Energy, Ring of Fire discussed at NOMA Written by Brenden Harris on Monday, 30 September 2013 Canfield addresses ministers during a NOMA conference (File photo)

Members of the Northwestern Ontario Municipalities Association have a lot to think about, following their annual fall conference in Thunder Bay. The associatino's president, Kenora Mayor Dave Canfield, said one of their focuses during the two days was the use of power in northwestern Ontario. He says they addressed Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle regarding the issue. "NOMA, the common voice of the northwest has done a policy paper and we consistently get this right, and the OPA (Ontario Power Authority) consistently gets it wrong. Unfortunately, the minister might be listening to the wrong information, and we're trying to sit down and figure out how we can make this move forward," he said.He says if the energy use numbers are not correct, it could lead to the shut down of the Thunder Bay generating station. "When it goes off coal at the end of 2014, unless there's an alternative like gas or biomass it would have to shut down. That can't happen. That would create possible blackouts in parts on northwestern Ontario, and we want to make sure that doesn't happen," he said.During the second day of the conference, NOMA heard a presentation from Minister of State for Science and Technology and Kenora MP Greg Rickford. Canfield said it was great to see that the federal and provincial government were working together to move forward with the Ring of Fire."Minister Rickford and Minister Gravelle work very well together. They're good friends even though they're with different parties. They're working for the benefit of northwestern Ontario. For us, as municipalities, we want to be part of that team. Having two ministers from different parties that work so well together, and working with NOMA, the other organizations and the First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario, we see this as an opportunity to move the team forward and make some of the opportunities, especially for job creation happen," he said.Canfield says as the president of the association, he advised all members to think about a plan for autonomy. He said they'll probably come up with a plan to bring more decision making to the northwest during their spring meeting -

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