New Hydro Project Consumed In 29 Days Of Immigration To Ontario (March 20, 2008)

By: Brishen Hoff http://ecologicalcrash.blogspot.com

The electricity output from the latest massive hydro project along the Kapuskasing River will be used up in only 29 days of immigration to Ontario.

Quebec-based corporate giant Hydromega Inc. and Kapuskasing mayor Alan Spacek are promoting a series of four generating stations along the Kapuskasing river to fatten their pockets. (1,4)

First Nations' executive director of Wabun Tribal Council, Shawn Batise is also cheering on the project for the same greedy reason as the other two proponents: short term economic gain at the expense of the average Ontarian and the environment. (1)

Ontario Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay has already authorized crown land to be taken over by the project. (4)

The project, which is opposed by "Friends of The Kapuskasing River", is supposed to generate 20 megawatts of electricity. (1)

20 megawatts is 175,200 megawatt hours per year. The average Canadian consumes 17.76 megawatt hours per year. (2)

Therefore this hydro dam could provide electricity to 9865 Ontarians assuming zero transmission loss and perfect synchronization of output and demand.

In the year 2008, why are we still converting Ontario's last wild rivers into more industrial hydro dam canals? The answer is demand from population growth. Most of this population growth is 100% preventable, meaning that we could save our wild rivers. The vast majority of Ontario's population growth comes from immigration.

The Ontario Minister Of Finance is planning on a total net immigration of 123,000 people to Ontario from 2009 to 2010 (3). Therefore the electricity produced by damming the Kapuskasing river in four places, would get consumed by only 29 days of population growth caused by immigration to Ontario alone.

In summary, this massive project would take much more than 29 days to construct, so it wouldn't even be keeping pace with Ontario's unsustainable population growth.

Furthermore, it would permanently degrade a pristine freshwater ecosystem and wipe out thousands of acres of boreal forest that surround it.

1 http://www.entrepreneur.com/tradejournals/article/173789248.html
2 http://www.fcpp.org/main/publication_detail.php?PubID=607
3 http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/english/economy/demographics/projections/2007/demog07t5.html
4 http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-6357452/Hydro-developer-and-First-Nations.html