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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-11-04, Page 88 News Record • Wednesday, November 4, 2015 Nice --era ENERGY) 4 Jericho Wind Energy Centre Community Liaison Committee (CLC): Meeting No. 3 November 17th, 2015 o;uu p.m. too:uu p.n1. The Legacy Recreation Centre, 16 Allen Street, Thedford, ON On April 14th, 2014, Jericho Wind, LP, a wholly-owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy Canada, LP (NextEra), obtained approval from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) to build a wind energy centre in the Municipality of Lambton Shores and the Township of Warwick, in Lambton County, Ontario and in the Municipality of North Middlesex, in Middlesex County, Ontario. We have established a Community Liaison Committee (CLC) Good planning involves the community so we have established a CLC to discuss key aspects of construction, installation, operation, maintenance and retirement of the Jericho Wind Energy Centre. While this CLC is a requirement of our Renewable Energy Approval, it is also a vital part of our continued commitment to communicate and provide a forum to exchange ideas, share information a nd to offer project updates. The CLC is not intended to re -visit matters already addressed through the MOECC approval process. About the Jericho Wind Energy Centre The Jericho Wind Energy Centre has a maximum generating capacity of up to 150 megawatts, using 92 wind turbines; which is enough clean energy to power nearly 37,500 homes. The wind farm created over 200 construction jobs and currently employs 10 full-time local operations team members. Over its 20 year lifespan, this project is expected to contribute nearly $9 million to local governments in property taxes and approximately $30 million to landowners in payments. About the Community Liaison Committee The CLC is made up of people with diverse perspectives as well as varied backgrounds and experiences, in order to provide a broad and balanced perspective. Representatives of the following groups were invited to make up the CLC: persons residing or owning lands within 1 km of the Project; other area residents and landowners; members of the agricultural and business community; government agencies; local organizations; special interest groups; and Aboriginal, First Nation and Metis communities. A total of four (4) CLC meetings will be facilitated by AECOM. While committee membership has already been established (i.e., the application process is complete), all meeting materials (e.g., agendas, minutes, and presentations) will be made available for public review at http://www.nexteraenergycanada.com/projects/jericho,shtml. All meetings are open so that the public can attend and observe the conversation - requests for delegations are welcomed. To be considered for a public deposition, please submit a request and the actual written deposition to Avril Fisken (AECOM) by November 12th, 2015. Email: avril.fisken@aecom.com Fax: 519-763-1688 Mail: 55 Wyndham Street North, Suite 215 Guelph, ON N1H 7T8 For more information regarding the Jericho Wind Energy Centre please contact Derek Dudek at the following: Tel: 1-877-257-7330 Email: jericho.wind@nexteraenergy.com CLC Meeting # 3 Agenda • Registration and Welcome • Update on Construction Mitigation Progress • Discuss Operation and Maintenance Plans • Public Depositions, if any • Identify Future Topics for Discussion J Contributed photo Tara Finnigan (left) and Cara Wicke, owners of Local Organics Health Food and Wellness Centre in Seaforth. Organic food and business to mark Steph Smith Postmedia Network Located in Seaforth, Local Organics Health Food and Wellness Centre spawned from humble beginnings in co-owner Tara Finnigan's garage and consisted solely of a certified organic produce box program that began in February 2015. As the produce box pro- gram became more and more successful, Finnigan and co-owner Cara Wicke started to introduce shelf stable products that they could sell to their custom- ers. When this, too, grew, Finnigan and Wicke opened the food and well- ness centre on September 26. "I had a dream of open- ing a health food store since completing my nutrition schooling at the Canadian School of Natu- ral Nutrition in London; that's where I met Cara," Finnigan said. `After prac- ticing for a couple years and chatting with Cara ... we crunched the numbers and decided to follow our dream." Finnigan and Wicke are both registered holistic nutritionists and bioener- getics practitioners. Both women have a passion liv- ing a holistic lifestyle and educating others on the benefits of eating whole foods. wellness grand opening Before becoming a holistic nutritionist, Wicke was employed at the Bluewater Detention Centre. Upon its closure in 2012, she made the decision to go back to school for nutrition. Finnigan, on the other hand, was a teacher for seven years and decided to go back to school for nutrition after her daugh- ter was born with a dairy allergy that went undiag- nosed for nearly a year. She made the choice to educate herself in natural health, as the allopath they were seeing just wanted to prescribe instead of finding answers. It was through her nutritionist schooling that she learned about the body having the ability to heal itself from immune responses such as allergies. "I am happy to say my daughter is now allergy free thanks to a holistic modality," Finnigan said. Because of their holistic lifestyle, both women experienced firsthand what Seaforth and the surrounding area was lacking: access to whole, natural foods. According to Finnigan, she would have to make the drive to Goderich or Stratford once a week to find some of the foods that she was looking for and wanted to feed her family. According to their website, Local Organics Health Food and Wellness Centre is unique to Huron County because: It's a health food store that offers fresh, frozen and shelf stable whole foods and supplements; it offers a variety of wellness ser- vices, workshops and classes for both men and women; and it supports local farmers by carrying their certified organic local beef, chicken and pork, in addition to the certified organic produce box program. "Our desire is to bring education and health to Seaforth and the sur- rounding area," Finnigan said. "The response we have received so far has been amazing. We are very grateful for all of our customers and members thus far:' The grand opening of Local Organics Health Food and Wellness Centre takes place on November 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There will be product sampling, practitioner demonstra- tions, gift baskets and take home gifts for customers, to name a few things that are in the works. For more information on Local Organics Health Food and Wellness Centre and upcoming work- shops, visit www.localor- ganicsc4th.ca. Follow them on Twitter and Face - book for product and workshop updates as well.