This past Sunday, Cavan Monaghan took part in the first annual County Day at Lang Pioneer Village. The Day was a celebration of the history of our area. Taking part from Cavan Monaghan were representatives of the Community Garden, 4th Line Theatre, the Historical Society, Voyageur Canoe, the Women’s Institute, Council, and Brenda Whitehead, Director of Economic and Community Development. Most were dressed in period costumes, which contributed to the festive atmosphere. Congratulations to the Lang Pioneer Village staff and volunteers. I encourage all to attend next year’s County Day.
This summer, an issue has emerged that has the potential to add another layer to municipal planning. The Minister of Energy has initiated a discussion about energy planning and energy infrastructure siting, (e.g., where to place natural gas plants), through the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) and the Independent Energy System Operator (IESO). Background information can be found at www.onregional-planning-and-siting-dialogue.ca.
Director of Planning, Karen Ellis, and I attended a discussion session about this topic in Oshawa on July 9th. Many different participants attended, from small municipalities to large ones with sustainability coordinators, representatives of First Nations, local distribution companies, a representative of a local utility group, and power transmitters like Hydro One.
OPA and IESO representatives led a discussion designed to provide advice to the Minister “on how to more formally integrate municipalities, Aboriginal communities and the public into the regional planning process” and “on how to better engage municipalities and communities in siting large energy infrastructure.” The questions presented elicited discussion which was interesting, but went beyond what Cavan Monaghan has considered as part of our land use planning process.
I believe the Minister’s intent is to have the planning process consider whether adequate energy supplies are available and, if not, consider whether energy will be produced locally or imported from another region, province or country. One of the discussion questions was, “If a community prefers a certain option should that option be paid for by the community or all Ontarians?”
If the Minister wishes to be more inclusive in the planning process, he will need to provide more background information so that the public and municipalities can participate effectively. Council may need to consider whether such planning is better done at the Township, the County level, or by becoming directly involved with the Regional Electricity Planning group.
The process for this consultation has moved forward quickly. A draft of comments from the discussion meetings has been circulated and will be included in correspondence for information at the next Council meeting, as will comments from the President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. The commenting period is over and the consultation results will be given to the Minister by August 1.
In the meantime, the Minister has announced the start of the Long Term Energy Plan review. The background to the Long Term Energy Plan Review includes the statement, “Ontario is in a position of strength, with more than enough supply to manage our needs for the short term.” Based on this statement, there is no need to rush the changes to the planning process.
It seems that it would be premature to end the regional planning discussions before the Long Term Energy Plan Review is completed, and before Municipalities have had adequate time to consider the implications individually and collectively.
Background information for the Long Term Energy Plan Review can be found at:http://www.powerauthority.on.ca/power-planning/long-term-energy-plan-2013.
Council members and the public can take part in the series of meetings listed on the website.
