January 29 was the day and 1996 the year when Citizens For Renewable Energy became an incorporated, not-for-profit organization in Ontario with the help of Hans Albarda and Catherine Stanley, owners of an off-grid solar-powered house.

Now, 10 years later, we have a membership of over 1,000 and are widely recognized as a vibrant force on the renewable energy front. Dozens of workshops have been held across the southern and central part of the province and numerous displays at public events over the years.

In coalition with other organizations like the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association (OSEA) and the Ontario Clean Air Alliance (OCAA), CFRE has been effective in advocacy, urging the provincial government to introduce measures to boost energy conservation and support for renewable energy systems installation for residences, farms and institutions.

As a member of the World Council for Renewable Energy (WCRE) we are working internationally in helping governments to recognize the need for clean and safe sustainable energy policies. The future of our children and grandchildren is at stake if we don’t rapidly change the ways of generating our power needs. That message was conveyed at the Annual Organic Conference at Guelph University with the help of Gary, Vitold and Annette at our display. At a subsequent board meeting where Charlie Middleton joined us, after a harrowing drive from Gravenhurst, we discussed a number of amendments to our by-laws to relieve some of the work the coordinator has been shouldering. The positions of a president and a vice-president were created and several committees formed.

In February we followed an invitation by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to attend an information session on the planned Deep Geological Repository (DGR) for the Low- and Intermediate-Level Radioactive Waste. Vitold, Frank and Glen joined the coordinator at the Bruce Nuclear site to hear OPG staff talk about ‘safe’ disposal of this waste, containing radionuclides with half-lives of over 5,000 years in 600 meter deep caverns hardly more than a kilometer from the Lake Huron shoreline.

In early March the coordinator was granted an audience with the Energy Minister Donna Cansfield. He brought the message that solar powered homes, farms and businesses could make a valuable contribution to the future provincial energy mix, and that no more taxpayers’ funds should be invested in nuclear reactor retrofits and new builds.

Later that month the Premier, accompanied by David Suzuki and the Energy Minister, announced the Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program where small generators would be guaranteed a premium price for 20 years in a contract with the utilities. The coordinator and a number of members attended that important event in Cambridge. To celebrate that great milestone OSEA held a large rally under the huge wind turbine at Exhibition Park.

A successful display was held with the help of Vitold and Gary at the Halton Eco-Festival near Milton in early April despite unfavorable driving conditions. The 20th Anniversary of the terrible nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl, still affecting thousands of people, was the occasion of memorial events all over the world, protesting against expansion of nuclear energy, with the coordinator attending one in Toronto on April 26th.

May has been a busy month with an intervention before the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) in Ottawa, attendance at the OSEA retreat and the Conservation Summit in Toronto. And, of course, it is always the time for our great get-together at the YMCA Outdoor Center in Mennonite country to hold our Annual General Meeting (AGM) combined with a day-long workshop. To celebrate our 10th Anniversary we brought our keynote speaker all the way from Washington, D.C.. Janet Sawin, the Director for Energy and Climate Change Programs at the Worldwatch Institute gave an exciting presentation on “A Sustainable Future through Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Generation”. Another highlight was the Barningham’s presentation on their new solar-powered off-grid home. We had a good attendance at our business meeting where the Coordinator’s and Treasurer’s Report were tabled. The By-law Amendments were discussed and approved. Charlie, our senior board member resigned his position and was replaced by Vitold Kreutzer, who had held a previous board position, another position was filled by Jeff Harti , long-time CFRE member from Aurora, and the added board position was filled by Peter McIllwraith from Markdale after Don Balanoff withdrew his candidacy. Hans Albarda, CFRE’s founding board member was appointed to an honorary, non-voting board position and is still actively involved in consulting our members.

Our activities in June included the coordinator’s attendance at the Smog Summit in Toronto and later in the month at the Shared Air Summit by special invitation, displays at the Dandelion Festival in Waterloo, staffed by Gary, and at the 2-day Windfall Eco-Festival in Newmarket with the help of Tim Rudkins, Rick Procter, Peter and Vitold.

At a board meeting, convened in Newmarket June 11, the new board officers were appointed with Vitold Kreutzer from Grey County taking the President’s position, Annette Verhagen from Middlesex County, Vice-President and Peter McIllwraith Secretary. All directors will chair or co-chair the 4 committees. Karen Gventer will continue to upgrade our web site under contract.

The CNSC held an Open House in Underwood to explain the Environmental Assessment (EA) of OPG’s Deep Geological Repository for radioactive waste on the shore of Lake Huron. CFRE members Bill Trick and Glen Estill accompanied the coordinator and were able to connect with officials from Health Canada and Environment Canada.

The pace slowed down somewhat with the coordinator attending the Lake Huron Conference in Grand Bend in July and the 3-day International Conference on Low Level Radiation at the McMaster University in Hamilton, which included a tour of their nuclear research reactor on site. The annual Renewable Energy Sites Tour of our local Bruce Peninsula Environment Group was another resounding success with 110 people, many of them CFRE members, attending in early September. In mid-September we were as usual part of the Organic Feast of Fields with a large display, staffed by Gary, Vitold and the coordinator.

During the coordinator’s absence on a trip to Germany to explore the rapid advances made by renewable energy generators there and to renew contacts with relatives, our new president Vitold was available to conduct CFRE matters. He facilitated a workshop at the Toronto Waldorf School in Vaughan on “Community Energy – a Co-operative Model” in early November.

The coordinator followed an invitation by the Environment Minister to attend a multi-stakeholder workshop on Climate Change and Conservation and presented a short submission of a 100,000 Solar Roofs Program for Ontario, explaining the benefits of this generation mode as the most practical with power produced where it is used, avoiding transmission loss and therefore being considered part of an energy conservation opportunity.

Called upon by the CNSC to take part in a NGO Regulatory Affairs Committee of that nuclear regulator, the coordinator traveled to Ottawa in November to discuss further interaction in this project. The last weekend in November was spent at the Whole Life Expo at the Metro Toronto Convention Center where CFRE was provided a complimentary display space. With Gary, Kerry, Jeff and Vitold’s help we were able to handle the huge interest from visitors and also signed up some new members.

Two more events kept the coordinator on the road: attending an OPG workshop in Pickering on the Environmental Assessment of Refurbishment and Continued Operation till 2060 of the Pickering ‘B’ reactors and the attendance of a Conservation Showcase at Queen’s Park sponsored by the Ministry of Energy.

ALL IN ALL A CONSCIENTIOUS EFFORT WAS MADE THANKS TO OUR DIRECTORS AND VOLUNTEERS WITH THE SUPPORT OF OUR MEMBERS TO HELP CLEAN UP THE AIR AND WORK FOR A HEALTHIER AND SAFER FUTURE FOR OUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN!

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