Henvey Inlet First Nation

Loonie Auction May 26, 2012; Everyone Welcome

Genevieve — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:43:45 +0000

Come join the fun and excitment at our Annual Loonie Auction; all proceeds go to support our Henvey Inlet First Nation Annual Pow wow.

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Responsible Community Planning

site admin — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 01:37:38 +0000

Community Consultations

Henvey Inlet First Nation will soon begin consulting members regarding two important issues that affect our future:

1) Constitutional Development

2) How we will use the potential dividends from Nigig Power Corporation, should we be successful in installing our wind farm.

In addition, we expect to be engaged in consultations over land use and land code development matters to support the wind farm project and other commercial ventures under consideration plus define residential and recreational property uses in more detail.

Expect community meetings on-Reserve and off-Reserve over the next six months. Meeting dates and information packages will be released over the next 4-6 weeks.

We are applying new resources to our website which will become an important communication tool for participation in discussions and releasing new information to Members as it becomes available. Band Members who would like updates via email are invited to sign up for them on the website Click Here to Register. It is also very important that we have your current mailing address, telephone number or email address so that we can inform you as efficiently as possible Click Here to Register. Please be assured that your personal data is kept private and is only used to keep you informed. Your information is not shared with anyone other than the Lands department, our Membership Clerk and HIFN website administrators.

We look forward to hearing from you and we promise that you will be hearing from us too. Chii-miigwetch.

Band Member Survey – Land Use Priorities for Cantin Island

Web Master — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:23:26 +0000

The main purpose of the surveys/questionnaires is to gather input and opinions from you the community members to assist the Lands Office in developing a draft Land Use Plan for Cantin Island.

The intent of the proposed Land Use Plan is to allow Henvey Inlet First Nation to:

Protect significant cultural/traditional, historical and sacred areas from development,
Allow specific areas of the lands to be accessible to all band members for their enjoyment,
Identify specific areas for cottage development for band member use only, and
Provide an orderly strategy for managing the lands.

Preliminary field investigations and a review of historical air photos has been completed to assist in identifying cultural, historical and significant features on the island. The next step is to identify land uses that reflect the wishes of the community and that will not conflict with traditional/historical and sacred sites.

A community meeting is planned to present the draft Land Use Plan for comments, discussion and revision as required.

A plan of Cantin Island has been attached which highlights 5 zones to allow us to reference different areas on the island for discussion purposes. There are 3 zones that cover the shoreline of the entire island. These zones extend from the water back inland approximately 250 m (820 ft).

The interior of Cantin Island has been randomly divided into 2 zones, a north and south zone.

Please download and print the following survey files:

Only HIFN Band Members – who are registered with the site can access premium content. If you are not already registered with HIFN.ca, please click the button below.

Band Member Registration Form

Survey Part 1 - Land Use Priorities for Cantin Island (8)

Survey Part 2 - Priorities and Permitted Land Uses for Cantin Island (5)

Survey on Environmental Priorities ‐ PART I (3)

Map - Potential Land Uses Zones for Cantin Island (4)

NIGIG Power Update – November 2011

Genevieve — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:51:00 +0000

On June 4, 2010, Nigig Power Corporation submitted a Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) Application to the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) for a 300 Megawatt (Mw) Wind Farm Project.

This action followed two years of research and development.

Then, in February 2011 a FIT Contract was secured, the largest contract award in Ontario out of 23,000 applications.

The FIT Contract contains a list of strict regulations to ensure that the new power generated is…

“Click here for the full article >“

Ontario’s Wind Challenges Could Extend Well Beyond Election Day!

site admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:02:37 +0000

in News Departments > New & Noteworthy

by Mark Del Franco on Tuesday 04 October 2011

Although wind energy in Ontario has been among the most divisive of issues in campaigns leading up to the provincial election, the challenges facing wind energy development in the province will likely remain long after the Oct. 6 election.

While Ontario’s landmark Green Energy Act (GEA) may have helped bring in millions of dollars in investment and placed the province onto the world stage, some wind developers are feeling the effects of a backlash. Approvals have been slow to come, and investment has followed suit.

“The whole process has fallen apart,” explains Mike Kosiancic, asset manager at Firelight Infrastructure Partners, a Toronto-based firm that invests in North American renewable energy projects, including wind, hydro and solar.

Political uncertainty in the province, he says, has stalled several of the firm’s wind and small hydro transactions.

“It’s become a bureaucratic nightmare,” Kosiancic notes, adding that approvals for wind and other renewable projects have slowed to a snail’s pace because of the uncertainty around the election.

Indeed, wind energy has been among the wedge issues almost from the beginning of the election campaign, when Tim Hudak, the Progressive Conservative (PC) candidate, began using the GEA as one of the central themes to denounce the incumbent Dalton McGuinty government, which spearheaded the GEA.

Characterizing the GEA as fiscally wasteful and imprudent, Hudak vowed to undo many of the GEA’s core tenets, promising to end Ontario’s green energy initiatives, abolish the Ontario Power Authority and terminate the province’s controversial C$7 billion agreement with Samsung C&T, which includes the development of 2,500 MW of wind and solar energy projects in the province – the largest single investment commitment under the GEA.

“The GEA is relatively new,” explains Mike Garland, CEO at San Francisco-based developer Pattern Energy, which, along with Siemens Energy, is partnering with Samsung on its Ontario wind projects.

“A lot of government agencies are still feeling their way through the process,” he says, adding that Ontario ranks among the toughest locations in the world for permitting – on par with California and New York. “What they make you go through is really remarkable.”

While the PC’s stance on wind energy appears to have softened – recent media reports have the political party aiming to return wind farm approvals to the municipalities – some are saying that the problems plaguing Ontario will continue regardless of the election’s outcome.

For starters, Ontario features a vocal anti-renewable lobby, with strong local opposition to projects in certain areas.

According to Uwe Roeper, president of Ontario-based consultancy Ortech, insufficient grassroots support remains a big problem.

“This needs to be shored up,” he says. “In specific locations, this political balance tips against renewable projects. Therefore, it is quite possible that select feed-in-tariff acts with a lack of public support could fall victim as a political example by a change in government.”

But Garland says some opposition to wind energy will remain regardless of location.

“The challenge is to work with the communities to show we’re going to be good neighbors, but there are always people who don’t like what you do,” he comments. “Still, you may have to avoid those locations.”

And the province’s struggles are not limited to terrestrial wind.

Because of the provincial government’s February decision to cease the development of offshore wind on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes, at least one developer is claiming governmental favoritism.

Trillium Power, which planned to build a series of wind farms in Lake Ontario, sued the provincial government for $2.25 billion, claiming it unfairly cancelled all offshore wind projects.

According to the filing, Trillium spent millions of dollars planning its projects and carefully followed the government’s application processes. However, the province stunned Trillium when it announced it would not consider any offshore development, pending additional scientific studies.

“The charges that offshore wind construction somehow affects water quality are complete rubbish,” says John Kourtoff, Trillium’s CEO. “It’s trumped up.”

Trillium’s statement of claim, filed in the Ontario Superior Court, also alleges that the decision was made for purely political reasons – to appease wind power critics in the run-up to the provincial election.

Kourtoff claims an official indicated to him that the government has no political appetite for offshore wind, going forward.

“At that point, we have no other choice,” he says. “We’re not about litigating. But we have to protect Ontarians, and we have to protect our shareholders.”

While Trillium had spent about C$5.3 million in planning for its first wind farm, the future loss of profits adds up to C$2.25 billion, according to the filing.

The government, which refutes Kourtoff’s claims, has until mid-October to respond.

Regardless of the election’s outcome, the source of Ontario’s future energy needs must be addressed, according to David Sword, spokesperson for Vestas’ Canadian operations, adding that wind energy is well-positioned to grow in step with Ontario’s electricity demands.

Considering that Ontario is far down the path of retiring coal plants – having reduced its coal usage by 90% since 2003 – new energy sources, such as wind and hydro, will be in demand. Unlike new hydro – which would necessitate refurbishing its infrastructure – wind is a cheaper solution, Sword explains, citing its C$0.135/kWh price tag, as set by the feed-in tariff.

Compare that to the cost of new nuclear plants – reportedly in the C$0.20/kWh range – and wind energy compares well, he says.

“Considered in that light, wind looks very favorable.”

Don’t miss the latest wind energy news — register to receive NAW’s news headlines.

Employment Opportunity – Short Term

site admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 14:59:00 +0000

Maintenance Assistant (2)

Start Date:

October 17th

Duration:

to January 27th, 2012

Attention:

Those interested should submit their resumes to the Millie Pawis, Director of Finance/Administration

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
4:30 p.m. Thursday, October 13, 2011.

Only those selected for an interview will be
contacted.

Click here for more details >> Maintenance Assistant (116)

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY – New Deadline!

site admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:42:02 +0000

Financial Administrative Assistant

Start Date: October 4, 2011

Duration: Full time-Permanent

Attention: Millie Pawis, Director of Finance/Administration

Deadline: October 3, 2011 at 4:30 p.m.

Click here for more details >>Employment Opportunity (164)

NIGIG Fact Sheet Update – Aug 2011

site admin — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:52:42 +0000

While financing and building such a large project will be challenging, two major roadblocks remain:

1) finalizing the best transmission line route to the Parry Sound Transmission Station and,

2) collecting enough wind data to produce accurate income estimates for the 20 year Power Purchase term.

A number of options for the transmission line are available and the final route and associated costs should be know within a month.

Wind estimates are currently based on data collected since April 2011, and April to August are the lowest wind months in the year. The best wind occurs in the September – March period.

Once we gain adequate information for the wind speed and transmission line costing, along with the current estimates for the total capital costs, the final financial model can be produced and we will advance to the finance/build stage.

Environmental and engineering studies and actions to comply with the regulations of the industry continue . . .

Updates will be released as new information becomes available:
Nigig Fact Sheet - August 2011 (267)

Province Approves Wind Farm Project

site admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:56:25 +0000

Reuters · Feb. 24, 2011 (view full Financial Post article)

OTTAWA — The Canadian province of Ontario, fast becoming a clean energy powerhouse, said on Thursday it has approved 40 new large-scale renewable power projects that will create 7,000 jobs and attract $3-billion in private sector investment.

This second round of projects will generate 872 megawatts of electricity from the sun, wind and water, enough power for more than 200,000 homes. It follows the April announcement of 180 projects that will generate 2,400 MW of clean energy.

The contracts come under Ontario’s feed-in tariff (FIT) program, which pays above-market prices under long-term contracts for power generated by projects that use a set quota of equipment that has been manufactured in the province.

The European-style FIT program was launched by Ontario’s Liberal government in October 2009 with the aim of creating jobs, cutting pollution and replacing power lost by the government’s plan to shut down all of Ontario’s coal-fired generators by the end of 2014.

The province awarded contracts to 35 solar projects, generating a total of 257 MW of power, four wind projects, for a combined 615 MW, and one 500-kilowatt hydroelectric project. At least 240 wind turbines and one million solar panels will be used in the developments, the province said.

Nigig Power Corp has the largest contract, for a 300 MW wind project planned for Pickerel, in northern Ontario, followed by a 230 MW wind project proposed by Renewable Energy Business Ltd for Smithville, on the Niagara Peninsula.

Developers submitted 325 proposals for projects greater than 500 kilowatts, with a total generating capacity of 4,547 MW.

The heavy load of applications delayed testing for power transmission and distribution availability, used to help determine contract awards, the province said.

Projects that were not approved because they lack transmission capacity are now studied to determine if grid expansion costs are justified.

The province said it expects to award Phase 3 contracts for capacity allocation-exempt projects under 500 kilowatts in the coming weeks.

Earlier this month, the province put a moratorium on offshore wind projects, saying it needed more scientific data on their impact. The decision angered clean power developers and advocates.

A looming provincial election has also created uncertainty in Ontario’s clean energy industry because the opposition Progressive Conservative Party has promised to scrap “ridiculously” generous rates for green power developers if they win the Oct. 6 vote.

Under the FIT program, about $1-billion worth of solar and wind projects have started up or are in the process of being built in Ontario, according to government data. About 13,000 jobs have been created in Ontario due to green energy legislation, the government estimates.

A string of companies have announced plans to set up operations in Ontario in the 16 months since the FIT program was introduced. Most notably, South Korea’s Samsung C&T has committed $7-billion to build four wind and solar clusters and four manufacturing sites in the province.

Anishinabek Nation Citizenship Law Initiative

site admin — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 23:16:59 +0000