda at Ottawa City Council was the submission of the petitions sponsored by Ottawa Wind Concerns, asking for a minimum 2-km setback between any wind turbines proposed, and homes, as well as other land uses where people might be affected.
City staff noted that there are no proposals known for power development (but a battery storage project is in development https://evolugen.com/facilities/rabbit-battery/ in Cumberland) but with a series of Requests for Proposal coming from the IESO, anything is possible.
Ottawa Wind Concerns is an incorporated, not-for-profit group, with a membership list of several hundred residents of rural Ottawa communities and other stakeholders. We are a community group member of the Wind Concerns Ontario coalition.Our goal: a safe environment…for everyone
Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator or IESO will launch its Long Term-Request for Proposals (LT-RFP) next Tuesday, December 6th.
The aim of the LT-RFP according to the IESO is to: “seek resources that can be in service between 2026 and 2028 to address global and regional needs.”
Energy Minister Todd Smith issued a directive on October 7th:
11. The Expedited Process, Upgrades Solicitation, and L T1 RFP shall be open to all resource types that meet the mandatory criteria established by the IESO, which may include renewable energy, energy storage, hybrid renewable energy with storage, biofuels and natural gas-fired generation.
The RFP has been in development for many months, despite the continued assertion by former Ward 21 Councillor Scott Moffatt who insisted that there is no procurement process in Ontario.When he wrote to members of Ottawa’s Planning and Agricultural and Rural Affairs committees that there was no plans for new power procurement (to head off a presentation by Ottawa Wind Concerns), the IESO was in the final phases of implementing the RFP.
Now, Ottawa could see proposals for new power projects.
The process will be very quick: announcement of successful bidders will come in March of 2023, according to IESO documents dated mid-November.
But we’re not ready.
Ottawa has no new zoning bylaws in place to deal with new power proposals and in fact, the zoning bylaw process following the new Official Plan is stalled due to concerns about new provincial legislation.
As well, we know from the experience with wind turbines since 2009 and the Green Energy Act, there are lots of problems with these industrial-scale projects. Noise, damage to aquifers, and risk to wildlife including endangered species are impacts seen all over Ontario. But regulations for noise and setbacks have not changed.
When the Green Energy Act was revoked by the Ford government in 2018, planning powers were returned to municipalities, who are now able to set their own regulations for noise limits and setback distances.
But Ottawa hasn’t done that.
The solution? Recommended to us by our planning consultant, and as already done by several other Ontario municipalities, Ottawa could pass a motion that is a simple statement of policy intent, to the effect that until new zoning bylaws are approved, the City of Ottawa will not review or approve any proposals for power generation, including wind power.
City staff have already expressed concern about the speed of the LT-RFP process and the fact that municipal approval doesn’t seem to be mandatory, though the Ford government promised that it would be. Other municipalities are worried about this IESO process which, they say, doesn’t give enough time for proper public consultation, or for a full assessment of new power development proposals such as analysis of the effectiveness of the technology being proposed, and what impacts the project could have on the environment.
We met today with new Ward 21 Councillor David Brown, who shares our concerns about the IESO RFP. He is already taking action on it.
We hope that the new Council will act quickly to ensure that the City is not sandbagged by new power generation proposals that are not appropriate to our area, and specifically that Ottawa’s rural communities will be protected from industrialization by unreliable and noisy grid-scale wind turbines. We hope that any new power generation would be for power that is reliable and affordable, and actually does something for the environment and climate change. That’s not expensive, invasive, out-of-phase with demand wind power.
City documents show that wind and solar power projects and battery storage are due for completion by 2025. Where are they? Rural residents want to know.
August 1, 2022
Community group Ottawa Wind Concerns has asked its followers to contact the City of Ottawa to request transparency on several renewable energy projects.
In an email today, the group asked citizens to demand transparency from the city, with the following request:
“On page 45 of the Energy Evolution action plan is the statement that a project is to be undertaken in the electricity sector between 2020 and 2025, which requires specifically the installation of:
150 megawatts of solar power generation
20 megawatts of wind
20 megawatts of hydro and
20 megawatts of electricity storage.
Given that these are substantial projects for the City and will require procurement of land as well as environmental studies in order to obtain approvals, we are asking the City of Ottawa to release information NOW on where these projects will be located, who will be the operators of the facilities, what contract terms are for setbacks from homes, noise limits, decommissioning, and fire and aviation safety requirements as well as what cost-benefit analysis is being done to confirm the climate change benefits of these projects.
In short, we are asking for opportunities for full public engagement with regard to these power generation projects.
As the deliverable date for these projects is less than three years away, we ask that public disclosure and engagement begin as soon as possible.”
The power projects are significant, says Ottawa Wind Concerns Chair Jane Wilson: “For wind power, the 20 megawatt requirement could mean seven or more industrial-scale wind turbines,” she says. “That will be a significant impact on a community and on the people who will be forced to live nearby. The power generators do create noise pollution and have other potential impacts on the environment such as the risk to wildlife, and the loss of important woodlands and other features.”
Wilson says there is no news on the 2025 power projects, but residents want to know they will be notified and included.
“The last time this happened,” says Wilson, “the project was presented as a ‘done deal’. That cannot happen again.”
A 20-megawatt wind power project was proposed for North Gower in 2008 but ended when the proponent, a small firm out of Germany, failed to meet requirements of Ontario’s Large Renewable Power procurement effort in 2014. The turbines were to be 600 feet tall and would have been near hundreds of homes and the village school. Almost every citizen in the area signed and petition which was presented at City Hall.
The local chapter of Ontario Landowners has also asked members to contact the City of Ottawa to demand transparency.
ottawawindconcerns@ottawawindconcerns
Ottawa Wind Concerns is an incorporated, not-for-profit group, with a membership list of several hundred residents of rural Ottawa communities and other stakeholders. We are a community group member of the Wind Concerns Ontario coalition.Our goal: a safe environment…for everyone
Another reason why Ottawa’s Energy Evolution and the plan for 3,200 megawatts of wind to power Ottawa (intermittently) isn’t a good idea. Opinion by Ottawa energy economist Robert Lyman
Putting 700 wind turbines throughout Ottawa’s rural communities will foster energy security, according to Ottawa’s climate change action plan. How is that possible when all the raw materials come from somewhere else? [Photo: D. Larsen for Wind Concerns Ontario]
ENERGY SECURITY – THE UNIQUE PROBLEMS OF WIND AND SOLAR ENERGY
August 1, 2022
The crisis in global energy markets following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has seized public attention in western countries largely because of its indirect effect on the prices of oil and natural gas, two energy sources of central importance to the world’s economy. In a somewhat perverse way, the crisis may also serve as a valuable reminder of the importance of energy security, a consideration that many governments, in their pursuit of “climate” objectives, have demoted to the second or third rank.
There is another dimension of energy security that does not relate to the threat of oil and gas shortages and price increases but instead to the insecure sources of the materials needed to produce wind, solar and battery equipment. All of these require large imports of critical components or inputs from China.
How big is this problem?
In 2019, China accounted for 68% of global polysilicon production, 96% of global photovoltaic (PV) wafers production, 76% of PV cell production and 71% of PV module production.
The Global Wind Blade Supply Chain Update for 2020 ranks China as the largest producing country for wind turbines. Chinese firms are responsible for more than 50% of global wind blade production capacity. According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, China is now the leading exporter of wind-powered generating nets, accounting for about 10% of the market outside of China.
China is also among the leading suppliers of many minerals critical to the manufacture of wind turbines and solar PV. Table 1 indicates China’s share of global supply of critical mineral inputs.
Table 1
MineralChina Share of Global Supply
Aluminum 56%
Cadmium 33%
Copper8%
Gallium 97%
Indium 39%
Molybdenum 45%
Rare Earths 63%
Selenium 33%
Silicon 64%
Tellurium 62%
Tin 27%
Titanium 28%
Tungsten 82%
Vanadium 55%
Zinc 33%
Source: World Bank
Dependence on China for the materials needed for wind, solar and batteries is not the only energy security consideration that should be raised with respect to renewable energy. A far more significant risk concerns the inability of intermittent electricity supply sources to meet electricity demand at all times and in all seasons, especially if left dependent on costly and unproven bulk electricity storage systems.
There is an important geopolitical dimension. China and the West are now locked into an important competition to determine which countries, and which economic systems, will lead the world over the next century. China has shown itself willing to use every policy tool, including widespread industrial espionage and funding of groups that create disharmony and division in western societies, to advance its agenda.
In these circumstances, relying on energy sources dependent on Chinese supplies seems like a very high-risk approach.
Ottawa Wind Concerns is quoted in a news story in the Manotick Messenger, published today.
Ottawa City Council approved the Energy Evolution climate change action plan in the early weeks of the pandemic in 2020 says Ottawa Wind Concerns Chair Jane Wilson, with an estimated cost to taxpayers of $57 billion.
But most people don’t know anything about it.
The plan stipulates that electricity will become the “primary fuel for all building types” in Ottawa, and that the plan calls for more than half a million heat pumps to be installed.
In order to achieve electrification of everything from home heating, to building HVAC systems to transportation, Energy Evolution says that the city of 1.1 million will rely on wind and solar power. The plan calls for 3,200 megawatts of new wind power in Ottawa, which translates to 710 industrial-scale wind turbines, of 4.5 megawatt capacity.
There are no cost-benefit studies to show this will work, Wilson says, and neither is there any evidence that the city’s dramatic measures will really have any impact on climate change.
“What’s needed as we move into October’s municipal election campaign are questions to all candidates about the city’s action plan and whether candidates are aware of and support the proposals,” Wilson said.
Motion proposes city-developed renewable energy projects including wind on public land. That differs completely from the reassurances given to citizens by rural councillors who previously said there were no such plans
May 16, 2022
A motion to direct staff to create a network for a distributed energy framework on public-owned land will be heard by the Ottawa Environmental Protection Committee.
The motion was developed by Bay Ward Councillor Teresa Kavanagh and will be presented by Committee member and Capital Ward Councillor Shawn Menard.
The portion referring to wind power reads as follows:
MOTION: CITY RENEWABLE ENERGY
3. Approve that, contingent on sufficient resources, Council direct staff to report back to the Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management by Q4 2023 with:
a) An evaluation of existing solar PV systems and impact to facilities installed at City owned facilities
b) A distributed energy resource framework for city-owned
facilities and land including:
i. Renewable energy generation (solar and wind)
ii. Energy storage
ii. [sic] Demand response
iv. Potential policies to install distributed energy resources at City facilities or on City land
c) Staff and funding implications to implement and support the distributed energy resource framework
Ottawa Wind Concerns chair Jane Wilson filed a comment to be heard by the Committee with the following statements:
With respect, the content of this motion seems to be in complete disagreement with statements made by councillors over the last year to the effect that the City is not proposing to acquire, propose or develop any wind power facilities.
Once again, there seems to be no discussion whatsoever of requiring any cost-benefit or impact analysis for grid-scale wind power. As an intermittent, weather-dependent source of power that requires substantial subsidies, grid-scale wind power would not offer a stable, reliable source of affordable power for the City and as such will not be helpful in support of electrification efforts or in the path to Net Zero.
If I may, I refer to Councillor Moffatt’s message in The Manotick Messenger published on November 5, 2021:
What I can say with certainty is that the City of Ottawa is not developing wind power, nor are we working toward such an effort or finding locations where wind power development could occur…. Finally, just to reiterate, there are no planned industrial wind turbines within the boundaries of the City of Ottawa at this time.
Ottawa’s rural residents would be asked to bear the most significant burden of any negative environmental impacts. If they took reassurance from comments such as those by Councillor Moffatt above that there would be at least consultation, they will be betrayed by this motion to be presented tomorrow.
We ask that this be considered in discussion of this motion.
The meeting will be held at 0930 May 17, 2022. The general public may view the meeting on the City’s YouTube channel.
Last November, after STOP THE OTTAWA WIND TURBINES signs dotted rural Ottawa from Navan to Dunrobin, and south to North Gower and Manotick, Ward 21 councillor Scott Moffatt said that Ottawa was not planning industrial-scale wind turbines. He also suggested in one of his podcasts that the signs, put up by Ottawa Wind Concerns and Carleton Landowners,were just frightening people.
Where did the idea come from? The city’s Energy Evolution document contains a model for 3,200 megawatts of renewable power generation, which could mean 710 wind turbines. The document was passed by Council in the fall of 2020 to very little fanfare.
As to a coming rush of huge, noisy wind turbines, Mr. Moffatt wrote in the Manotick Messenger on November 5: “That could not be farther from the truth.”
He went on to say that wind turbines built in other areas would count toward Ottawa’s Net Zero goal. Councillors El-Chantiry and Darouzeagreed, stating during the last meeting for the City’s Official Plan that people were confused about wind turbines.
The fact is, there is a conflict between what City staff are saying, and councillors’ public statements.
On March 7, a hearing was held before the Ontario Energy Board, with regard to the City of Ottawa objecting to a proposal by Enbridge Gas to replace a pipeline for natural gas along St. Laurent Blvd in order to serve its customers.
The City’s objection, they say, is based on the idea that we won’t need natural gas in the coming years because we will rely on power from renewable sources instead.
In answering a question from Energy Probe at the hearing as to whether and where wind turbines might go, Climate Change manager Mike Fletcher answered:
“The city’s plan does not propose to install 710 large scale wind turbines in the City of Ottawa.”
But…
“Any Ottawa wind turbines of any size that were built would be located in appropriately zoned areas of community respecting required setbacks.”
So, no, or…yes?
Mr. Fletcher then went on to say that the city has consulted with a planner with regard to setbacks to determine siting for wind turbines. From the transcript, Mr. Fletcher said:
So a land use planner was involved in looking at this issue and considered guidance on setbacks and a setback is — as I recall it being described, a setback is the distance from mostly from buildings where people are living or working.
And there are zoning considerations as to where — where turbines could be located. So prime agricultural land would not be a non-associated use for a wind turbine.
So, the city is involved in developing setbacks “as to where turbines could be located”. That’s reasonable; it is good to be prepared, but are they actually planning for wind power?
Later, answering a question put from Enbridge Gas’ lawyer, Mr. Fletcher confirmed the sources of renewable energy:
[Enbridge Gas lawyer] And the next line is 4.3 gigawatts of other planned renewable capacity. And is that roughly the accurate figure?
MR. FLETCHER: That’s correct.
MR. ELSON: And I understand that that renewable capacity includes some wind and some solar?
MR. FLETCHER: Well, it is predominantly those two, actually.
Again, we ask the City of Ottawa to be transparent with the residents of our rural communities.
It is worth noting that counsel for the parties objecting to the pipeline replacement would not allow the city staff to answer a more definitive question on wind turbines:
ENERGY PROBE: I am trying to understand what will be considered. It is appropriate uses — okay. So if the farm is not using power from the wind turbine, then the turbine cannot be located there. I asked couldn’t it be located in a farm that is not in that category, but is — in fact there is opposition from the farmer?
[COUNSEL FOR OBJECTORS]: We are objecting to the question; we will not answer it. I am instructing the witness not to answer it.
Everyone wants the best for our environment, and to take action that will be effective against climate change, but we also know that industrial-scale wind turbines are inefficient and unreliable, and cannot be used as baseload power.
Moreover, they use up a lot of land and are considered a “low-density” power source.
Because of the subsidies required, electricity bills will increase as will “energy poverty.” That will harm people and businesses. Industrial-scale wind turbines emit noise which can be pollution at certain levels; stringent setbacks are required to protect health and safety. Ontario’s current setbacks are only 550 meters and have not been changed since 2009.
Ottawa Wind Concerns is an incorporated, not-for-profit group, with a membership list of several hundred residents of rural Ottawa communities and other stakeholders. We are a community group member of the Wind Concerns Ontario coalition.
Although Ottawa City councillors are saying that the City is not planning wind turbines, is not looking for locations to site turbines, and is not talking to developers, a look at various City documents would persuade you otherwise.
For example, several illustrations that are used for City newsletters and pages on its website clearly depict wind turbines as does, for example, the graphic that accompanies the Energy Evolution strategy document (see above).
And then there is the little matter of the Official Plan Open House virtual presentation held back in June last year in which Manager of Planning Policy Alain Miguelez declared that Ottawa was going to be incorporating renewable energy including wind turbines which would be “directed” he said to Ottawa’s rural areas.
When a citizen participant voiced concern at that event, he responded, “The energy [we need] has to come from somewhere.”
Somewhere indeed.
Almost a year ago, a City staff manager wrote to the Ontario Energy Board as followup to consultation on Distributed Energy Resources (DER) and objected to the fact that the OEB consultant had not mentioned wind power.
“The DER mandate should include all forms of zero-emission DER’s [sic] including wind and hydropower. The ICF paper only discussed solar and battery storage,” Mike Fletcher, Project Manager Climate Change and Resiliency wrote in his letter of February 21, 2021.
“Ottawa has vast rural areas and Energy Evolution requires that we consider wind and hydropower opportunities to meet our renewable energy generation targets,” he said. (Note he said targets, not “models” as is now being claimed.)
So, which is it? Ottawa is not at all considering unreliable, intermittent wind power—which is completely inappropriate in low-wind Eastern Ontario as evidenced by recent poor performance during a cold snap—or, wind power is a key component in the City’s renewable energy plans?
The citizens of Ottawa’s rural areas deserve to know.