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Canadian Hydro plans offshore wind farm in Lake Erie

Ontario’s green-energy Klondike is spreading offshore, and in a big way.

Canadian Hydro Developers Inc., the country’s largest independent developer of wind-energy projects, said on Monday it plans to erect enough wind turbines in Lake Erie to power two million homes.

The area Canadian Hydro has targeted starts about five kilometres off the shore of Long Point Provincial Park and stretches roughly 80 kilometres west to a spot that’s 30 kilometres south of Port Stanley.

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“Truly sad” if something isn’t done to ensure Port Stanley remains a viable commercial harbour and a safe haven for mariners

Fishing tugs in Port Stanley harbour

Shutting down the only deepwater port on the north shore of Lake Erie could result in Port Stanley losing business and mariners losing their lives, warns one skipper who says he can no longer make it a port of call unless it’s dredged.

Ralph Watson of London, skipper of the 41-metre J. R. Rouble, has written a letter with his concerns to consultants considering the future of the silt-clogged harbour.

“It will be truly sad if something isn’t done to ensure Port Stanley remains a viable commercial harbour and a safe haven for mariners,” he wrote consultant Mark Conway.

Conway’s, firm, N. Barry Lyons Consultants, has been retained to develop plans for the port if the Municipality of Central Elgin accepts it from Transport Canada.
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Why Lake Erie ferry plan didn’t work in Elgin County

Fishing tugs in Port Stanley harbour

Port Stanley was the first choice for a ferry proposal that landed this week in front of Norfolk council.

Seaport Management Corporation of Jarvis wooed the lakeside community in Elgin County for several years before turning its attention elsewhere. Seaport did so because Central Elgin council decided it didn’t want a ferry operator in its harbour.

Central Elgin has been waiting patiently for Transport Canada to turn over responsibility for the harbour to the municipality. That has yet to happen because major dredging is required, among other issues.

Yesterday, Port Stanley Coun. David Marr said the Seaport Management proposal came at a bad time. Central Elgin council wants to assume ownership of the harbour with a clean slate and take the time to examine proposals so that the facility is put to its highest and best use.

Central Elgin has asked the federal government to complete the transfer within a year. The municipality’s $100,000 business plan for the harbour makes no allowance for a ferry service.
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Central Elgin Ratepayers Assoc. address to C.E. council July 20/09

Central Elgin Ratepayers Association, CERA, was formed primarily to influence the Council of the Municipality of Central Elgin to do the right thing when it comes to the local property tax burden.

Officially incorporated on May 15, 2009, in just two months CERA now has over 240 members. A recent survey of our members indicated that the Harbour negotiations with Transport Canada was our members’ second priority, after high taxes. Thank goodness, Dan McNeil saw fit to uncover many of the shenanigans in this protracted duel between Transport Canada and Central Elgin Council.

The community is in Harbour negotiation burnout. Only 70 citizens of a population of 12,500 showed up for the re-launched edition Harbour Community Workshop! It’s a sad, misleading commentary when media releases from the municipality and the consultants extol the great turnout at the first session. How can a $100,000 grant from Transport Canada, that’s trying to dump the Harbour on Central Elgin, not positively influence their agenda?

New St. Thomas-Port Stanley bus service launched

From the Times-Journal
Wanna hit the beach in Port Stanley but don’t have a car?
A day of fun and sun may be just a bus ride away as Aboutown Transit now offers thrice-daily service on weekends and holiday Mondays from London and St. Thomas to Port Stanley.
Service started on July 1 and is expected to run until Thanksgiving.
“It’s been very popular so far and it’s been well received,” said Aboutown vice president Jamie Donnelly. “We look forward to expanding it even further. Our goal is to connect communities and towns that previously didn’t have public transportation.”

Central Elgin Ratepayers Association adds Port Stanley harbour special advisor

Fishing tugs in Port Stanley harbour

Municipality of Central Elgin, Ontario, June 15, 2009 – Bruce Lemon, President of Central Elgin Ratepayers Association (CERA) has announced the appointment of Dan McNeil as Port Stanley Harbour Special Advisor to CERA .

“We’re very pleased that Dan McNeil has agreed to advise CERA on issues that pertain to the on-going negotiations by the Municipality of Central Elgin to acquire the Port Stanley Harbour from the Federal Government.” ,said Mr. Lemon. “Mr. McNeil has been instrumental in lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding these negotiations and explaining how the Federal bureaucracy deals in these matters.”

CERA president blasts Central Elgin council for out of control spending

Municipality of Central Elgin, Ontario, June 08, 2009 – At the Central Elgin Council Meeting tonight, Bruce Lemon, President of Central Elgin Ratepayers Association (CERA) blasted the Municipal Council for out of control spending, lack of transparency and one of the highest lower-tier property tax rates in Ontario.

“Reasons for incorporating the villages of Belmont, Port Stanley & the Township of Yarmouth into the Municipality of Central Elgin were to maximize operating efficiencies as well as minimize duplication with the goal of reducing costs. The results to date have been a total failure with property taxes having at least doubled, water rates have at least tripled and staffing levels have increased dramatically while the municipality has only realized a very small population growth rate.” , said Bruce Lemon.

New Association to Monitor Municipal and County Government

Municipality of Central Elgin, Ontario, May 12, 2009 – Dismayed by a lack of transparency from municipal government, ineffectiveness in controlling costs at the municipal and county levels, and the risks of assuming the Port Stanley Harbour, a group of local citizens has formed the Central Elgin Ratepayers Association.

“The Municipality of Central Elgin has one of the highest property tax rates and water charges in Ontario” said Bruce Lemon, President. “To continually base new annual budgets on budgets from prior years rather than actual expenditures is a formula for excessive taxation.”

“We’re particularly concerned about plans to acquire the Port Stanley Harbour” Helen Garton, Vice President of the Association advised. “The acquisition will result in excessive taxes to the community if a proper long-term business plan isn’t finalized before acquisition.”

Natives urge Port Stanley harbour cleanup

Fishing tugs in Port Stanley harbour

Aboriginal voices have joined the call for the federal government to dredge and remove contamination from the harbour at Port Stanley.

The Walpole Island First Nation is even willing to do the work and bury contaminated soil at a secure site on its land along Lake St. Clair, a representative said.

The Walpole Island First Nation claims the harbour and western Lake Erie as its own.

Members of Walpole Island have been watching as Transport Canada and Central Elgin continue talks that may see the harbour turned over to the local municipality. The First Nation has adopted a wait-and-see attitude as talks continue and its land claim lawsuit sits in the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario.

“We are very concerned about our harbour and we want to make sure the contamination is dealt with and there is dredging,” said former chief Dean Jacobs.
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Port Stanley Terminal Rail March newsletter

railtalk-mar-2009

Here’s your $750, now go away

Ian McCallum

Mayor Cliff Barwick admits 15 homeowners on Montgomery Road have been through “absolute hell,” and yet council and city staff continue to deny these ratepayers adequate compensation for damage sustained in January, 2008 due to heavy rainfall which overloaded the sewer system.
To haggle over whether a 50-millimetre deluge, combined with melting snow on Jan. 8-9 last year, qualifies as a true disaster is an insult to these residents.
Take a look at the damage done to their homes, and this is not the first time they have suffered this fate, and then talk to them about the meaning of disaster.
In fact the problem is so persistent, some residents can no longer obtain flood insurance.

St. Thomas shut out of infrastructure funds

Posted by Ian:
Two levels of government dole out millions in infrastructure funding on Friday and St. Thomas is shut out. So is Central Elgin which was looking for an investment in Port Stanley harbour. Plenty of money to lavish on the rest of Elgin. What happened in St. Thomas? Is it our elected leadership or lack of a CAO to properly administer the corporation or perhaps no concrete business plan for the future? Any money coming to St. Thomas was slated for a new police HQ.
Details of the announcement follow.
Infrastructure funding