HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-12-07, Page 1The
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Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Quite a show of Christmas lights
Troy Patterson/Editor
Christmas lights seem to be making a comeback with new technology using Tess electricity and allowing for quite a show. Many homes in the Point Clark and Lake Range Road area are showcasing their
displays, which are quite a sight to see at night. Readers are welcome to share photos of their homes by e -mailing tpatterson@postmedia.com
It's 'full steam ahead' for South Bruce natural gas project
Denis Langlois
Owen Sound Sun Times
The mayors of Arran-
Elderslie, Kincardine and
Huron -Kinloss say they will
continue working with
EPCOR Utilities Inc. to bring
natural gas to their munici-
palities "as soon as possible"
now that the Ontario Energy
Board has approved a new
framework aimed at helping
companies expand the ser-
vice into rural, unserviced
communities.
"We are energized by the
OEB decision and our motto
continues to be 'full steam
ahead' to achieve natural gas
service for our region," Kin-
cardine Mayor Anne Eadie
said in a news release from
the three southern Bruce
County municipalities.
The municipalities, the
release said, will now work
with EPCOR to apply for the
next round of OEB approvals
for the expansion project.
In an interview Wednes-
day, Eadie said EPCOR is
planning to meet with each
of the three councils on Dec.
20. The company will likely
be able to lay out the specific
next steps for the project at
those meetings, she said.
Public information ses-
sions will be held in all three
municipalities early next
year to update people on the
project's progress.
In September 2015, Edmon-
ton -based EPCOR signed a ten-
tative franchise agreement with
the three municipalities to bring
natural gas to that part of Bruce
County. The project is expected
to cost $100 million and EPCOR
has said it will cover the con-
struction costs. EPCOR has
asked the OEB to approve the
franchise agreement.
Union Gas, meanwhile, has
said it is also interested in bring-
ing natural gas to the munici-
palities, which are part of the
company's proposed multi-
year gas expansion initiative.
Both companies have held
open houses in southern
Bruce on their proposals.
The Ontario Energy Board
has held a generic hearing
aimed at identifying and
reducing barriers to expand-
ing natural gas services to
rural communities.
Under the old framework,
utilities were only allowed to
expand in areas where the
incremental revenues that
would be generated from the
expansion would, over time,
cover the expansion costs. If
the revenues would not
cover the costs, an up -front
payment would be required
from the potential new cus-
tomers. Utilities were not
allowed to charge customers
in a potential expansion
community a higher rate
than existing customers in
the same rate classification.
A new framework, which the
OEB says "establishes an equi-
table funding process to help
natural gas companies expand
to rural and remote communi-
ties that don't have access to
service," was released Nov 17.
The OEB rejected Union
Gas's request to allow utility
companies to charge existing
customers a subsidy to help
them expand into unserviced
areas, saying the measure
would "distort the market to
the detriment" of new gas dis-
tributors that do not have an
existing customer base as well
as companies that provide
energy services that compete
with gas, such as propane.
CONTINUED > PAGE 3
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