Pic Mobert Hydro Power Joint Venture

Gitchi Animki Hydroelectric Project

The Pic Mobert Hydro Project Joint Venture (PMHPJV)

In March, 2006, the Pic Mobert First Nation entered into a joint venture agreement with Regional Power Inc. (www.regionalpower.com) to facilitate the development of two water power sites on the White River. The joint venture is known as the Pic Mobert Hydro Power Joint Venture (PMHPJV).

The Band Council’s lead representative for the PMHPJV is Band Councilor Wayne Sabourin who has led the development of this initiative since 2000.

The Project

The project has been named the “Gitchi Animki (Big Thunder) Hydroelectric Project, and consists of two developments located on the White River:

v      Gitchi Animki Bezhig, an approximate 8.5 MW site that will ultimately replace the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) existing regulating dam that manages lake levels and flood risks on White Lake;

v      Gitchi Animki Niizh, an approximate 9.9 MW site located approximately 16 km south of the Gitchi Animki Bezhig.

The name “Gitchi Animki” was submitted by Pic Mobert Elder Maggie Sabourin.

Click here for a site location map.

The Gitchi Animki Hydroelectric Project will generate approximately 95 GWh of electricity annually which is enough electricity to support approximately 12,000 homes, with clean, non-polluting power.  This project is an excellent example of clean, green energy that the Ontario Government is seeking to promote through its newly announced Green Energy Act (http://www.mei.gov.on.ca).  Among other things, the Green Energy Act seeks to increase the total supply of green energy in Ontario to 25,000 MW by 2025 over and above 2003 levels while specifically creating opportunities for First Nations to become both developers and owners of green energy projects.

The current MNR-owned regulating dam plays an important role in managing lake levels for recreational and tourism activities on White Lake, as well as managing flood waters that have periodically flooded the Pic Mobert community and the White Lake Provincial Park.  The proposed developments will provide a much improved alternative to the existing regulating dam which was deemed by independent consultants to be in need of significant and costly repairs to ensure the long-term performance of the dam. 

The Joint Venture has signed long term power purchase agreements with the Ontario Power Authority under its Renewable Energy Standard Offer Program.  It is expected that these will be converted to a new, improved contract, once new a contract mechanism is created under the Green Energy Act and released later this year.

The total investment in the project is expected to be in the order of $85 million.  Northwestern Ontario’s economy has been hard hit over the past three or four years.  There have been significant layoffs in the forest industry and many of these job losses will likely be permanent.  The population of the region is declining as is the tax assessment base for most municipalities.  Development of the project represents an urgently needed and significant investment in the Superior East Region which is currently struggling with an economic crisis due to the downturn in the forest products industry. 

Economic Benefits

The Joint Venture Agreement with Regional Power directs the Management Committee to develop a proactive strategy for maximizing the economic and employment benefits of the project for the Pic Mobert First Nation.  This plan is presently under development, however it is expected that there will be work available during construction in areas such as general labour, catering for the construction campsite, transportation of workers to the job site, security and road maintenance services, among others.  The Joint Venture will work closely with the White Lake Resource Development Corporation, Pic Mobert’s development entity, to develop and deliver contract opportunities related to the project.

The community of White River will likely serve as the primary staging point for the project as the access roads into the development sites originate in White River.  This will provide welcome activity in this community which is struggling economically due to the long term closure of it’s sawmill.

While it takes only 1 or 2 people to operate the plants once they are complete, the operators will be hired from and trained within the Pic Mobert community.

The Joint Venture, working in collaboration with the White River Community Adjustment Committee, will be organizing and holding a job and business opportunities fair in the coming months.  An important objective for the project is to build a data base of employment and business capacities as well as training needs leading up to and during the development phase of the project.

Update on the Employment and Business Opportunities Job Fair

The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities is providing funding to the Pic Mobert First Nation to collect and distribute information that will assist the project team to define and evaluate employment and business opportunities that may be available to the Pic Mobert First Nation and its membership during construction.

Brandy Ward,  a Pic Mobert First Nation Band member,  was recently hired as a Coordinator for this project- the following is a brief introductory letter from Ms. Ward.  Please watch this website for further information on this project and the job fair:

This is an introduction to what I will be doing, most of you know who I am; I have been hired as the Job Fair Coordinator for the Pic Mobert Hydro Joint Venture. My job is to identify employment and business opportunities associated with the construction of the Gitchi Animki Hydroelectric Project. I will be going around with a skills assessment survey in our community. To determine the amount of potential workers we have in the community. I will be establishing job descriptions and average wage for each position available through the construction of the Hydro project, and I will also be determining staffing requirements with the Regional Power Inc.  I will be organizing the Job Fair for the end of June 2009, and preparing reports and setting up a display board at the Band Office. I am also going to be working on designing a training intervention in consultation with the Labour Adjustment staff and project team. I look forward to working with all parties involved, including the community. Please note: that I am only on a sixteen week contract, so I have a lot of work to do and deadlines to meet. Please be patient with me.

Sincerely,

Brandy Ward

The Approval Process

Regional Power is currently proceeding with completion of the environmental assessment (EA) for the Gitchi Animki Hydroelectric Project.  Prior to construction of the project, approval under the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (“MNR”) Waterpower Program Guidelines (1990) is required, coupled with approval under the Ontario Ministry of the Environment (“MOE”) Environmental Screening Process for Electricity Projects pursuant to Regulation 116/01 of the Environmental Assessment Act.  In addition, the Project is subject to the requirements of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (“CEAA”).

The environmental approvals process commenced in June, 2006, when a Notice of Commencement was published.  To fulfil the above regulatory requirements, Regional engaged the services of Hatch Energy (www.hatch.com) to prepare a combined Project Information Package (PIP) and Environmental Study Report (ESR).  Following external agency feedback concerning the draft PIP/ESR, Regional Power/Hatch is nearing completion of a Final PIP/ESR which is planned for release to the public/external agencies for review comments later this year.  Following expiration of the 30-day public review period, a Statement of Completion will be posted, which represents the conclusion of the EA process.

As part of the EA process, extensive field investigations and studies have been carried out to characterize the existing project site area environment, or baseline conditions.  The results of these investigations/studies have been used to identify the anticipated impacts on the natural, social, economic, cultural and technical aspects of the environment during the lifecycle of the project.  A description of these technical studies and their respective findings will be documented within the aforementioned Final PIP/ESR to be released to the public/external agencies for review comments later this year.  In addition, this report will summarize the potential impacts of the project, and the proposed means of mitigating all identified impacts. 

March, 2009 Public Information Centres

The Pic Mobert Hydro Power Joint Venture recently held a second round of Public Information Centres to provide information on the project impacts and how the Joint Venture will mitigate these impacts.  Information centres were held at the Pic River First Nation for Pic River Band Members (March 23, 2009) and the Pic Mobert First Nation (March 24, 2009). The sessions at Pic Mobert included a time reserved exclusively for Pic Mobert Band Members and a regional information centre for the general public.

The purpose of these PICs was to introduce the project and its objectives, the Regional project team, the EA process followed, the existing conditions, and the potential environmental impacts associated with project construction and/or operation.  In addition, details regarding the benefits of the project as well as the prescribed mitigative measures to minimize the anticipated impacts were provided.

A drop-in centre format was used to allow participants to discuss the project on an individual basis.  Display panels were provided to provide information on the project and to encourage dialogue and the two-way exchange of information.  Participants were asked to sign in and invited to complete a comment form before departing.

Click here for a copy of the information boards that were displayed at the Public Information Centres. approx 42MB

Representatives of the following organizations were on hand during each of the PICs:

·         Regional Power Inc.

·         Hatch Energy Inc.

·         Pic Mobert First Nation (Band Council)

·         Ministry of Natural Resources

According to the Sign-In and Comment Sheets from the PICs, approximately 86 people signed including 21 in Pic River and 43 for the regional/public information centre in Mobert, however not all visitors signed in – actual attendance is estimated at over 100:

What’s Next?

All questions/issues raised during the three PICs will be recorded and used in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and solely for the purpose of assisting the Pic Mobert Hydro Power Joint Venture in meeting EA and local planning requirements. This material will be maintained on file for use during the study and may be included in the project documentation. All comments will become part of the public record.

As noted above, the Final PIP/ESR will be released to the general public for review and comment within the near future (exact release date has yet to be confirmed).  As per the EA requirements, a Notice of Completion of the Final PIP/ESR will be placed in applicable local newspapers (e.g., Wawa, Manitouwadge, Marathon) announcing completion of the study and commencement of the 30-day public and regulatory agency review period.  At this time, Notification letters will be mailed out to all external agencies and affected municipalities, First Nation communities and organizations, and members of the public on the Project Mailing List to announce the completion of the study and commencement of the 30-day public and regulatory agency review period.  Both the letters and Notice will also indicate the locations where complete copies of the Final PIP/ESR may be reviewed (e.g., area municipal and First Nation offices), and the closing date for reception of comments. 

Following expiration of the 30-day public review period, a Statement of Completion will be forwarded to the Director of the Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch (EAAB) of the Ministry of the Environment to formalize completion of the EA process.  Issuance of the Statement of Completion represents the conclusion of the EA process.

The Joint Venture hopes to complete the EA approvals process during the summer of 2009.  At the conclusion of the EA approvals process, the Joint Venture can proceed to detail design as well as final financing for the project.  At this time, we expect to begin construction in the winter of 2009/10.  As construction is expected to take approximate 24 months to complete, we expect to be commissioning and delivering electricity by 2013.

For further project information, you may contact the following persons:

Band Councilor Wayne Sabourin, Pic Mobert First Nation, wsabourin@renegadeisp.com

Norman Jaehrling, Joint Venture Liaison, Pic Mobert Hydro Power Joint Venture, norm.fbi@bellnet.ca

Andrew Ritchie, Director of Permitting & Approvals, Regional Power Inc., andrew.ritchie@regionalpower.com