Category Archives: Sturgeon Chute

ORA Celebrates 10 years of Service to Ontario Rivers

By Linda Heron on Saturday, October 16th, 2021
Posted in Almonte GS, Annual Reports, Armstrong Creek, At Soo Crossing, Bala Falls, Big Eddy, Big Falls, Blanche River, Bonnechere River, Camp Rapids, Camp Three Rapids, Cascade Falls, Cedar Rapids, Crown Land Use Policy, Dams, Enerdu GS, Energy, Erin WWTP, First Chute, Fourth Slide Falls, Frederick House River, Half Mile Rapids, Hydroelectric, Ivanhoe River, Kabinakagami River, Kapuskasing River, Larder River, Marter Township GS, McCarthy Chute, McPherson Falls, Misema GS, Misema River, Mississippi River, Moon River, Neeskah, ORA Reports, Peeshoo, Petawawa River, Presentations, Raven Falls, Regulatory, Removal, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Serpent River, Sewage, Sturgeon Chute, Temagami River, The Chute, Third Falls, Trout Lake River, Vermilion River, Wabagishik Rapids, Wahpeeston, Wanapitei Dam, Wanapitei River, Wanatango Falls, Wapoose, Waste Water Treatment Facilities, West Credit River
A presentation made by the Chair of ORA:

A presentation made by the Chair at ORA’s 16 October 2021 Annual General Meeting:

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Terminated FIT Contracts

By Linda Heron on Wednesday, July 13th, 2016
Posted in At Soo Crossing, Big Eddy, Blanche River, Cascade Falls, E-Newsletter, Energy, FIT Program, Fourth Slide Falls, Frederick House River, Green Energy Act, Half Mile Rapids, Hydroelectric, Ivanhoe River, Kapuskasing River, Lapinigam Rapids, Larder River, Marter Township GS, Matawin River, McCarthy Chute, McGraw Falls GS, McPherson Falls, Middle Twp., Near North Boundary, ORA Reports, Outlet Kapuskasing Lk, Petawawa River, Raven Falls, Regulatory, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Serpent River, Sturgeon Chute, The Chute, Third Falls, Vermilion River, Wabagishik Rapids, Wanapitei River, Wanatango Falls

The Ontario Rivers Alliance filed a Freedom of Information Application with the IESO in February of 2016 to obtain the following list of terminated Feed-in-Tariff Contracts: Continue reading →

10 Ontario Rivers Protected from 19 Hydroelectric Projects

By Linda Heron on Wednesday, July 13th, 2016
Posted in At Soo Crossing, Big Eddy, Blanche River, Cascade Falls, Class EA for Waterpower, Dams, Energy, Environmental Reports, Fisheries, Fourth Slide Falls, Frederick House River, Government, Half Mile Rapids, Hydroelectric, Industry, Ivanhoe River, Kapuskasing River, Lapinigam Rapids, Larder River, Marter Township GS, Matawin River, McCarthy Chute, McGraw Falls GS, McPherson Falls, Middle Twp., Near North Boundary, ORA Reports, ORA Submissions, Outlet Kapuskasing Lk, Petawawa River, Press Release, Press Releases, Raven Falls, Regulatory, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Serpent River, Species at Risk, Sturgeon Chute, The Chute, Third Falls, Vermilion River, Wabagishik Rapids, Wanapitei River, Wanatango Falls, Water Quality

Wabagishik Rapids – Vermilion River

MEDIA RELEASE:  For Immediate Release:  13 July 2016

10 Ontario Rivers Protected from 19 Hydroelectric Projects

SUDBURY:  The Ontario Rivers Alliance (ORA) is celebrating a major victory in the protection of 10 Ontario rivers that have been under threat from 19 proposed hydroelectric projects.   Actions taken by the ORA and its members have led to what was considered to be impossible – the termination of 19 Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) Contracts.

In 2011, ORA came into being to address a rash of 87 proposed hydroelectric proposals initiated under the Green Energy Act.  The offer of generous incentives to produce power during peak demand hours had proponents rushing to claim access to falls and rapids on rivers all across the province.  The number of proposals to actually receive FIT Contracts was soon reduced to 41, and of those, Xeneca Power Development Inc. had secured 19 contracts for projects involving 23 Crown sites on 10 Ontario rivers. Continue reading →

River at Risk – Wanapitei River – Sturgeon Chute – Painting by Aleta Karstad

By Linda Heron on Thursday, June 26th, 2014
Posted in Art, Media, Rivers at Risk, Sturgeon Chute, Wanapitei River
Sturgeon Chute, Upper Rapids (oil on canvas, 12 x 16 in.)

Aleta Karstad – 1 October finds me painting at the upstream rapids of Sturgeon Chute on the Wanapite River, 6.7 kilometres northwest of Hartley Bay. To get just the right angle on the rapids, screened by flaming leaves of an overhanging Red Maple, I’m standing on a narrow grassy ledge, the small of my back leaning against a cold wall of smooth granite, with the feet of my easel only a few centimetres from the edge. About two metres below, courses the fast deep water….  To read Aleta’s notes and purchase her paintings, click here to visit Aleta’s website.

For more information on Sturgeon Chute – click here.

 

Black Sturgeon River Dam Decommissioning – Virginia Rook to Minister Gravelle

By Linda Heron on Sunday, February 10th, 2013
Posted in Dams, Impacts, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Studies & Reports, Sturgeon Chute, Wanapitei River

Virginia Rook
RR 2, Site 10, Comp 4
Alban, Ontario P0M 1A0

February 5, 2013

Honourable Michael Gravelle
Minister of Natural Resources
Suite 6630, 6th Floor, Whitney Block
99 Wellesley Street West
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1W3
Fax to: 416 325-5316

Dear Minister Gravelle:

Re: Black Sturgeon River Dam decommissioning

I have recently read Technical Report No. 06-03 produced for the Upper Great Lakes Management Unit – Lake Superior. This is a very thorough report that states that the collapse of the Black Bay walleye fishery coincides with the dam construction1. It states that many costly mitigation attempts were made to improve the fishery in the area, with little or no improvement.
The final recommendation of this report is to remove the dam.

I find it interesting that the major concerns were regarding the collapse of the commercial fishery and the loss of the recreational fishery. The report claims that if the dam was removed “Black Bay walleye population that is sufficiently recovered to permit recreational angling on Black Bay would be worth several hundred thousand dollars per year to open-water anglers from Thunder Bay alone.”2 To me, this means that the main concern of the Ministry of Natural Resources is all about profits!

I struggle to understand this. Continue reading →

Conditional FIT Contract – Xeneca Power Development Inc., Allen & Struthers Wanapitei River site

By Linda Heron on Wednesday, December 5th, 2012
Posted in Dams, Energy, FIT Program, Green Energy Act, Hydroelectric, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Sturgeon Chute, Wanapitei River

Excerpt from letter – French River Delta Association to Ontario Power Authority:

We are writing to ask that you terminate Xeneca Power Development Inc. (“Xeneca”)’s Feed-In Tariff (FIT) contract for the proposed Allen & Struthers hydro electric generating project (the “Proposed Project”). In our view, you have the power to do so, and should do so because:

1. The Proposed Project will not provide the promised amount of power;
2. The Proposed Project would cause significant harm to the natural environment and a provincial park;
3. Xeneca is in violation of the terms of its FIT contract, including multiple failures to obtain necessary permits on time;
4. Xeneca is not likely to obtain the necessary permits, given:
a. the staunch opposition of the local community, the municipality, and the First Nations;
b. its failure to consult the key local Band;
c. the presence of an aboriginal burial ground; and
d. the impact on endangered species; and
5. Xeneca may be using improperly obtained funding for the project.

Download (PDF, 169KB)

Precious Wild Rivers – Calendar, by Aleta Karstad

By Linda Heron on Sunday, October 21st, 2012
Posted in At Soo Crossing, Big Eddy, Frederick House River, Ivanhoe River, Media, Petawawa River, Rivers at Risk, Sturgeon Chute, The Chute, Third Falls, Vermilion River, Wabagishik Rapids, Wanapitei River

ORA FUNDRAISER – 50% of the profit from the purchase of these calendars will go to help Ontario Rivers Alliance in our mandate to protect, conserve and restore riverine ecosytems.   This calendar would make a great Christmas present!

A BIG THANKS to Aleta and Fred for making this possible!

A calendar for 2013 of Aleta Karstad’s oil paintings en plein air of rivers, rapids, and waterfalls in Ontario. Aleta travels with her biologist husband Fred Schueler to precious wild rivers that still run free with rapids and waterfalls, to paint and explore for little-known native mussels and crayfish, documenting these vulnerable wild communities in art and science. The image of each painting is accompanied by Aleta and Fred’s writings about their adventures in discovering the special nature of the place, as well as the nature of the threats to its integrity, leading us to enquire whether new hydroelectric projects on our wild rivers are desirable or necessary.

Standard Edition – 11×17 – Open:

Premium Edition – 13.5 x 19:

OPSEU Pension Trust (OPTrust) funds many Hydroelectric Proposals

By Linda Heron on Thursday, July 5th, 2012
Posted in At Soo Crossing, Big Eddy, Cascade Falls, Impacts, Ivanhoe River, Kapuskasing River, Petawawa River, Rivers at Risk, Studies & Reports, Sturgeon Chute, The Chute, Third Falls, Vermilion River, Wabagishik Rapids, Wanapitei River

Is this How You Want to See Your OPSEU Pension Fund Invested?

It has come to our attention that at least 18 modified run-of-river hydroelectric proposals are funded through the government employees’ pension trust fund – OPSEU – OPTrust.  These types of hydroelectric dams carry numerous negative impacts1 resulting in reduced water quality and water quantity, destruction of habitat and spawning areas, place extreme pressure on fish and endangered species survival, and the frequent and extreme swings in water flow velocity and water levels pose a serious threat to public health and safety.  MNR and MOE staff are assigned to facilitate these proposals through the Environmental Assessment, permits, and approvals process, and ultimately through to completion.  It is also MNR and MOE that make the final decisions on whether these proposals are approved.  With their own pension monies at risk, this would appear to be a clear conflict of interest.

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