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ACTION ALERT

PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO CITY COUNCIL

TELLING THEM YOU OPPOSE THE PROPOSED GAS PLANT

Versorium Energy Ltd. Gas Plant Proposal

Environment North has many concerns about the proposed natural gas power plant on Central Avenue by Versorium Energy Ltd.

We feel the potential benefits do not outweigh the following short or long-term negative impacts.

More Greenhouse Gas Emissions:

power plants fueled with natural gas would produce greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide, in a time when new energy sources should be low carbon.
Renewable energy sources are the way of the future. Globally the growth in solar, hydro and wind, met 75% of the increase in demand, with solar as the largest driver of new electricity growth. GER_2025_20032025.
The proposed plant can use cleaner fuels such as hydrogen but may possibly be operating on natural gas for many years. Future uses of hydrogen focus more on heavy transportation and industry Hydrogen Strategy for Canada: Progress Report - Natural Resources Canada

Incompatible with many City of Thunder Bay plans and goals including:

EarthCare-SustainabilityPlan_WEB_SECURE.pdf
Emissions Targets - City of Thunder Bay (which are not on track)
Protect Air quality: (the proposed plant would produce Nitrous oxide)
Plans for further enhancing the Waterfront including the Waterfront multi-use path that would connect north and south parts.
Net-Zero Strategy - City of Thunder Bay
- “On January 13, 2020 Thunder Bay City Council declared a climate emergency emphasizing the urgency of addressing climate change”

Green Sports Day Canada - City of Thunder Bay

The need for the project?:

It may be premature to endorse a gas power plant when a new Northwest Integrated Regional Plan has just been launched and is expected to be completed in 18 months. It is part of an extensive electricity plan and will include examining the levels of increased demand and options as to how it may best be supplied.

Please consider writing your own letter and email to councilors. Below is a sample letter for you to use or modify as you wish. Don’t forget to fill in your name and address.

Here are the email addresses for the Mayor, City Clerk and City Councillors (copy and paste to the "to", "cc" or "bcc" field).

CLICK HERE for a list of the mayor and councillor emails.

SAMPLE LETTER:

Mayor Boshcoff and Members of City Council
Thunder Bay City Hall

Dear Mayor Boshcoff and Members of City Council,

RE: Concerns about Proposed Gas-Powered Electricity Plant

I am writing to express my opposition to the Versorium Energy Ltd.’s proposal to build a natural gas-fired power generation facility in the Intercity area near the waterfront. I am urging you to vote against this proposal. At the very least you should take more time to study the proposal and consult the citizens of Thunder Bay before approving this major industrial development.

My major concerns with this proposal are as follows:

Burning natural gas to make energy will increase green-house gas (GHG) emissions at a time when Thunder Bay has committed to a Net Zero Strategy
Natural gas power plants pollute our air, with the main pollutant being nitrogen oxides, which cause respiratory problems and also react with other substances in the air to produce particulate matter and ozone. Particulate matter and ozone cause multiple adverse health outcomes including shortness of breath, heart attacks and premature death.
Thunder Bay should pursue clean renewable options to meet our anticipated increased electricity needs, like wind and solar which are also the most cost-effective options.
City Council should not be endorsing this proposal without an opportunity to engage the public and consider the Northwest Integrated Regional Plan for electricity which is expected to be completed in 18 months;
The City should comply with its often repeated goals of environmental sustainability, climate adaptation and the health, safety and wellbeing of our community which are set out in Thunder Bay’s Official Plan (August, 2024), Thunder Bay’s Net Zero Strategy, the Earth Care Sustainability Plan, Emissions Targets-City of Thunder Bay, among other plans.

As leaders of our community, your decisions should be consistent with the City’s priorities of mitigating the harms of climate change, environmental sustainability and the health, safety and well-being of our community. I therefore strongly urge you to not endorse the Versorium proposal to build a natural gas power plant on our shoreline.

Thank you for your consideration of these concerns.

Sincerely,

_______________

IMPACT ASSESSMENT AGENCY OF CANADA

PROJECT 88774

Deep Geological Repository for Canada's Used Nuclear Fuel

In 2024, the Nuclear Waste Managment Organization (NWMO) selected the proposed site, Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation-Ignace Area, for Canada's highly radioactive used nuclear fuel. The site is located 21 km southeast of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation and 43 km northwest of the Town of Ignace.

The process will begin formally once the NWMO submits an Initial Project Description.

GET READY: Webinar on Thursday November 20th and more! Visit:

https://campaign-statistics.com/browser_preview/e10E53-x6YXrmn-1NgWlt

CLICK HERE to learn more about the Impact Assessment process including links to three new videos by We the Nuclear Free North.