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Turbine project shelved Good news for Wallaceburg area residents came Friday from Queen’s Park, as Premier Doug Ford followed through on his promise to cancel renewable energy projects in Ontario. In a release Friday, Ontario Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines Greg Rickford announced ratepayers will benefit from $790 million in savings thanks to the government’s decision to cancel and wind down 758 renewable energy contracts, including the Wallaceburg Otter Creek Wind Farm project. “We clearly promised we would cancel these unnecessary and wasteful energy projects as part of our plan to cut hydro rates by 12 per cent for families, farmers and small businesses,” said Rickford in making the announcement. “In the past few weeks, we have taken significant steps toward keeping that promise.”
Rickford said all of the cancelled projects have not reached project development milestones. Terminating the projects at this early stage will maximize benefits for ratepayers. He also confirmed that the government intends to introduce a legislative amendment that, if passed, will protect hydro consumers from any costs incurred from the cancellation. Even after all costs are accounted for, ratepayers can expect to benefit from $790 million in savings from this decision. Violet Towell, spokesperson for the Wallaceburg Area Wind Concerns group who opposed the Otter Creek project, said Monday people are slowly becoming aware of the news. “It’s a huge relief,” Towell said. “It’s fantastic news. It’s what the PCs promised and they are carrying through on it. We are pleased and relieved, with all the concerns we had with the impact on water wells and noise issues.” Continued on page 2
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THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2018
Vol. 6 Edition 29
By Mary Beth Corcoran mary@chathamvoice.com
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Wolfe Creek BMX offers thrills for people of all ages. The youngest participants use balance bikes – bicycles with no pedals – to get a feel for the sport. Wolfe Creek is hosting a big event this weekend at the south Chatham course.
BMX weekend in Chatham
By Bruce Corcoran bruce@chathamvoice.com
Organizers of Wolfe Creek BMX are looking for new peddallers. The motocross track, located on Creek Road on the southeastern edge of Chatham, has about 50 regular members of all ages. Tom Maciejowski, president of Wolfe Creek BMX,
said the organization has been around since 2003, catering to the off-road pedalling desires of local children, teens and adults. Maciejowski said Wolfe Creek replaced a BMX track that had been around briefly in the mid-1990s, located where RM Classic Cars is now, just off Communications Road south of Highway
401. When RM moved there, the track soon shut down. Maciejowski said he wanted to see BMX riders have an option locally. “My son had raced there a little bit. I tracked down the former president and learned of the situation,” he said. “I took it upon myself to find a new place.” His first move was to ap-
Chatham
proach the municipality. After chatting with Deb Veccia of Parks and Recreation, Maciejowski said she pointed out a number of locations around Chatham-Kent that the municipality owned. He said they just weren’t a good fit, and Veccia suggested he approach the Lower Thames Valley Conservation Area.
Continued on page 3
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