Niagara, Ontario’s Regional Council ‘Reconfirms” Its Boast As ‘Green Energy Capital Of Canada’

A Commentary by Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper 

Green Energy Capital of Canada? Really?

Yes, yes, yes. We know that Niagara, Ontario and Niagara Falls, New York share a natural resource called the Niagara River and Falls that generate huge amounts of hydro energy that is one hell of a lot greener than nuclear, gas or coal. And we know that we had the ‘Big Becky’ super drill here, burrowing another gargantuan tunnel from the upper to lower Niagara Rivers to divert even more water from the natural Falls for hydro power purposes.

And yes, yes, yes, drying up the natural Falls until there is nothing left above the cataract but a venue for bungee jumpers may be something some Niagara residents, adamantly opposed to wind energy facilities in their communities may be okay with. But is that what Niagara, Ontario’s regional council means by green energy?

Jim Diodati, who by virtue of his position as mayor for the City of Niagara Falls, Ontario also holds a seat on the regional council, as all 12 mayors of Niagara’s local municipalities do, made a passionate case more than a year ago this Fall, 2013 for this region as the great national leader around renewable energy – much of that case built around the region’s history as a source of hydro power.

That is fine, but water-fall related energy has been part of human history for thousands of years. And while some of the world’s best technical minds of the 19^th century figured out how to spin the natural forces of the Falls into electrical energy that could be transmitted to lights and furnaces of homes and businesses far away, why is Niagara resting on more or less that when it comes to declaring itself Canada’s Green Energy Capital 

But what about “green energy” for the 21^st century.

What we have seen here from this same Niagara, Ontario regional council is a rejection of that. Within the past four months, this council has voted, not once but twice, to support the motions of two local municipalities within its jurisdiction – West Lincoln and Wainfleet – to say no to plans for wind farms in their localities. There is no reason to believe that this same regional council would not show the same support for any motion not to host wind energy in any other local municipality within its jurisdiction.

The motion, put forward this October 10^th by Debbie Zimmerman, the Niagara regional councillor for Grimsby, to ‘reconfirm’ this hyper claim that Niagara is Canada’s green energy capital, blows more hot air around than the blades of any wind farm might.

If, for example, a proposal came forward for a cluster of wind turbines in Zimmerman’s municipality of Grimsby and a majority of residents there went to the local council and won a motion that Grimsby doesn’t want to be a willing host for it, is there any reason to believe the regional council would not back that municipality up? How could it given that the council has already supported ‘no host’ motion from West Lincoln and Wainfleet.

So please, Niagara Region, don’t come on that you are otherwise Canada’s ‘Green Energy Capital’. You’ve already sent the message out there. If one of your local municalities wants nothing to do with hosting wind energy or possibily a solar energy facility, a majority of your councillors will stand up and support that position.

If all 12 local municipalites in Niagara asked regional council for its support as a ‘no host’ zone for green energy initiuatives, then what is left of Niagara as Canada’s Green Energy Capital, if that boast holds any air now?

(Niagara At Large invites our readers to join in a discussion and debate over this issue in the comment space below. Please remember that we only post views by individuals who also share their real first and last names.)