Stop The Stink In Elmira

Elmira Advocate on the Bio-En CLC Meeting of 7 May 2013

Bob Jonkman — Fri, 10 May 2013 05:17:13 +0000

Alan Marshall has a nice summary on the Elmira Advocate of the Bio-En Community Liaison Committee meeting held on Tuesday, 7 May 2013:

[…]
From a distance things may look quiet but apparently to date soil has been moved, conduit laid and some concrete has been poured. Also the excavation for a storm water pond has been completed. Earl Brubacher runs a very calm, sedate and professional meeting and I would describe all participants as conducting themselves accordingly.
[…]

A pointer to the official meeting minutes will be posted here once they’re published on the Bio-En Meeting Minutes page.

Bio-En Construction has begun

Bob Jonkman — Sun, 05 May 2013 21:17:24 +0000

As was mentioned at the Bio-En CLC meeting in March, the site preparation for the biogas plant has begun. Construction was well under way this past Saturday, 4 May 2013.

A drainage ditch has been created at the approach to the construction site:

Culvert at Bio-En construction site

That’s a might large sign with mighty little information!

Construction sign

Here’s a 3/4 round view at the end of the road leading to the construction site:

Bio-En construction site (full size)

And don’t forget the upcoming CLC meeting on Tuesday, 7 May 2013, 7:00pm at the Woolwich Memorial Arena.

Sustainability forum focuses on collaboration

System Administrator — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:18:32 +0000

This is a media release from the City of Kitchener

KITCHENER – Collaboration and commitment are on the agenda for the Sustainability Networking Forum on Saturday, April 20 at Kitchener City Hall in the rotunda from 9 a.m. until noon.

Hosted by the City of Kitchener councillor, Yvonne Fernandes, and the environmental advisory committee, the forum highlights the need to work together and also identifies the values and principles that underscore collaboration. During the morning there will be a guided presentation for attendees to work together on a variety of activities.

Grassroots environmental groups have a wide variety of reasons for organizing; this forum will be an opportunity for them to connect with each other, find common threads and perhaps pool resources in a wider effort to get their message out to the public. The hope is that a bigger annual event can be planned so that the public will be able to attend in the future.

Participation in the forum is open to community environmental organizations by registration. Contact Brian Scott, City of Kitchener, at brian.scott@kitchener.ca.

What: Environmental sustainability networking forum
Who: Councillor Fernandes and the environmental advisory committee
When: Saturday, April 20, 9 a.m. to noon.
Where: City hall rotunda

-30-

The Kitchener City Hall Rotunda is at 200 King St. W., Kitchener, Ontario (map)

Minutes of 12 March 2013 CLC Meeting now available

Bob Jonkman — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 09:27:03 +0000

The minutes of the Bio-En Community Liaison Committee meeting held on 12 March 2013 are now available, courtesy of Bio-En.

The documents referred to in the minutes are also available:

REA – Renewable Energy Approval document
ERT Order – Environmental Review Tribunal (.PDF file, 961 KBytes)

Bio-En Community Liaison Committee Meeting, 7 May 2013

System Administrator — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:14:17 +0000

Title: Bio-En Community Liaison Committee Meeting
Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Date: Tuesday, 7 May 2013
Location: Woolwich Memorial Centre, Concourse Cafe (map)

Agenda:

March 12th meeting minutes
Woolwich Bio-en update – construction schedule
Other Business
Schedule next meeting

Unfortunately, this date conflicts with the Woolwich Council meeting.

Bio-En CLC meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month.

The Stop The Stink Events Calendar lists CLC meetings, CPAC meetings, and Woolwich Council meetings.

Check these pages on the Bio-En website:

Bio-En Community Liaison Committee Meeting, 12 March 2013

Bob Jonkman — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 07:51:48 +0000

Update 18 March 2013: The minutes of this meeting are now available

Hi everyone: Today I learned of a new Community Liaison Committee Meeting from the Bio-En Web page listing CLC Agendas:

Title: Bio-En Community Liaison Committee Meeting

Location: Lions Hall, 40 South St. W., Elmira, Ontario, Canada
(map)
Link out: CLC Agendas at Bio-En Elmira

Woolwich Bio-en CLC Meeting

When: March 12, 2013
Time: 7:00 to 9:00 pm
Where: Lions Hall Elmira

Agenda:

1. Nov 21/12 meeting minutes
2. Woolwich Bio-en update
- anticipated construction schedule
- submission of draft contingency plan
- upcoming MOE admin amendment
3. Finalize terms of reference
4. Other Business
5. Schedule next meeting

Note:

This meeting is also open to the public.

CLC invitees

Earl Brubacher, Chair
Doug Thomas, V chair
Marg Tassy Kreller
Robert Musselman
Earl Martin
Jerry Heidbuurt
Bob Grey
Michael Purves Smith
Kevin Martin
Chuck Martin

Another biosolids facility in Waterloo Region?

Bob Jonkman — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 00:22:49 +0000

The Waterloo Chronicle is running a series of articles on a biosolids facility in the Region of Waterloo. The latest article, entitled Not in my backyard opens with the observation:

Ask a regional councillor from the city of Waterloo or Cambridge what their opinion is of the region’s proposed biosolids heat-drying facility and you’ll likely get the same answer.

I love it – just don’t put it in my city.

The Waterloo Chronicle quotes Woolwich Township Mayor (and Waterloo Regional Councillor) Todd Cowan:

[Cowan], who experienced a similar debate in his town, said NIMBYism is inherent in almost any major municipal project.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a skate park or something like (the biosolids plant), said councillor Todd Cowan, mayor of Woolwich Township. For years he has been fighting with the provincial government to relocate a biogas facility from near Elmira’s downtown to a less residential area.

And we know how effective that’s been…

Ontario’s FIT program just got a lot more expensive

Bob Jonkman — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:17:03 +0000

It looks like Ontario’s FIT program may be in trouble. According to an article in Lexology, a news site for the legal profession, a WTO decision could result in additional costs for equipment and services manufactured in Ontario. Local content is required under the Green Energy and Economy Act.

World Trade Organization rules against Ontario’s Feed-In Tariff program

Japan and the EU complained that Ontario’s local content rules breach the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (“GATT”) by treating imported products less favourably than domestic products.

[…]

In its ruling, the WTO panel said Ontario’s FIT program local content requirements breached Canada’s obligations under the GATT and the international Agreement On Trade-Related Investment Measures by treating domestic and imported renewable energy equipment and components differently.

If Canada is to comply with the WTO’s decision then Ontario cannot require local content for green energy projects, eliminating the manufacturing jobs in Ontario for equipment purchased offshore. But if Canada does not comply then other countries may retaliate by imposing sanctions against Canada’s exports. Either way, the cost of building a biogas plant goes up.

Canada has until 18 February 2013 to appeal the WTO decision. If the decision stands, it will restrict Ontario’s efforts at supporting local green industry and technologies.

Building a bio-waste plant in Elmira is now more costly than ever.

Update 10 May 2013: The Record reports that Canada has lost the appeal to the WTO, but the federal and provincial governments have no immediate plans to change the Ontario Green Energy Act legislation.

Conflict of Interest?

Derek Potma — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 22:06:19 +0000

It is worth noting that Elmira Mayor Todd Cowan is a member of the Waterloo Hydro Utility board of directors. Until recently an ‘anonymous’ board of directors, the membership was made publicly available a few weeks ago. Mayor Cowan paid much lip service to local residents who were working to relocate or stop the Bio-En biogas plant project, giving the appearance of support for the citizen’s group during the lengthy public and courtroom battles, and claiming many times to NOT be in favour of the project location. Perhaps the mayor’s position on this board shows that he in fact knew much more than he let on, to the point of mis-leading the public in regards the fate of this project, and also to what/who his real intentions and alliances are. I see this for what it is, just another example of how these people are able to work the system for their benefit, rather than the system working for the benefit of the people.

http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/827661–waterloo-hydro-utility-posts-board-of-directors-names

http://metronews.ca/news/kitchener/417926/citizens-question-waterloo-hydro-board-transparency/

http://www.hydroworld.com/news/2012/10/31/waterloo-hydro-reveals-directors-board-members-receive-stipend-nl-residents-who-pushed-for-transpare.html

http://www.therecord.com/opinion/editorial/article/825110–kept-in-dark-by-waterloo-north

Biogas Waste Contaminates Honey

Bob Jonkman — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 07:21:52 +0000

Blue Carpenter Bee

Here’s something I’ll bet nobody has considered: The BBC reports that bees feeding on biowaste from a biogas plant in France have turned the honey blue, making it unsellable.

Beekeepers in northeastern France have been alarmed to find their bees producing honey in unnatural shades of green and blue.

The beekeepers believe the source of the problem is a biogas plant close to Ribeauville in Alsace.

It is thought the bees have been eating the sugary waste from M&Ms, small chocolates in brightly-coloured shells.

[...]

As for the blue honey, the beekeepers say it is unsellable.

Are there any beekeepers around Elmira producing honey? How will the biowaste plant affect your production?

(Thanx to BoingBoing for the news alert)

Blue Carpenter Bee by Roger Sanderson is used under a CC BY-NC 2.0 license.