The Ontario Power Authority: Engaging with “stakeholders” after Burning the Bridges

The Press Release from the OPA issued on August 1, 2013 spoke to how they wish to engage “with stakeholders, municipalities and Aboriginal communities.” to develop a “new competitive procurement process for large renewable projects”. This “engagement” was driven by a June 12, 2013 directive from Bob Chiarelli, the current Ontario Minister of Energy but for some reason it has taken the OPA over a month and a half to undertake his directions. These engagements with the stakeholders are to wrap up by August 19, 2013 and the recommendations will be summarized and presented to Minister Chiarelli by September 1, 2013.

Picture from Ottawa Sun

The amusing part of this process is that the OPA has (according to their March 31, 2013 report) already contracted for 22,282 MW and that doesn't include any of the reported 2,600 MW of conservation that they claim in the chart on their Status, Outlook and Options for Electricity Service , paper released in support of the Long-Term Energy Plan Review that Minister Chiarelli has instituted.

It should also be noted that it was the OPA who presumably contracted for the Greenfield and TransCanada gas plants which have cost the ratepayers and taxpayers a minimum of $585 million for absolutely NO POWER! The Mississauga Greenfield process of “competitive procurement” resulted in two contracts awarded to a company that could not secure financing resulting in most of the the huge settlement associated with the movement of that gas plant to Lambton. One of the two contracts awarded was eventually cancelled but the latter cost, to Ontario's ratepayers and taxpayers, went to satisfy the almost usurious rates charged to them by the party that eventually provided the financing for the Mississauga gas plant.
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Some councils putting health and safety concerns ahead of developer dollars

Several municipalities in Ontario are taking a stand against wind power development out of concern for their citizens, reports the Windsor Star, in spite of the fact they may be risking revenue and largesse from corporate wind developers.

Cash-strapped Amherstburg council declared the town an "unwilling host" for wind turbine projects and is potentially turning away big bucks from future developers in property tax revenue and payments turbine operators make to towns per unit.
Lakeshore gets $100,000 in property tax revenue from its 120 wind turbines and will receive $4 million over 20 years in annual payments made by the wind turbine companies per unit to the municipality, said Steve Salmons, Lakeshore's director of community and development services.
"It's been a financial windfall for us," Salmons said. "We also have $1 million in road improvements and repairs (developers made) that wouldn't have gotten to."
Lakeshore council is "open for business" when it comes to wind turbines. Salmons estimated the turbines will have a $7 million economic impact on the town including lease payments made to land owners. Amherstburg Coun. Diane Pouget is unconvinced by the financial benefits. "We don't know what the health issues are associated with (wind turbines). We have asked for no further wind turbines to come into our community until we receive all of the (health) information."
While the town may be passing up sources of revenue, Pouget said health and safety are a paramount concern for council. She said it was her understanding that Ontario pays the U.S. to take its power when it has generated too much, partly because there is no way to store renewable energy The federal government is doing a study on the health effects of wind turbine noise and results are due next year.

It is approximately 70 weeks until the next municipal election in Ontario.

http://www.windsorstar.com/health/Taking+stand+wind+turbines/8740263/story.html
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CBC: Liberals 'stung' in by-elections

This story from the CBC reports on the meaning of the results of the five by-elections held yesterday, and has links to actual election results.

Byelections are, in the words of Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, both “unpredictable” and “tough for government.”
“They’re… a pretty risk-free way for people to send a message to government.”
It turns out Wynne was right on all counts. The byelections were tough and voters did send a message to the Liberals.
Wynne remains premier but her Liberal party — battered by the ongoing gas plant scandal and the misspending of millions of taxpayer dollars at eHealth and Ornge — is licking some new, though not necessarily fatal, political wounds.
Five Liberal strongholds and two wins to show for it: Toronto’s east-end Scarborough-Guildwood and Ottawa South.
Three losses: Etobicoke-Lakeshore, London West and Windsor-Tecumseh.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/08/02/pol-ontario-byelection-analysis-fisher.html


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