Prospectors hope to turn Crown Land claim into a big payday

Credit: Written by Rick Conroy, Wellington Times, wellingtontimes.ca 15 July 2010

Trillium Power Wind has never built or managed an industrial wind energy facility. The company has never erected a single industrial wind turbine. Yet it says it wants to erect the largest offshore wind energy project the world has yet seen, right here in Lake Ontario—17 kilometres from Long Point in Prince Edward County.

Trillium Power Wind brought its story to Picton last Wednesday following a roadshow in Napanee and in advance of another in Cape Vincent, New York on Thursday.

Trillium’s current story involves 138 industrial wind turbines erected in a V-shaped clump on a shelf of shallow water that rims the deepest part of the lake between Long Point and Lost Nation National Forest on the U.S. side of the lake—a shelf punctuated by series of islands known as the Ducks, including Main Duck and False Duck.

It is not the first time Trillium has peddled its grand ambition for capturing Lake Ontario wind to a County audience. It seems, however, little has changed in four years since Trillium was last here—other than its name (formerly Trillium Power Energy Corporation) and perhaps a more receptive regulatory regime.

Last year the McGuinty government enacted the Green Energy Act—lowering public safeguards to ease the path for wind developers, and upping the incentives to these developers through the rich feed-in tariff program. If successful, the Trillium project could earn 19 cents per kilowatt hour for 20 years for the developer—a lucrative premium over the average price the province pays for other sources of energy (3 cents per kWh).

Yet the project has barely budged in four years. Trillium was forced to cool its heels for two years after the Ontario government imposed a moratorium on offshore wind projects in 2006.

Then the meltdown of the worldwide financial system in 2008 led to the collapse of the sector needed to finance these large capital projects.

So it is that four years later Trillium is back, trying to craft a story it can use to attract investors and lenders. It has a steep hill to climb.

Trillium neither has the capital to undertake the $1.7 billion price tag, nor does it have a track record in building or managing projects of this scale. Without a track record the project is unlikely to attract investment. Banks and investors are hoarding cash and lending extremely cautiously in the wake of the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression.

Trillium is betting that financial markets will be more receptive in a year or two.

Trillium principal John Kourtoff gave the Picton presentation a pass; instead, Chief Development Officer Martin Parker answered questions for the wind developer.

Parker said he sees signs that the capital markets may be opening slightly for wind projects, pointing to a recent €300 million financing of a Belgian offshore wind project. That financing, however, was provided by the European Investment Bank, an arm of the European Union. It is hardly an indicator of easing credit markets.

“The market is coming around,” said Parker optimistically. “The question is: when we are ready to build, will the market be ready to finance the project? That we don’t know.”

But what about Trillium’s lack of experience and track record? Parker says Trillium will hire the experience it lacks and form partnerships to fill in its limitations. He points to its partnership with Vestas—the Danish supplier of wind turbines. Parker did not provide details of the partnership and how it would work, except to say Vestas wasn’t a financial partner.

“We will bring in people with a track record,” said Parker. “Vestas is the number one manufacturer of wind turbines in the world. We will bring them in as our project manager. They have experience in the European theatre.”

Why should Ontario and New York residents entrust this critical waterway, migratory bird pathway and marine life to a firm without a track record or experience in constructing such a massive project on Crown land?

“The only way I can answer that question is to say that everything we’ve done has been mindful of doing what is good for Ontario. And we will continue to do that.”

Parker says he hopes to have environmental studies completed by the end of this year. Many believe this is an ambitious time line but even Parker acknowledges all of Trillium’s plans hinge on the company’s ability to raise financing.

“If the environmental studies show that everything is okay it is conceivable that we could begin construction next year with turbines starting to go up in 2013—that is if the markets are receptive then.”

Ontario is seeking input on proposed rules for off-shore wind turbine.

Plan to include keeping them at least five kilometres from the shoreline.

A shoreline exclusion zone would be comparable with proposals by many U.S. states that border the Great Lakes.

In addition the Ministry of Natural Resources is undertaking a review of Ontario’s current process for making Crown land available for off-shore wind projects.

If you hunt, fish or spend time on crown land this may affect you.

This review will include consideration of where, when and how the government makes Crown land available.

Another proposed rule would require turbine developers to complete a comprehensive application process. This would include addressing potential impacts to endangered and threatened species and their habitat, significant wildlife habitats, users of Crown land, flooding and erosion.

The public and industry can comment on the proposal on the province’s environmental registry (Registry number 011-0089) for the next 60 days. Public and industry consultation sessions will also be held starting in the fall. Dates and locations will be available soon at www.ontario.ca.

For additional information check out http://wp.me/pmgPI-3kX

Liberals Demanding Extra Vote in House on Bill C-391

OTTAWA, ON – The Liberal-Bloc Quebecois-NDP coalition is one step closer to derailing Candice Hoeppner’s bill to end the wasteful and ineffective long-gun registry.
Earlier today, the Opposition-dominated committee passed a motion to report to the House of Commons that the Public Safety committee “does not proceed further with Bill C-391.”

“Mr. Holland’s actions on behalf of the Liberal party and their coalition partners clearly demonstrate that there is no willingness to compromise or work together,” MP Hoeppner said.  “If the Opposition truly believed in compromise, they would stop these blatant attempts to derail Bill C-391, back down from their threats to whip the vote, and allow their Members to vote freely at third reading to represent their constituents.”

“Twelve NDP and eight Liberal Members of Parliament supported my bill at second reading.  The question remains – what will those MPs do when it once again comes time to vote on this in the House?” Hoeppner continued.  “Will they tow the party line and vote to keep the registry, or do the right thing, listen to their constituents, and vote to scrap the registry?”

Hoeppner stressed that there is little evidence to demonstrate that the long-gun registry has fulfilled its mandate, and that a number of front-line police officers as well as four provincial and territorial Attorneys General and Ministers of Justice have publicly supported Bill C-391.

“It’s high time to look for other answers and put government resources into building a system that targets offenders and not law-abiding firearm owners like farmers and outdoors enthusiasts,” Hoeppner concluded.

If the motion in the House of Commons is successful, the Liberal-led Opposition coalition will have succeeded in stopping Hoeppner’s bill to finally end the long-gun registry.

Call your MP and voice your concerns.

The Peaceful Parks Coalition Aims and Objectives on Sport Hunting:

On the PPC website their view on Sport Hunting  states:

While the sport hunting lobby is well-organized and aggressive, they represent a very small and declining portion of the overall population. Both angling and sport hunting are no longer popular outdoor activities. According to a federal report released in 2000, “The Importance of Nature to Canadians”, only 3.5% of Ontarians engage in the sport of hunting but yet they are given 100% of Ontario’s natural resources including our parks and conservation areas, affording wildlife no protection

I disagree as hunters and anglers spend considerably more on conservation by purchasing licences and promoting a healthy outdoor lifestyle year round. There are numerous areas restricting hunting and trapping. Hunting  is just one proven method to balance over population of deer and geese. It’s already known the damage overpopulation of wildlife causes. Cormorant nesting colonies  is another problem quickly arising in Ontario and must be addressed soon.

Toronto police off target

Toronto’s Safe City campaign should be targeting criminals

Despite clear evidence that targeting law-abiding gun owners for registration or licensing paperwork violations does nothing to stem violent crime, Toronto police are currently going door to door looking for lapsed firearms license holders, in a self-professed bid to make their city safer. The Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (O.F.A.H.), the largest nonprofit conservation based angling and hunting organization in Ontario, condemns this ‘make work’ project as yet another example of law enforcement aiming at the wrong target in an attempt to address the very real problem of violent gun crime.

“It is more than a little ironic that Toronto police are carrying out this activity under the guise of their ‘Safe City Project.’ Instead of working to stem the tide of illegal firearms that are smuggled into Canada and sold on the streets of Toronto and other major urban centres, police are knocking on the doors of law-abiding citizens, in the hopes of finding a legally owned firearm with a lapsed registration,” said Greg Farrant, O.F.A.H. Manager of Government Relations & Communications. “In the process, they are claiming to have tracked down 400 firearms that in their words ‘could have fallen into the hands of criminals.’ Unless they have developed the ability to predict the future, this leap in logic in truly breathtaking. To suggest that a lapse in paperwork is one step removed from the firearm ending up on the streets defies all logic. There are far more productive ways to spend enforcement dollars, such as tracking those individuals who are prohibited from owning firearms, and working with all levels of government to halt the flow of illegal firearms coming into Canada, firearms that are being used to commit crimes in our communities.”

In 1995, the amended federal Firearms Act made it mandatory for every long gun (shotgun or rifle) in the country to be registered. Despite assurances that public safety would be well served by the creation of the $2 billion dollar ‘investment‘ in the long gun registry, the Auditor General of Canada stated in her reports to Parliament in 2002 and 2006, that the department had not been able to demonstrate that the system had enhanced the public safety or had saved lives.

“The Canadian Firearms Centre (C.F.C.) is responsible for notifying firearms owners about renewal of their licenses, but despite their efforts to remain in compliance, thousands of legal, law-abiding firearms owners have failed to receive these notifications or have had their paperwork disappear into some bureaucratic black hole. Given the inherent flaws in the system, well publicized computer failures, repeated violations of privacy, and massive cost overruns, the Justice department has admitted that the program has become overly complex, costly to deliver and difficult for firearms owners to comply. All Canadians, not just hunters, sport shooters and farmers, should be alarmed by Canada’s colossal failure to protect us from violent offenders. This latest futile campaign in Toronto has firearms owners across the country shaking their heads in frustration,” added Farrant.

If found to be in non-compliance with the registration and licensing requirements, firearms owners are provided with an opportunity to come into compliance, but the firearms are removed from their possession until the process is complete. The targeting of legal firearms owners and claims that such actions are resulting in a reduced threat to public safety lacks credibility, and diverts attention away from the fact that the registration system is badly flawed, does nothing to prevent criminals from obtaining illegal firearms and is nothing more than a glorified public relations exercise, which ignores the real problem and threat to the public.

With over 100,000 members, subscribers and supporters, and 660 member clubs, the O.F.A.H. is the largest nonprofit, charitable, fishing, hunting and conservation-based organization in Ontario, and the voice of anglers and hunters. For more information, visit www.ofah.org.