The county supports the idea of water power generation, but not enough to sign a charter.
Earlier today, Stephanie Landers from the Ontario Waterpower Champions met with county council asking for their collective signature on the “Ontario Waterpower Champions Charter.”
Despite the county’s decision to not sign the charter at this time, all of them wanted it clearly stated that they are in favour of water power as a whole and the idea of it being used as power generation. Algonquin Highlands Mayor Carol Moffatt noted that she is appreciative of the information that Landers brought to the table but felt nervous about signing a charter and the implications that carries for the county. A sentiment that was echoed by County Warden Liz Danielson.
Minden representative Brent Devolin, like his Algonquin Highlands counterpart, shared an appreciation for the presentation and information that Landers presented, but he pointed out that it was a shame that this information was not available to them five years ago. Devolin explained that infrastructure like dams have been getting repaired and replaced over the past couple of years and said that by the time the charter comes into effect, the ability to convert county assets for water power will have passed.
Dysart Mayor Andrea Roberts, along the same lines as her fellow councillors felt that it didn’t seem appropriate for county council to sign this charter with no knowledge of the benefits of doing so.
After a lengthy talk, the council elected to recieve Landers information, as exactly that, information.
A link to the OWC powerpoint can be found by clicking here.