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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-02-04, Page 5Wednesday, February 4, 2015 • Huron Expositor 5 www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com letters to the editor Group wants province to curtail wind turbine projects To the Editor: Ontario electricity ratepayers continue to watch with alarmed disbelief as their hydro bills skyrocket. The media repeatedly show examples of adverse impacts to our manufacturing industry, commercial enterprise, agricultural viability, and of families forced to choose between paying util- ity bills and buying groceries. As an organization representing a dozen municipalities, we are very disturbed at the rapidly increasing cost of electricity. Much of this increase must be attributed to the introduction of renewables -particularly wind energy. A policy to rapidly install wind turbines as a major part of the Ontario electrical scene was rushed through without adequate analysis or examination, justified by an ideology rather than a comprehensive business case. The government over -generously contracted to pay renewable energy producers significantly higher rates than the market price. Our electricity has now become the most expensive in North America, seriously threatening our prosperity. Ontario's Auditor General has pointed out that we pay twice for wind energy. Its intermittency and unpredictability prevent it from being a dependable base load source of power. Since it is mainly produced at times and sea- sons of low demand and is frequently unavailable during peak consumption it is a mismatch for Ontario's energy needs. The variability of wind makes it necessary to maintain an alternate source of generation available for when wind drops, especially during the increasing morning demand. When the oversupply of wind energy is not needed at night, other baseload generators such as hydro and nuclear have to be curtailed, but maintained available to return to service when wind generation falls. The requirement to build and supply gas generators which can be run up when wind output falls has already added signifi- cantly to consumer bills. These costs will increase as more already contracted wind turbines become operational. How wasteful is wind energy? • When variable wind is added to other steady base load generators, it can result in unutilized base load generation on many nights. The sys- tem operators must either curtail generation, or sell excess generation at prices below the cost of production, or both. Should Ontario electricity consumers be subsidizing New York and Michigan? • Because the ideology -based policy gives preference to wind, the wind power is only partly curtailed. What is happening far too often now is that cheaper, 000•CO2 producing nuclear and hydraulic base load generators are being cur- tailed: nuclear units are dumping steam and hydraulic generating stations spilling water. Cur- tailment costs are substantial and they are increasing each year. Now Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) has issued a RFP to add another 300MWof wind power Why was no action taken when the Auditor General's 2011 report specifically warned of all these mismanagement issues? Ontario needs an economically viable energy policy, not one based on unrealistic ideology. We are calling on the Government of Ontario and the IESO to make a sober re-evaluation of the damage current energy policy is doing to our economy. We believe spiraling electricity costs urgently need to be halted. We are requesting full objec- tive third -party cost -benefit analysis before there is any further procurement of wind or solar capacity. We stress that it is incumbent on the IESO and the Government of Ontario to ensure that electricity procurement contracts are awarded to the lowest cost provider capable of aligning real time genera- tion with the requirements of the Ontario grid. Mark Davis, Deputy Mayor, Municipality of Arran-Elderslie Chair, Multi -municipal Wind Turbine Working Group William Nicol Cresswell: Tuckersmith's Romantic Era artist N. Huron County monument honours one of Canada's most brilliant 19th century artists. Yet, William Nicoll Cress - well's influence upon Canadian art is immeasurable. His por- traits of the Canadian land- scape profoundly influenced George Reid and the Group of Seven. It is all the more remarkable because Cresswell created his best work near the tiny hamlet of Harpurhey in Tuckersmith Township. The Cresswell family came from the Eng- lish Midlands and belonged to the thriving commercial class. William's great-grandfa- ther made his fortune in banking. His father was a prosperous umbrella manufacturer. William Nicoll was born on March 12, 1818. He was the eldest of John and Eliza- beth Bicknell's five children. Christopher Varley and Barry Fair in William Nicoll Cresswell: Man from Seaforth (1986) state that remarkably little is known of Cress - well's education and childhood other than it "reveals a good education and an upper class environment." In fact, The Huron Signal astutely observed that "he was trained in too good a school" for a provincial artist. For reasons that remain obscure, the Cresswell family emigrated to Canada West in 1848. A brother, Charles, settled in Tuckersmith in October 1851. In 1854, Bishop John Stra- chan gave permission for his uncle, Rev. Wil- liam Cresswell, to establish an Anglican par- ish. In 1862, Rev. Cresswell became the first rector of St. Thomas' Church in Seaforth. Huron History David Yates Another brother, Edwin, served on the Tuckersmith council and in 1877 served as County Warden. Edwin also has the honour of holding the office of second vice-president of the local chess club. The Huron Expositor's obitu- ary for William stated that, unlike Edwin, the artist 'never courted popularity'. In manner, the artist was considered gruff and aloof. The Expositor noted that "his heart' was in the studio where his art "engrossed his entire time and talents." But, for those who knew him, he was a congenial companion and avid outdoors - man who looked younger than his age. In 1865, on the Bayfield River's shore, Wil- liam, the artist, built the yellow brick home that he called Cedar Creek. He wed Eliza- beth Thompson from Clinton in 1866 who was 15 years younger. Although the union produced no children, Cresswell was a 'kind and considerate husband." Cedar Creek became their studio and home for the remainder of their lives. Cresswell earliest known drawing was of a cat when the artist was eight. There is great mystery surrounding his professional art training. What is evident from his paintings is that he was heavily influenced by the great Romantic era artists. In particular, his work is in the tradition of the English Romantic painters John Constable and William Turner. His sublime sea and landscape themes were an attempt to find God's maj- esty in nature. As an Englishman typical of his class and upbringing, art critic Christopher Varley, stated that Cresswell fearlessly braved the elements and travelled "with the confidence of one of God's chosen:' Despite the rugged terrain and inhospitable climate, Cresswell explored Georgian Bay, northern Ontario, Quebec and the Maritimes searching for unique subjects for his canvas. His seascapes of the East Coast and the Great Lakes portray scenes barely touched by civilization. Varley observed that Cress- well added 'Lilliputian figures to many of his paintings to make man's presence look tenu- ous' in nature. Humanity is a barely tolerated intrusion into the natural world." His earliest known oil painting Goderich, Ontario (1858) is of the harbour in win- ter. The perspective is probably taken from the lighthouse looking north with Canada Company Commissioner Charles Widder beckoning in the foreground to ships frozen in ice. It is also one of the earliest paintings of the Goderich harbour. Cresswell's painting Cliffs Near Bayfield which depicts storm tossed sailing vessels seeking shelter is currently on display at the National Gallery in Ottawa. It won first prize when it was exhibited for the Ontario Society of Artists in 1876. The only commercial drawing Cresswell did was a pen and ink sketch of the opening of the Grand Trunk Railroad from Buffalo to Lake Huron in 1858. Cresswell's remarkably detailed sketch of the Goderich courthouse was carried in the October 30, 1858 edition of the prestigious Illustrated London News. Cresswell also wrote the accompanying arti- cle which described the event. By the 1860s, Cresswell's artistic talents were widely recognized as he won prizes wherever he exhibited in Canada, the United States and Great Britain. In October 1862, The Huron Signal boasted that Cresswell had 'distanced all competitors' at the provincial exhibition winning six first prizes in the land- scape, marine, animal life and historical painting categories. Cresswell was elected one of the 14 founding artists of the Royal Canadian Academy in 1880. By 1883, his artistic attentions turned west as he exhibited paintings from the American Rockies. A lung inflammation caused by years of exposure to the harsh northern ele- ments forced Cresswell to seek drier cli- mates. In 1887-88, his travels took him to the deserts of the American southwest and Pacific Coast. In the midst of relocating to California, Cresswell died suddenly of a bronchial attack at his Harpurhey home on June 19, 1888. Although death ended a brilliant artistic career, Cresswell's legacy endured for gener- ations. Recognizing the raw talent of a timid 14 -year-old Wingham farm boy, Cresswell launched the artistic career of George Reid. Reid claimed that he would have abandoned art if it were not for Cresswell's guidance. Reid later became the founding principal of the Ontario College of Art. In turn, Reid was acknowledged by members of the Group of Seven as a pivotal influence. Cresswell was the bridge between old world school of romantic painting and the modernism of Reid and the Group of Seven. The Signal's 1862 tribute to Cresswell rings equally true today as it boasted how fortu- nate was Huron County "which has been assumed by some to be somewhat remote from the centre of high art and its civilizing influences, on possessing an artist whose fidelity to nature and excellent taste are but the true reflection of the manly truthfulness of his personal character." It was an accurate portrait of the artist from Harpurhey.