[GREN-Exec] FW: local energy .. GREN interest?

Sun Mar 3 08:44:16 EST 2013

Are people interested in co-hosting this event?

Please give me your thoughts.
-- 
John Jackson
17 Major Street
Kitchener, Ontario N2H 4R1
519-744-7503

------ Forwarded Message
From: Norah and Richard Chaloner <nrchaloner at hotmail.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2013 09:54:47 -0500
To: John Jackson <jjackson at web.ca>
Subject: local energy .. GREN interest?

   Hi John.    Guelph is being pushed to take increased voltage and height
for emissions line through the city  and Jack Gibbons presented info on the
probable future plan for a peaker plant in this triangle of KW, Camb and
Guelph.  Of course it will also facilitate the mega plan for the region and
more nuclear power from the Bruce.. I think CoC and a few other groups in
our area could have a community meeting on this to raise opposition.
 We in Guelph have never given real push to the conservation and efficiency
side of things.. that would negate this plan.. like the peaksaver plan, for
eg. 

 Are there folks in KW who would be interested. Angela will do a flyer for
initial group interest and then Jack will come and speak. We could show a
doc on power... not sure which one but it must exist.. Would GREN be
interested in co hosting it. ? at the United Church on King st...?   in May?
 I am coordinating this end and will contact Cambridge folks also.
 Who in GREN should I contact?   Kevin?
 Thanks for any targets.. I know you are busy busy also. but with Angela and
Jack waiting in the wings I think this is do-able.

 Best regards... hope all is well with you...  Norah

 -------- Original Message --------
 Subject:  RE: Tom Rand event and local transmission lines.. .
 Date:  Thu, 21 Feb 2013 11:27:22 -0500
 From:  Angela Bischoff-OCAA <angela at cleanairalliance.org>
<mailto:angela at cleanairalliance.org>
 Organization:   Ontario Clean Air Alliance
 To:  'Norah Chaloner' <nrchaloner at hotmail.com>
<mailto:nrchaloner at hotmail.com>
 CC:  <jack at cleanairalliance.org> <mailto:jack at cleanairalliance.org>

Hi Norah.
I'm guessing the new card/leaflet will be ready for distro in about 2 weeks.
I think April or even May would be good times, and give plenty of time to
organize.
Jack would be happy to speak, and I'd be happy to come as well to set up a
table with the other groups.
I could get my comms guy to help with drafting a news release, poster etc.
if you wanted that support.

I think it would be a good idea to draft a one page outline of what the
issue is (ie. new gas peaker plant and transmission line) and what the
alternatives would be (local green generation, CHP, conservation, local
Community Energy Plan). This one pager (which would include a link to our
report http://www.cleanairalliance.org/files/guelph.pdf ) would be
circulated just amongst local activists in each locale, to build interest
for an initial planning meeting in each of those communities, and then
hopefully there would be enough interest from those local organizing
meetings to plan a larger public meeting. I'd be up for attending the local
organizing meetings, and Jack would be up for speaking at the larger public
meetings. 

Just brainstorming how to move forward.
Your thoughts.
-angela 

-----Original Message-----
From: Norah Chaloner [mailto:nrchaloner at hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 6:15 PM
To: Angela Bischoff-OCAA
Cc: 'Jack Gibbons'
Subject: Re: Tom Rand event and local transmission lines.. .

Thanks Angela.

When does the new card come out?
Would April be a good time? or May? be good timing for a meeting in K/W and
another in Galt.
  I think our local Guelph Civic League would be good for a local bigger
meeting than the one we had with you Jack. and I have contacts in K/W and
Cambridge that might take this on.
My contacts would include Council of Canadians activists and local enviro
clubs.. green members.. ..
Is May too late?    Norah

On 2/13/2013 11:55 AM, Angela Bischoff-OCAA wrote:
> Norah and Jack,
>
> I'd like to get in on this, to flesh it out a bit.
>
> There are several advocacy opportunities. No one wants a new peaker
> plant in their back yard. But it's in the province's long-term energy
> plan to build one to service the Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge-Guelph area.
>
> Guelph has a Community Energy Plan that wouldn't alone avoid the need
> for the new peaker plant, but could serve as an example for Kitchener,
> Waterloo and Cambridge. If they came up with their own CEP, then there
> would be no need for a high cost, inefficient, polluting gas peaker
> plant. So there's an opportunity to lobby those other City Councils to
produce a CEP.
>
> Also since it's a prov. issue (the long term energy plan), there's an
> opportunity to lobby the local mpps to invest in conservation rather
> than support a new gas peaker plant.
>
> We're producing a new leaflet all about conservation to avoid the need
> for nat. gas peaker plants and high cost nuclear projects. This would
> be a good tool for you. It will have a postcard to Premier Wynne.
>
> There really should be community meetings in each of those 4
> communities to build opposition to the proposed new gas peaker plant and
support for CEPs.
> Jack could speak at these. I could help promo them but would need
> on-the-ground organizers to take lead.
>
> Other thoughts?
> =angela
>
>
>   
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jack Gibbons [mailto:jack at cleanairalliance.org]
> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2013 11:21 AM
> To: 'Norah Chaloner'
> Cc: 'Angela Bischoff-OCAA'
> Subject: RE: Tom Rand event and local transmission lines.. .
>
> Hi Norah,
>
> The Mississauga and Oakville gas plants are going to Napanee and Sarnia.
>
> According to the Government's Long Term Energy Plan, a new $500
> million peaker plant will be needed for the
> Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge-Guelph
> area.
>
> In my opinion, the best way to fight it is to point out that there are
> lower cost and cleaner alternatives, namely, energy conservation,
> solar photovoltaic and combined heat and power.
>
> All the best,
>
> Jack
>
> Jack Gibbons
> Chair, Ontario Clean Air Alliance
> 160 John St., #300
> Toronto  M5V 2E5
>
> Tel: 416-260-2080 x 2
> Fax: 416-598-9520
> Email: jack at cleanairalliance.org
> Web sites:
> Ontario Clean Air Alliance
> Coal Must Go
> Ontarios Green Future
> HealthPower
> Sign Our Petition
>   
>
>    
>   
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Norah Chaloner [mailto:nrchaloner at hotmail.com]
> Sent: February-13-13 11:08 AM
> To: Jack Gibbons
> Cc: 'Angela Bischoff-OCAA'
> Subject: Re: Tom Rand event and local transmission lines.. .
>
> Thanks Jack.  so how do we engage opposition to the 'peaker plant' and
> the bigger transmission lines?
> Is this likely plant the one that Mississauga turned down and is this
> a time to push the new premier on moving in a new directon?  let us
> know what we can do in guelph to get the info out to a wider circle
> since we do have people engaged in our energy future.
> Norah
>
> On 2/12/2013 3:31 PM, Jack Gibbons wrote:
>> Hi Norah,
>>
>> I don't think 8 local distribution utilities instead of 75 will
>> undermine conservation and distributed generation.  In fact, the
>> larger utilities might be able to deliver conservation at a lower
>> cost due to economies of scale.
>>
>> I think there are much more important battles to fight.
>>
>> All the best,
>>
>> Jack
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Norah Chaloner [mailto:nrchaloner at hotmail.com]
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 1:56 PM
>> To: Angela Bischoff - OCAA
>> Subject: Tom Rand event and local transmission lines.. .
>>
>> www.tomrand.net <http://www.tomrand.net>     lists David Keith link that
includes nuclear as part
>> of the clean energies in our future...
>>
>>
>> Also, Angela, i need some feedback.... our mayor is pushing for
>> Guelph Hydro to  be part of the 8-10 centres of distribution for
>> Ontario instead of maintaining our status as one of 80 distribution
centres at
>> present.   Probably big provincial push for this...
>> It seems to me that this will make it easier to push for the larger
>> transmission lines and the peaker plant in our area. Am I right about
>> this interpretation of her plan.?
>> If so , we need a public meeting on our Guelph Hydro future and
>> Council of Canadians chapter will take this on.. I don't want to set
>> this public meeting up if i am on the wrong track though.
>>
>> We opposed her plan in 2008 to sell off our local well functioning
>> hydro to be part of Horizon's unity with Hamilton, St Catharines
>> area..  and we brought a lot of grief to the councilors who supported
>> our packed council chambers when we opposed her on this. We were
>> opposed to the secrecy and the lack of future transparency which is
>> still the case if this present amalgamation to  the 8-10 centres of
> control .
>> She touts co gen as being more possible with the bigger plan and
>> brought Peter Garforth to Guelph for some meaningful meetings to
>> inform us of these things..that were successful in Germany.... .. but
>> with her current push i see increased dependence on a big grid that
>> will only facilitate more production from the Bruce nuc stations to
>> our K/W Cambridge Guelph area to facilitate the big model of
>> corporate external control  .  Lots of money that will not be going
>> to the solar, wind, retrofit, conservation and efficiency that we need.
>>
>> Thoughts??   Norah
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>

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