Our commitment to inform and inspire our members was fulfilled again by our quarterly newsletters which went out in March, June, September and December.We received many positive comments on their contents from members.

Our annual display at the Organic Conference at the University of Guelph on a blizzardy January weekend was well attended. Our thanks goes out to all our volunteers, Andrea, Gary ,Vitold and Cindy, who helped the coordinator staff it. CFRE member Bob Budd and the coordinator presented a workshop there on Renewable Energy Strategies for Organic Farmers which attracted over 150 people.

Following an invitation by Bruce Power the coordinator, together with CFRE member Tim Spencer, attended an information session on the proposed restart of the 25-year old Bruce A reactors. After a $ 2 Billion, 4 year rebuilding process they are supposed to generate reliable electricity until 2043(!).Ontario Power Generation(OPG), our tax-payer funded utility, will have to expand its radioactive waste site on the Lake Huron shore to accommodate that huge amount of deadly waste.

Several submissions were made on behalf of CFRE: Comments on the Draft Environmental Assessment(EA) of the OPG Radioactive Waste Facility Expansion, on the proposed Regulation by the Ministry of Energy(MoE) on Net Metering and on the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission's(CNSC) Application of its Requirements under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act(CEAA).

CFRE's application for its Project "5000 in 2005' co-sponsored by the Glenview Park Secondary School in Cambridge was approved by the federal EcoAction(One Tonne Challenge)program.After the inauguration in February our director Gary Bastin organized the action of 500 students giving away one energy-efficient light bulb together with energy conservation advice to households in Cambridge. We believe it to be an important strategy to cut waste, lower costs and prepare for introduction of clean AND SAFE renewable energy generation.

In March the coordinator made a presentation on the Nuclear Waste Management's(NWMO) proposal for the management of highly radioactive nuclear waste at a meeting of the Bruce Peninsula Environment Group in Lion's Head. A week later he travelled to Ottawa to take part in a Natural Resources Canada(NRCan) workshop on Definition of Radionuclides under the List of Hazardous Substances.

In April we had an extensive display at the Halton Eco-Festival near Milton, staffed by Andrea and Gary together with the coordinator. He also followed an invitation by the REEP organization to display at their event in Cambridge. In May the coordinator travelled to Ottaea again, this time to intervene on behalf of CFRE at the Draft EA of Bruce Power's laid-up reactors restart and life extension hearing which also includes the potential use of Slightly Enriched Uranium(SEU) fuel. The next day he presented a submission opposing OPG's request for an Operating Licence for Pickering A's 33-year old reactors for 5 years. These interventions are part of our mission to highlight the dangers of nuclear energy generation, funded with our tax dollars, while CLEAN AND SAFE RENEWABLE ENERGY sources are largely ignored by our government!

And in the beautiful month of May it is always time to hold our Annual General Meeting(AGM) coupled with a high-profile workshop. This year it was held under the theme 'Helping Canada to meet its Kyoto Commitments'. Together with a number of presentations we had the pleasure of listening to the newly appointed Ambassador for the Environment, Karen Kraft Sloan, talking about government initiatives on Climate Change.

In our business session members were presented with the 2004 activities report and the financial statements, which were voted on and approved. To expand our activities the need to do some novel fundraising and also enhancements to our website were discussed. While three of our board members agreed to serve another term, Andrea Chappell from Waterloo resigned because of other commitments. We were fortunate to have Annette Verhagen from Ailsa Craig stand as candidate who was acclaimed as our new female board member. Our thanks goes to her and our board of directors for all their volunteering service.

In June the coordinator attended the International Joint Commission(IJC) Biennial in Kingston on Great Lakes water issues and then relieved our director Charlie Middleton, who had staffed our display at the Windfall Eco-Festival in Newmarket for the first day of a hot weekend. Also in June Charlie held a CFRE workshop on 'Residential Solar Energy' in Gravenhurst.

On June 20 the coordinator followed a personal invitation from the Premier to attend the Shared Air Summit in Toronto with the Premier and David Suzuki as keynote speakers. The Energy and Environment Ministers chaired panels of international experts on Air Quality. The following week the coordinator underwent cataract surgery on both eyes six days apart, which kind of slowed him down somewhat.

But in mid-July he was on the road again to Toronto following an invitation to attend a dicussion meeting sponsored by the NWMO. At month-end a conference in Toronto on Ontario's Future Energy Mix required his attendance.

A CFRE board meeting was held in Port Hope in August dealing mainly with a move to lighten the coordinator's load. It was much appreciated when board members came forward to form a newsletter- and a workshop/display committee.We also decided to simplify our webside address which is now a straightforward www.cfre.ca .

In September the coordinator was ready for a holiday after 1 and 1/2 years of continuous service, So he departed for Germany to be with relatives and friends, but also to take part in a 3-day International Wind Energy Exhibition in Husum, where over 500 exhibitors had their displays. Before returning in mid-October he travelled by train to Freiburg, the Solar Capital of Germany, to connect with some of the solar experts and garner information on advances in solar energy research.

While he was out of the country our directors Annette and Charlie attended a OSEA sponsored Wind Energy Forum on Community- and Cooperative Generation. Also, Annette and Vitold, a former board member, staffed our display at the Annual Feast of Fields event at Albion Hills, helping to ensure CFRE's continuing presence at the popular organic events.

In November the coordinator attended a 2-day, by invitation only, Strategy Session on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Toronto, organized by Pollution Probe and the newly formed Canadian Renewable Energy Alliance(CREA). Presentations by executives from the Ontario Power Agency(OPA), Hydro One and OPG preceded the discussion on strategy session. The lack of focus on the great potential of solar thermal and photovoltaics(PV) was part of the coordinator's arguments.

At a workshop in Flesherton, organized by Vitold Kreutzer on Renewable Energy Generation for Farms and Residences and attended by close to 100 people, the coordinator made a well received presentation, resulting in 5 new memberships for CFRE. Vitold intends to organize more of those workshops in 2006.

With the year drawing to its close there was still much activity with conference calls related to OPA's release of its Future Energy Mix Paper and the NWMO's release of its Proposed Nuclear Waste Management Study Report. CFRE is involved in some of the alliances and will be taking part in strategy sessions on nuclear projects and future energy mix planning.

It looks like another busy year ahead and CFRE will do its part to ensure RENEWABLE ENERGY - PEOPLE POWER - WILL BE IN THE FOREFRONT!!

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