Jason Parise, development director with SWEB Development, speaks to Scott Joudrey at a community engagement session at the Greenfield Fire Hall last week about SWEB’s proposal for a 10-turbine wind farm in the area. (Rick Conrad)

Property owners in north Queens got an early look last week at a company’s plans to build a potential wind farm in the area.

The Apitamkiejit Wind Energy Project, named after the Mi’kmaq term for tamarack, is being proposed by SWEB Development, an Austrian company with offices in Halifax.

It wants to erect 10 turbines on private property between Little Wentworth Lake and Wentworth Lake. The project could provide renewable energy for thousands of homes in the area.

The company is bidding through Nova Scotia’s Green Choice Program, which is a collaboration between the province, Nova Scotia Power and private companies to reach Nova Scotia’s goal of 80 per cent renewable energy by 2030.

SWEB held a community engagement session at the Greenfield Fire Hall late last week.

Jason Parise, a development director with SWEB, says the project has been in the works since 2021.

“We’ll continue to work on the project, engage stakeholders, engage First Nations communities,” he said. “This project would be at mid-stage development, so we have a lot of things that have been ongoing for a couple of years. Our wind resource assessment has been ongoing, we have a meteorological tower on site. A lot of our field work for the envrionmental assessment component is well underway. We expect to be filing an environmental assessment for this project at the end of 2024.”

The company should know if its application was successful by the end of the year.

Sarah Rosenblat is the senior development director for SWEB. She said community engagement sessions are important in shaping the Apitamkiejit project. This most recent session is on top of the online engagement they held two years ago. 

“The feedback that we’re going to hear tonight could even go as far as helping to shape the project in terms of layout. If there’s a sensitive area that we weren’t aware of, maybe a recreational lake that folks use in the summer. … That allows us to work within the community, hear their feedback, make adjustments, and it allows us to bring it into the actual project planning.

“It looked very different a while back. It’s actually already shifted because of public feedback. So, we’ve pushed away from the roads, come in more internally.”

Rosenblat says that if their bid is successful, the goal would be to have the project up and running by the beginning of 2028.

Scott Joudrey lives in Bridgewater but owns property in the area SWEB wants to develop.

“It’s a great idea,” he said. “It’s part of the future. Cleaner energy, and more sustainable energy. We gotta do something.

“I think it’s going to be a good idea, especially if they can put enough in the area to power a good percentage of the homes and businesses.”

Monica Fisher lives on Lapland Road, which would be near the proposed farm.  

“This development that is being proposed is very close to us so they would be using our Lapland Road extension as an access point if it gets approved. And that road needs major repair. … So if this gets to go through, they’re going to have to completely upgrade (the road).”

She said she and her neighbours were concerned about the impact the project would have on local wildlife. But the company met with them a couple of weeks ago, she said, and assured them that all wildlife would be protected.

“We’ve got quite a few windmill projects in our province that I was very unaware of until now. I’m learning more about them. … I’m not opposed to it, as long as it’s not affecting my life.”

This isn’t the only significant wind project being proposed for Queens County. Mersey River Wind won approval on March 12 from Region of Queens councillors to build a 33-turbine farm on about 80 hectares of Crown land 4.4 kilometres east of Milton. That project is expected to get underway later this year.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to the audio version of this story below

The Region of Queens approved the next step Tuesday for Mersey River Wind farm development in Milton. (Mersey River Wind)

Queens County residents got one step closer on Tuesday to buying their electricity from wind power.

Region of Queens councillors approved a development agreement to allow a large-scale wind farm to go ahead in Milton.

Halifax-based Roswall Development Inc., the owners of Mersey River Wind, plans to build 33 wind turbines on about 80 hectares of Crown land west of the Mersey River.

Roswall promises to sell power from the wind farm directly to consumers, bypassing Nova Scotia Power, under the name Renewall Energy. 

It will offer electricity to large customers on the South Shore first, and then to residential customers. 

RELATED:

• Queens residents to have say on Milton wind project
• Proposed wind farm could offer Queens an alternative to NS Power

The company says its power rates would be lower than Nova Scotia Power’s. The project is expected to employ 100 people temporarily. It says it could employ up to 12 people full time after the farm is up and running.

David Howell is Roswall’s chief financial officer. He was at the council meeting on Tuesday.

“We will be delivering the electricity across Nova Sotia Power’s grid, paying for the use of the grid essentially. And people will have a choice, I hope, by the time we get to the end of 2025, to buy their power either from Nova Scotia Power or directly from our retail company.”

Roswall is the first in the province to be awarded a licence to sell power directly to consumers under the Renewable to Retail program introduced by the provincial government in 2015.

Under the municipality’s land use bylaw, large-scale wind farms are not automatically allowed in the area as it’s currently zoned. So the company had to apply for a separate agreement with the municipality. 

As part of that process, the municipality held a public hearing on Tuesday morning before its regular council meeting. Only one member of the public spoke against the project. A Milton resident was concerned about the proximity of the turbines to houses in the area and an effect known as shadow flicker. That’s essentially the shadow cast by the turbines on properties on a sunny day.

Mitch Underhay, Roswall’s development manager, said after the meeting that all homes are at least two kilometres away from the development. And one woods camp is about a kilometre away, but the company has reached an agreement with that landowner.

“There are limits of how many hours per year and minutes per day the shadow flicker can land on a receptor, which is usually a home. All of the homes around Milton are well outside of that, so they shouldn’t experience any shadow flicker at all.”

Much of the land is on former Bowater Mersey property. Because of much of it is already cleared, Underhay said there should be minimal environmental impact on the site. Staff will be on site to clear any vegetation or trees that might interfere with power lines or turbines, he said. No chemical sprays will be used.

The owners of two concrete companies spoke in favour of the development agreement. Bridgewater Ready Mix and South Shore Ready Mix hope to win some work with the project.

Joel Westin, president and owner of Bridgewater Ready Mix, told councillors there are many advantages to the project – local jobs, greener energy and potentially lower power rates.

“We in the ready mix industry also have a commitment to net zero and to achieve that we need renewable power. And we intend to become customers of the Mersey Wind project once it starts.”

Mayor Darlene Norman said the project could eventually generate up to $800,000 in tax revenue for the municipality.

“It is a good thing for Queens County and it was wonderful to have 100 per cent approval from council on this matter,” she said in an interview.

“It’s a big project for Queens and it is one that should be welcomed by people who understand that green energy is the important energy.”

Securing the development agreement with Queens County was one the last steps before the company can begin construction. Howell said it is in the final stages of working out a lease agreement for the Crown land in Milton. 

The development agreement approval is still subject to an appeal process, until April 4.

Howell said they hope to begin construction by this summer.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

A public hearing is scheduled for March 12 on a proposed wind farm in Milton. (Mersey River Wind)

A public hearing on a proposed wind farm development in Milton is scheduled for March 12 in council chambers at the Region of Queens offices in Liverpool.

The region plans to sign a development agreement with Roswall Development Inc., the owners of Mersey River Wind. The company would build 33 wind turbines on about 80 hectares of Crown land near the Mersey River.

The Halifax-based company is negotiating with the Nova Scotia government to lease the land. Under the municipality’s land use bylaw, large-scale wind farms are not automatically allowed on the land as it’s currently zoned.

Councillors voted Feb. 13 to move ahead with the agreement. As part of the process, though, a public hearing must be held before it moves further.

The hearing is set for Tues. March 12 at 9 a.m., which will be before council’s regular meeting. The staff report that council relied on at its Feb. 13 meeting is available here. More information about the hearing is available on the region’s website here. 

Roswall promises to sell power from the wind farm directly to consumers, bypassing Nova Scotia Power. It says it will offer it to large customers on the South Shore first, and then to residential customers. The company says its power rates would be lower than Nova Scotia Power’s. The project is expected to employ 100 people temporarily.

Anybody can speak at the hearing. Written submissions must be sent to the region at least two business days before March 12 to mmacleod@regionofqueens.com. 

Copies of the supporting documents are available at the region’s office at 249 White Point Road, Monday to Friday. 

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Nova Scotia Power crews at work on Waterloo Street on Monday. (Rick Conrad photo)

A power outage in parts of Liverpool has closed two schools and some downtown businesses for the day.

Wickwire Academy and South Queens Middle School are closed because of the power outage just before 5 a.m. Monday.

Nova Scotia Power says it’s because of a “transmission interruption”. It affects 728 customers. The company originally said Monday morning it expected power to be restored by 3 p.m. But its outage map now says power should be restored by 8 p.m.

The outage has hit parts of downtown Liverpool and extends to Old Port Mouton and White Point roads.

Photo Ed Halverson

By Rick Conrad

Nova Scotia Power customers may see less of an increase on their electricity bills.

The Nova Scotia government says it wants to help extend the time period that ratepayers have to cover a portion of the utility’s fuel costs.

That would mean a rate increase of 1.1 per cent instead of the planned seven per cent for residential customers and 13 per cent for industrial users, according to a news release Monday.

“If we did not take action, Nova Scotia Power would seek another large power rate increase this year,” said Tory Rushton, minister of natural resources and renewables. 

“While we would prefer no increase at all, we are proposing a solution that would mean a considerably smaller increase of about 1.1 per cent instead.”

The amount ratepayers owe for fuel costs is included in the utility’s fuel adjustment mechanism. Each year, it files a proposal with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board to recover its fuel costs. The board sets power rates based on those costs.

The government would buy $117 million of Nova Scotia Power’s outstanding $395 million fuel adjustment cost. It would get it back from ratepayers through their power bills over a 10-year period.

The government said it sent its proposal to the review board on Monday.  

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Watch out for the latest phone scam, RCMP say. (Pixabay)

Nova Scotia RCMP are warning people about a phone scam in which a caller poses as a Nova Scotia Power employee.

The scammer wants people to believe they didn’t pay for their smart meter installation, saying that if they don’t pay immediately, their power will be disconnected. The caller also claims that a technician is on his way to their home.

RCMP say it’s designed to trick people into giving out their personal information, like bank or credit card details. They advise that if you have any questions about your Nova Scotia Power account after an unexpected phone call, hang up and contact the company directly.

(Photo via RCMP NS Facebook page)

By Rick Conrad

A 66-year-old Chester Grant man is in hospital after his logging truck rolled and hit a power pole in Buckfield, Queens County, on Sunday morning, RCMP said Monday.

Queens District RCMP, firefighters and EHS responded to a single-vehicle crash at 10:52 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 210 and Labelle Road. The tractor trailer was travelling westbound on Highway 210 and suffered extensive damage.

The intersection was closed for several hours and residents were without power as Nova Scotia Power crews replaced the damaged pole. Power has been restored to the area and the road is reopened.

The driver, who was the only person in the truck, had to be extracted from the truck. He was seriously injured and had to be airlifted to hospital. RCMP said in a news release Monday that his injuries are not life-threatening.

Queens District RCMP are still investigating.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to an audio version of this story below

Hurricane Lee Tracking from Environment Canada Sep 15 2023

Utility officials say they have learned lessons over the past year and are better prepared to deal with the impacts of Hurricane Lee.

At a news conference Friday, representatives of Nova Scotia Power, Bell and Eastlink joined emergency management officials, Environment Canada meteorologists and Minister John Lohr to describe how they have anticipated the needs ahead of the storm as well as their plans for recovery.

Following Hurricane Fiona in 2022, several parts of the province were without cell service for an extended period of time.

Representatives from both Eastlink and Bell say their respective companies have taken several steps to prevent outages and keep any down time to a minimum.

Those include spending tens of millions of dollars to ensure they have generators in key places, securing fuel to keep their emergency fleets on the roads, and ensuring personnel from out of province are ready to provide support should they be called upon.

Geoff Moore with Bell Canada says Nova Scotians can expect to see improvements in the aspects of their service that can be predicted and controlled, but there are situations that will arise for which they can’t plan.

“We can control the cell site, we can control fuel, we can control having batteries on sites, we can control our response, what we can’t control is this damage, excuse me, the damage the storm does. So if there’s fiber cables broken, if there’s you know, poles down that are impacting that connection, or that fiber connection, excuse me, to the cell site, those are things that I can’t plan for,” said Moore.

“I can plan to respond, make sure I’ve got the right resources, the right equipment, the right material, but I don’t know where that’s going to happen so we’re very much dependent, if you wish, on what the storm does and where it does it.”

Nova Scotia Power says over 10,000 trees were trimmed following Fiona. The utility says it spent $32 million in 2023 on tree trimming and plans to increase that amount to $40 million in 2024.

Environment Canada Meteorologist Bob Robichaud says the hurricane is expected to become a post tropical storm by the time it makes landfall in Nova Scotia.

Robichaud says some people may have the mistaken idea that the change in designation to post tropical storm may mean a less powerful event.

“What we mean by post tropical is essentially the structure of the storm is different. It says nothing about the intensity,” said Robichaud. “So, we expect this storm, as it approaches and as it gets close to the coastline, to be very close to hurricane strength. We’re thinking just below, but it will still be a large storm that’s very near hurricane strength at the time.”

The winds are forecast to reach speeds up to 120km/h by the time Hurricane Lee reaches Nova Scotia Saturday morning. The region could see up to 150mm of rain beginning Friday and continuing throughout Saturday.

Rain, wind and storm surge warnings have been issued for the South Shore, including Queens County.

Emergency officials are asking residents to be prepared with supplies, food and fresh water to last 72 hours.

To hear the broadcast of this story click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Photo Ed Halverson

Supply issues and power problems at the Region of Queens water treatment plant are responsible for the ongoing boil water advisory that has affected municipal water users in the Liverpool area for over a month.

Residents relying on municipal services have been unable to consume the water coming out of their pipes since the Region issued the advisory on Aug 9.

A lightning strike at the water treatment plant damaged several essential components.

Mayor Darlene Norman says it took time to acquire replacements for the specialized components, but they are now in hand. However, crews won’t be installing the new parts until they can be sure the power entering the plant is stable and won’t cause further damage.

“At this present time, we are stabilizing energy to the plant. So, Nova Scotia power is working to do that,” said Norman. “We have hired consultants, we’ve been working with various agencies, we’ve been working with water utility specialists, we have been working with everyone in the water utility field to solve this problem.”

Norman expects Nova Scotia Power will continue to work at the site into next week.

She says the water quality at the plant is inconsistent and won’t pass tests required by the Nova Scotia Department of Environment to permit lifting the boil water advisory.

The mayor couldn’t offer a timeline but is confident once the power to the plant is stabilized, and the new parts are installed those tests can be met in short order and the boil water advisory will be lifted.

For now, residents are advised to continue boiling water for at least a minute before drinking or any other activity requiring human consumption.

To hear the full interview with Mayor Norman click play below.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

Bob Robichaud, Meteorologist, Environment and Climate Change Canada. Screen capture from Communications Nova Scotia Zoom conference Aug 24, 2023

The province is warning Nova Scotians now is the time to prepare for an active hurricane season.

Officials from Environment Canada, Nova Scotia Power, the Red Cross and the province’s Emergency Management Office gathered together Thursday to announce an information campaign designed to inform Nova Scotians on how to ready themselves for the upcoming season.

Meteorologist Bob Robichaud says the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting 14 to 21 named storms, six to 10 hurricanes and two to five major hurricanes before the end of the year.

Robichaud says those numbers are higher than initially predicted in May and include storm activity across the entire Atlantic Ocean.

“It doesn’t necessarily mean that a lot of those storms will approach Atlantic Canada or have any kind of impact on Nova Scotia but we always have to be ready for that one or two storms that might impact us,” said Robichaud.

As an example, Robichaud pointed to Hurricane Fiona and the damage it caused in September of 2022.

Robichaud was asked about Hurricane Franklin and says it is currently about 1,200km southwest of Bermuda, tracking northeast. It’s expected to reach category 2 status as it moves north over the weekend.

As of Thursday, modelling shows the hurricane will track south of Nova Scotia but Robichaud says even if it does turn towards the province it won’t be anywhere close to the power of Fiona.

He encourages people to follow trusted weather forecasting sites to get information about impending storms.

Operations Manager with the Canadian Red Cross of Nova Scotia, Ancel Langille says it’s important for families to have an emergency plan and kit ready ahead of storm season.

“Your kit should include things that will make a stay away from home more comfortable for you and your family,” said Langille. “Things like clothing, medications, if you have children some toys and games, if you have pets prepare a kit for them as well with the leash, some food, water, medications for them, a pet carrier [is] something great to have on hand. If you have a vehicle, make sure it’s full of gas before the storm arrives and it’s always great to have some cash on hand.”

Langille added if there is time, it’s a good idea to take photos or videos of the rooms of your house before you need to evacuate so you have a record to provide to your insurance company.

John Lohr, the minister responsible for emergency management in Nova Scotia says the province works closely with municipalities through the provincial control centre in times of emergency.

Lohr says the province is preparing for the upcoming Hurricane Season.

“And I would like to encourage all Nova Scotians to take some time now before a storm or weather warning is issued to our region to do the same,” said Lohr. “Before an event happens is a good time to sit down with your family and talk things over, check to see what may need to be done around your house or cottage make a plan and prepare.”

The province will be running an information campaign across social and traditional media over the next four weeks.

Updates and tips from Nova Scotia’s emergency management office are available at their website: https://novascotia.ca/Alerts

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com

To listen to the radio broadcast, press play below.