Interpretive centre could include “green” initiatives
Administrator | May 13, 2011 | Comments 12
By Ross Lees
Prince Edward County council wants to expand the scope and scale of a renewable energy interpretive evaluation centre it has requested Gilead Power Corporation to develop in the County.
In discussion at the committee of the whole meeting Thursday, councillors stated interest in having such a centre located near the high school to work in conjunction with an expanded “green” training program at the school.
Councillor Brian Marisett noted Prince Edward Collegiate Institute was known for its skills training.
“We have an opportunity here,” he said. “If we don’t do this, we are perhaps missing an opportunity to work with the proponents of wind energy to educate the public and promote green energy. I see this as an opportunity to get some skills training back into this area for our youth, an opportunity to broaden our vision a little and look outside the box.”
Councillor Bev Campbell agreed immediately and suggested the interpretive centre should not be limited to Gilead, but be expanded to include all projects coming to the area. “We should think in terms of broadening the discussion,” she noted.
Chair of the committee of the whole meeting Barry Turpin indicated the Wellington town hall might be a good place for the centre to be located, but a centre which could be used as an educational tool for high school students in an educational program seemed to garner the majority of support.
Commissioner of recreation, parks and culture Barry Braun will explore the topic with Gilead and others and bring a report back to council, perhaps by the first meeting in June.
Filed Under: Local News
We would be better off promoting ways to save energy instead of promoting entitlement to it. There is virtually no effort to control our burgeoning human population, and no measurable effort to conserve what we already have. Unnecessary lights continue to blaze all night, Earth Hour to most in this county is a joke, and there is no effort to mandate that every new strucure incorporate either a small wind turbine and/or solar power. We have learned to accept irresponsibility as a way of life and entitlement to whatever we want, at any cost. So, what’s the answer in another few decades when our population doubles? Turbine stacking? Or, are we so irresponsible that we don’t really give a damn?
I agree with Gary Mooney that it would be hypocritical to work with Gilead on this project …it reeks of “we’ll scratch your back, if you will scratch ours”. If our council really believed in “green” education we would be more proactive on innovating conservation of energy rather than leaning towards highly visual examples of green? wind turbines (or is it more of a political statement…”look what we are doing!”. Didn’t see council out celebrating the opening of the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory where data is being collected to reinforce “green” solutions. Guess it wasn’t “visual” enough:(
Gilead Power is interested in only one type of green. The folding type. It is sad that our Council appears to be taken in by Gilead’s slick sales pitch.
Peter Johnson
Last fall, Monica Alyea proposed council ask Gilead to build an interpretive centre at the Mariner’s park. At that time Gilead spokesperson said they had no intention of building a centre anywhere in the County. Thought that was an end to it then.
Is this not the council that asked for a moratorium on Industrial Wind Towers? When did the wind change?
Council needs to spend their time on important things, like reducing the deficit, getting money back into the reserves and a long term plan to reduce overhead. Somehow I missed these in the 26 item to-do-list.
It would be hyprocritical for Gilead to participate in such a project, given their request to the MNR for a permit to “kill, harm and harass” two threatened species and “damage and destroy” habitat at Ostrander Point.
And it should be an embarrassment to Council to been seen as supporting a renewable energy display where there is substantial collateral damage to wildlife from wind projects within the South Shore’s Important Bird Area.
The message that will be communicated to kids and grandkids: It’s OK to kill threatened species and destroy habitat so that we can continue increase our consumption of energy.
What would make sense to me would be an interpretive centre on conservation of energy.
Council passed a motion to have a moritorium on Wind Turbines and now they are talking about having Gilead build an interpretive centre. Lets wait until they have something constructed and hopefully that will be never. Lets not put the cart before the horse and have Council wasting its time on something irrelevant when they could be concentrating on how to reduce the deficit.
On Friday all kinds of people were at the point, new volunteers, CBC and a group of high school students. The weather on Friday was perfect and the weather today was not so great. On Friday the 6th there were so many people there that is was hard to get the birds in the banding station. With the exception of Alec Lunn I am not sure if many of the council are that interested in the County except for the arena and skate parks Terry you are correct we have a gem in our midst but a lot of people do not take advantage of it.
However I would like to say that the organizers of this years Birding festival did a fantastic job of organizing and I hope that there efforts paid off.
Check the blog on county live and you will see an outstanding presentation of what is happening.
Chris – I don’t think Council or the County in general could be any less interested in the IBA, if the turnout today to the official opening of the Birding Festival is any indication. Invitations had been sent out to the media and to dignitaries and the only one to show any support or interest was, as we might expect, Alec Lunn. No media showed up either. Yet, we have a gem here that is unmatched, even by famous Point Pelee. The only locals to show up were those directly involved in the Festival, but there were lots of visitors from Buffalo, Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec, Stirling and Hamilton. Birders at Point Pelee drop 4.2 million dollars into their local economy every spring, and this County is so out of touch with this tourism potential during the shoulder season it’s pathetic.
I agree with Chris–council should not be involved in this nonsense about an interpretive centre–it would be better off trying to figure out how to decrease the deficit that the County has–They waste a lot of time talking about things that we do not need. We need to cut taxes and other expenses so that the average person can afford to live
http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/News/Canada/Toronto/1305549802/ID=1923287704
This clip should be included in the material provided in the new Interpretive Centre. Notice that Gilead has nothing to say in its defense.
I do not want ONE dollar of my property tax spent on this project. If Gilead and others want to build an “interpretive” centre to spread their propaganda, let them pay for it themselves.
Council’s time would be much better spent trying to figure out how to save the County’s premiere ecological gem, and its Important Birding Area before they are ploughed under.
Will the interpretive centre include a kill, harm and harass and endangered species section? That is the latest thing that Gilead is applying to the MNR for. This would mean the total destruction of the South Shore IBA area. Come to St Andrew’s Presyterian Church on Sunday, May 15 at 2 PM for an information meeting. Learn what Gilead is going to do to this wonderful area/