Bala Energy Co-operative

Helping Keep Public Resources Public
What about SREL
The Number$
Site Map
Mission Statement
Links
Feasibility
Donate
Council resolutions
Contact Us
Community Grants
Balance for Bala
About Us
www.BalaEnergy.ca
Picture Gallery
Town Meeting

Welcome: The Bala Energy Co-operative will benefit the members by developing local renewable energy projects.  The members will also enjoy the benefits of being in control of the facility’s development and operational processes; thereby ensuring the social responsibility needs of the members are met.

Memberships available soon!

The business of the Co operative will be restricted to:

a.            generating, within the meaning of the Electricity Act, 1998, as amended, electricity produced from one or more sources that are renewable energy sources for the purposes of that Act, and

b.            selling, as a generator within the meaning of that Act, electricity it produces from one or more renewable energy sources.

As per the Section 1 (1)(d) of the Co-operative Corporations  Act, Bala Energy Co-operative  will be operated and administered such that any surplus funds will be used to support the welfare of Municipal Ward A in the Township of Muskoka Lakes and the propagation of co-operative principles , after providing for the business of the organization, the needs of its members  and ensuring a reasonable amount for the reserve fund.

The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) is considering an application from Swift River Energy Ltd. (SREL) to use Bala Falls for hydroelectric generation.

In 2005, under the OLD MNR Site Release policy, the MNR identified that hydro-electric generation may be possible at Bala Falls. They also identified that for various reasons the site may be particularly attractive and therefore issued a request for proposals, rather than accepting applications on a first come first served basis. This process resulted in the MNR offering a small piece of crown land near the North Bala Falls to the only applicant that submitted a proposal (SREL). It is apparent that the MNR site was too small to optimize the resource. In 2008, a request was made for additional land owned by the municipality (who have not issued a request for proposals). Members of the public believe that this request should be rejected by the District of Muskoka because of competing stakeholder values. The Ministry of Environment (MoE) is currently reviewing the SREL submission for completeness. Utlimately the MoE could refuse the approval presented by SREL. Then what? Is the province and the private sector really going to leave the resource alone?

Water is a public resource. Members of the public are quite concerned about the negative impacts of a hydro project at Bala Falls. Yet, the provincial government seems supportive of the idea of a new hydro facility in Bala. There may be a way to harness the resource with minimal negative impacts. All reasonable options (including the NO option) must be thoroughly considered. The application by SREL does not contain a feasibility study of the alternative concept shown in this website. Therefore, in an effort to study the "preferred alternative" to the privatization of Bala Falls, we are pursuing funding options to study the feasibility of a less destructive alternative. If it is determined that a less destructive concept is feasible and does not impair the value of Bala Falls, then the resource may be developed in a socially responsible manner. Failure to develop the south channel may result in private development of Bala Falls and there is a significant risk that the public may not like the result of a private undertaking.

The Municipal Land under consideration may be put up for tender if the MoE does not refuse the proposal by SREL. That being the case, we should be ready with a competing proposal and bid.

The municipality or a renewable energy co-operative could have expressed an interest in the site in 2005. This was not done, mainly because it is a bad idea to use the north site for hydro-electric generation and this is not in the best interest of the public.

We do not need or want to use the north site as it is too important to the community of Bala. Instead we would like to study the south channel. We hope that the District Municipality of Muskoka will withhold permission to use the municipal land until our proposal is considered.

The MNR has stated that it may be risky to construct an intake structure in the South Channel because it is the main spillway for Lake Muskoka.  We believe that a Professional Engineer would be able to design an intake structure and construction strategy that would eliminate the risk of impairing flood control. Independent analysis is a must - but it does not come cheap.

We can access grant monies to study the feasibility of a "community friendly" alternative. These funds are needed for an independent analysis of the South Channel alternative.

There are significant reasons to use the south channel as a not-for-profit undertaking instead of using the North Site to enhance the profits of a private company. We need donations and political will to ensure our alternative is thoroughly vetted. Without an independent evaluation of the south channel, we may never know the truth about the feasibility of the South Channel.

There are a variety of opinions regarding using Bala Falls for hydro generation:

·       Some members of the public think the best alternative is no industrial hydro development of the Bala Falls.

·       Others support the idea of hydro development of the Bala Falls and seem apathetic about the impact.

·       Some members of the public accept that a hydro development at Bala Falls is likely and they hope it is done in a way that protects competing public values.

Many members of the public are highly critical of Swift River’s decision to apply to use public land at Bala Falls north. A significant number of submissions have been filed with the Ministry of Environment in opposition to the proposal.

We are concerned about the effectiveness of such submissions and demonstrations. Also concerning is what might happen if the Swift River proposal is approved. Accordingly, we seek to provide a constructive alternative to the Swift River proposal that is in keeping with public policy directives.

There may be a way and a mean of creating renewable energy at Bala Falls without ruining the place and without destroying what others value. Member of the public do not want the government to allow anyone, especially private interests, to ruin Bala Falls, a provincial icon.

There is approximately $2.6 million worth of renewable energy available at Bala Falls on an annual basis.

Not-for-profit hydro generation is a socially responsible method of using public resources.
Provincial government policy encourages not-for profit community renewable energy projects. Therefore efforts have been re-energized to establish an alternative proposal by Bala Energy Co-operative. We offer a constructive solution that protects the public value of Bala Falls.
What the government is doing to encourage not-for-profit energy projects:
  • * $0.006 per KwH premium paid on the purchase of community energy through Feed-in Tarriff program
  • * Considering allowing access to Infrastructure Ontario funds through IO Loan Program
  • * Considering guaranteed capacity allocation to the hydro distribution system through OPA
  • * Considering guaranteed access to local resources through MNR Site release program
  • * The Ontario Legislature exempted renewable energy co-operatives from the application of "the 50% Rule."  The province recognizes that the old rule would effectively prevent renewable energy co-operatives from functioning in Ontario.
  • *To further support community projects, the OPA will be launching the Community Energy Partnerships Program this spring. This program will provide additional funding to cover project development costs.

The current proposal may not receive approval due to over-riding public values and other environmental and safety concerns. Members of the public want ensure that if the government approves of hydro generation at Bala Falls that any development is done in a socially and economically responsible manner. The Bala Energy Co-operative proposal for the south channel is the best way to achieve both.

Protecting existing and historic use by the public
Construction of a facility here
is not the preferred alternative:
 
Construction in the South Channel does not impair the value of this treasured site.

 
In the event the current application is refused by the Minister of the Environment the public may be given the opportunity to utilize this resource.
Volunteers needed

The proposed Co-operative needs volunteers for the Board of Directors. Funding is available for feasibility studies in aid of securing funding. Please contact us for more information.

 

Bala Energy Co-operative
P.O. Box 815
Bala, ON
P0C 1A0
 
 
 
 
Members of the public are regularly seen enjoying themselves at Bala Falls (see 1:11 of the video).These visitors are in an area that would be out of bounds to the public if the current proposal goes ahead.