Category Archives: Cascade Falls

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 →

Baby Snapping Turtle Hatch – 2012 – Vermilion River

By Linda Heron on Sunday, April 7th, 2013
Posted in At Soo Crossing, Cascade Falls, Cedar Rapids, McPherson Falls, Media, Photos, Rivers at Risk, Snapping Turtle, Species at Risk, Vermilion River, Wabagishik Rapids

The Snapping Turtle is a special concern species under Ontario’s Endangered Species Act. A management plan will be prepared.  The Snapping Turtle has also been assessed nationally as a special concern species by the federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).  Status: special concern provincially and designated special concern federally.

My Resignation from the Vermilion Stakeholders' Advisory Committee

By Linda Heron on Sunday, August 12th, 2012
Posted in At Soo Crossing, Cascade Falls, McPherson Falls, Rivers at Risk, Vermilion River, Wabagishik Rapids

The following is an important development with regard to the 4 Vermilion River hydroelectric proposals currently going through the approvals process.  In March of 2011 I was asked by Mark Holmes, of Xeneca Power Development Inc. (Xeneca), if I would sit on a Vermilion Stakeholders’ Committee (VSAC), and early in 2012 I eventually agreed, on the grounds that if the VSAC were to find these projects were not environmentally and ecologically viable that the project would be dropped.    The following correspondence clearly sets out why I am no longer a member of the VSAC Committee.

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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Township of Nairn and Hyman Adopt a Motion to reject Vermilion River Hydroelectric Proposals

By Linda Heron on Thursday, June 14th, 2012
Posted in At Soo Crossing, Cascade Falls, Dams, Energy, Hydroelectric, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Species at Risk, Vermilion River, Wabagishik Rapids

Excerpt:

The Green Energy Act and Green Economy Act do not allow municipalities to have a say in green energy proposals, however, the Township of Nairn and Hyman, through this Motion, are sending a strong message to the public, developers, and the government that these hydroelectric proposals carry with them significant environmental, ecological, economic and social costs; present unnecessary threats to public health and safety; and are not wanted in this area.

Download (PDF, 1.55MB)

Vermilion River – 4 Proposed Hydro-electric Dams

By Linda Heron on Sunday, July 31st, 2011
Posted in At Soo Crossing, Cascade Falls, Dams, Energy, Hydroelectric, McPherson Falls, River Concerns, Rivers at Risk, Vermilion River, Wabagishik Rapids

At Soo Crossing, Vermilion River

The Vermilion River Stewardship was formed to deal with several challenges that are presently facing the Vermilion River and its Watershed.

River Concerns:

  • Four proposed Run-of-River Waterpower Projects
  • 9 Waste Water Treatment Facilities, 3 holding ponds, 1 tailings pond, and lift stations dumping treated, undertreated and untreated effluent into the Vermilion River Watershed.
  • Mining development creating effluent discharge and pollution
  • Algae and Cyanobacteria
  • Invasive Species, such Eurasian Watermilfoil

As you can see, the Vermilion River Stewardship is dealing with several challenges, however, the most pressing and urgent at the moment are the four proposed waterpower projects presently going through the Environmental Assessment (EA) process.  This report will focus on these challenges. Continue reading →