• About
  • BRINSTON/SOUTH BRANCH/NORTH DUNDAS/NORTH STORMONT
  • Donate!
  • Ottawa’s “Energy Evolution”: wind turbines coming to rural communities
  • Wind Concerns Ontario

Ottawa Wind Concerns

~ A safe environment for everyone

Ottawa Wind Concerns

Tag Archives: Randall Denley

Who’s boss in city planning? Ottawa’s new Official Plan? Or the energy strategy document, community group asks

24 Thursday Feb 2022

Posted by ottawawindconcerns in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

electricity bills, Official Plan, Ontario, Ottawa, Randall Denley, wind farm, wind turbines

Community group files request for review with Municipal Affairs ministry


Official Plan says no industrial wind turbines permitted on valuable agricultural land but it also says its Energy Evolution document drives city actions. That document calls for hundreds of turbines. [Illustration: City of Ottawa Climate Change newsletter]

February 24, 2022

Community group Ottawa Wind Concerns has filed a comment on the city’s Official Plan with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs over concerns about where the document ranks in Ottawa’s planning structure.

“Our worry is that Ottawa’s expressed view that the Energy Evolution document and climate change plan overrides all policies and action means statements in the Official Plan could be subject to amendment at any time,” chairperson Jane Wilson wrote in the group’s submission, filed yesterday.

“What we have is an Official Plan that looks like an Official Plan, but it also appears to have a back door through which the City can make changes and take action by using another plan—one that did not go through any public engagement process.”

The intent of an Official Plan in Ontario is that it is the single document which outlines the direction for the city, Wilson says. In the case of the City of Ottawa, this direction may actually be subordinate to the Climate Change Strategy and the Energy Evolution document.

The community group comment referred to page 23 of Ottawa’s new Official Plan where the city asserts: “The policies of this [Official] Plan should be read as supportive of the Climate Change Master Plan.”

And, on page 26, the City states, “The Climate Change Master Plan and associated Energy Evolution and Climate Resiliency strategies provide the analysis and action plans for City-wide action.”

Ottawa Wind Concerns said the group is worried about how this affects policy on renewable power generation facilities, specifically large or industrial-scale wind turbines.

The Energy Evolution document calls for the possibility of hundreds of wind turbines in the city’s rural areas in a model of how Net Zero might be achieved, while the Official Plan makes statements about industrial-scale wind turbines not being permitted on valuable agricultural land.

“Essentially, it looks like the City is saying, its Energy Evolution document trumps everything. We’re saying, that’s not how a municipality is supposed to use an Official Plan.”

The contents of the Energy Evolution document, approved by Council in 2020 with no public input, are not widely known among Ottawa’s citizens.

There has been criticism from media and analysts who have read it.

Local media branded the strategy document “an expensive pipe dream,” with its $57B (estimated) price tag. Political commentator Randall Denley said the Energy Evolution report was “only the beginning,” and promoted “unachievable goals.”

“How high are they prepared to raise taxes,” he asked, “and what existing services will they cut to fund their quixotic effort to save the planet?”

The City of Ottawa has a history of passing zoning amendments that result in public concern. For example, a zoning amendment was passed without the knowledge of even the local councillor for a large warehouse and truck depot in Barrhaven. That move caused newspaper columnist Kelly Egan to remark, “You know who doesn’t get what they want at city hall anymore? Ordinary people.”

Ordinary people in Ottawa’s rural communities sent emails and made telephone calls to councillors when the wind turbine model in Energy Evolution became known, and STOP THE OTTAWA WIND TURBINES signs went up from Kinburn to Navan, and south to North Gower and Manotick.

City councillors maintained that the Energy Evolution statements were just a “model” but the motion of wind power is present in many City documents and wind turbines are prominent in City banners and graphics. A recent submission to the Ontario Energy Board dated January 17th contained the whole Energy Evolution document, including the wind turbine model, as supporting evidence for the City’s objection to replacement of a natural gas pipeline.

“Everyone wants what’s best for the environment,” says Ottawa Wind Concerns Chair Wilson, “but the fact is, we should be making choices about what is shown to be effective and successful. Ontario is an example of how intermittent weather-dependent wind power doesn’t do anything for the environment, but it does have a huge impact on electricity bills and on communities. Giving the Energy Evolution strategy importance over the Official Plan means decisions can be made on what looks good, not what really is good.”

The community group has asked the Ministry of Municipal Affairs to look at both the Energy Evolution document and the draft Official Plan together, to make sure provincial directives are being followed.

Ottawa Wind Concerns filed its comment with the Ministry and was advised Thursday that the comments were accepted and reviewed, and will be posted publicly.

More analysis on the Energy Evolution document, coming soon.


ottawawindconcerns@gmail.com


Ontario definition of an Official Plan

An official plan describes your upper, lower or single tier municipal council or planning board’s policies on how land in your community should be used. It is prepared with input from your community and helps to ensure that future planning and development will meet the specific needs of your community.

An official plan deals mainly with issues such as:

where new housing, industry, offices and shops will be located

what services like roads, watermains, sewers, parks and schools will be needed

when, and in what order, parts of your community will grow

community improvement initiatives

Source: Government of Ontario: Citizen’s guide to land use planning: Official plans | Ontario.ca


Advertisement

Liberal, PC Leaders in Ottawa today

04 Wednesday Jun 2014

Posted by ottawawindconcerns in Ottawa

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Jack MacLaren, Kathleen Wynne, Lisa MacLeod, Ontario Liberal Party Kathleen Wynne, Ottawa ridings, Randall Denley, Tim Hudak

How important are Ottawa ridings in this provincial election?

Very.

The leader of the Ontario Liberal Party Kathleen Wynne, and the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives Tim Hudak will be in the Ottawa area today. (NDP leader Andrea Horwath is in the Toronto area, and Green Party leader Mike Schreiner is participating in a debate in the riding of Guelph.)
June 4 at 1:40 p.m. — Orléans
Premier Kathleen Wynne will deliver remarks at the campaign office of Marie-
France Lalonde, PC candidate for Orléans, at 5929 Jeanne d’Arc Boulevard
South.

June 4 at 5:45 p.m. — Ottawa
Premier Kathleen Wynne and federal Liberal leader Justin Trudeau will meet
with local Liberals at 1000 Byron Avenue.
June 4 at 6:00 p.m. — Toronto

June 4 at 7:00 p.m. — Nepean
PC leader Tim Hudak will hold a town hall public event with Lisa MacLeod, PC candidate for
Nepean—Carleton, Jack MacLaren, PC candidate for Carleton—Mississippi
Mills, and Randy Denley, PC candidate for Ottawa West—Nepean. The event
will take place at Nepean Sportsplex, Hall “A” , 1701 Woodroffe Avenue.

 

Election goal: unseat Ontario’s Minister of Energy

06 Tuesday May 2014

Posted by ottawawindconcerns in Renewable energy, Wind power

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bob Chiarelli, election 2014, electricity bills Ontario, Liberal energy minister Bob Chiarelli, Ontario budget, Ottawa Citizen city hall columnist Randall Denley, Ottawa West-Nepean, Progressive Conservatives, Randall Denley

Ottawa West-Nepean candidates are familiar rivals

Bob Chiarelli faces off against Randall Denley and Alex Cullen

CBC News Posted: May 06, 2014 5:00 AM ET Last Updated: May 06, 2014 2:57 PM ET

NDP candidate Alex Cullen, left, and Progressive Conservative Randall Denley, right, are both familiar foes of current MPP and Liberal energy minister Bob Chiarelli, centre.

Residents in Ottawa West-Nepean could be forgiven for forgetting which election they were voting in when they cast their ballots on June 12, as three men equally known for their roles in municipal politics battle in the Ontario riding.

Related links:

  • Complete coverage of Ontario Votes 2014
  • Ottawa West Nepean riding profile
  • View results from riding in 2011 election

Former mayor and current Liberal energy minister Bob Chiarelli again faces off against former Ottawa Citizen city hall columnist Randall Denley, the candidate for the Progressive Conservatives he beat in 2011. Joining them in the race this time is another familiar face from city hall: former Bay Ward councillor Alex Cullen, who is representing the New Democratic Party.

But all three candidates say their campaigns will be focused firmly on the issues today facing the province and the riding.

Chiarelli to campaign on budget

Chiarelli said he and his party will campaign on their recently released budget, which both the NDP and Progressive Conservatives said they would not support.

The budget called for the province to spend $130 billion over a 10-year period, another $11.4 billion on hospital expansion and laid out plans to establish an Ontario Retirement Pension Plan.

After NDP leader Andrea Horwath said she had lost confidence in the minority government of Kathleen Wynne and signalled she would not support the budget, Wynne went to Lt.-Gov. David Onley to dissolve the legislature, triggering the election.

Denley, who lost to Chiarelli by just over 1,000 votes in the 2011 election, said people he’s spoken with this weekend are most concerned about their high power bills.

“Of course I’m running against the energy minister, and people understand that and they’re not very happy with it,” said Denley.

…

Read the full story here.

Recent Posts

  • Prince Edward County rejects battery storage proposal
  • Ontario to launch request for new power projects next week
  • Pleas for protective bylaws for noisy wind turbines get nowhere with Ottawa councillor
  • Is the $57B Energy Evolution plan dead?
  • Ward 21 council candidates pledge review of Ottawa Energy Evolution plan

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Tags

Bob Chiarelli electricity bills Ontario Green Energy Act IESO Ontario Ottawa wind concerns wind farm wind farms wind power wind turbines

Contact us

PO Box 3 North Gower ON K0A 2T0

Blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Ottawa Wind Concerns
    • Join 369 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Ottawa Wind Concerns
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...