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Elliot Lake vying to be site of innovative renewable energy project

City awaits confirmation on provincial funding
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Elliot Lake Mayor Dan Marchisella (left) and Samsung Renewable Energy president Eskay Lee signed a memorandum of understanding on April 11 that will form the basis of an agreement to produce and store renewable energy for the city’s facilities. (Submitted photo)

An opportunity for the City of Elliot Lake to partner with Samsung Renewable Energy on an innovative pilot project could be in jeopardy if the province reneges on funding promised by the previous government.

In April, the city and Samsung signed a memorandum of understanding outlining a multi-million-dollar, three-phase initiative that would position Elliot Lake as a test community to trial Samsung’s green energy capture and storage technology.

Elliot Lake Mayor Dan Marchisella said a dialogue with Samsung officials began about two years ago when the company was attracted to Elliot Lake for its small population and cold climate.

In phase one of the project, solar energy would power a brand-new, $41-million multi-purpose recreation centre, including a new arena, a pool, a curling pad, a small gym and walking area, and a multi-purpose space for community events. Part of the project would look at storing any energy generated in large batteries.

“Phase one would have really, really highlighted (Samsung’s) capacity for technology and engineering,” he said.

“We had the opportunity to look at some of the other designs and builds they've done elsewhere in the world, and it's absolutely mind-blowing because you don't see construction like that in North America at all.”

For phase two, the partnership would look at powering other city-owned facilities with renewable energy.

Phase three would involve setting up smart grids throughout the city, essentially creating a self-sufficient community.

The entire three-phase initiative is expected to take up to 10 years to realize, with the community serving as an example of how well Samsung’s technology could perform in a Northern climate.

“Basically, if you can do it here, you can do these projects anywhere,” Marchisella said.

In May, after more than three years of travelling back and forth to Toronto to pitch its proposal to government officials, the city was elated when the province announced it would invest up to $13.7 million toward the total cost of the recreation complex as part of the 2018 Budget.

“Rather than them committing out of one of the different purses, the province decided to put a handful of projects that they saw as massive priority projects that need to get done right in the budget as line items, and ours was one of them,” Marchisella said. “So it was very exciting for the community to hear that.”

With the provincial component secured, the federal government was anticipated to announce this fall it would provide up to 40 per cent of the cost, while Elliot Lake would be expected to contribute the remaining 27 per cent.

That would have meant the city could go forward with the planning, architectural design, and engineering phases late this fall, with ground breaking as early as next spring, but now Marchisella is skeptical about the entire project.

Shortly after the June 7 provincial election, the new government, led by Premier Doug Ford, announced it would review the Budget, potentially rewriting it line by line.

Marchisella said the city is now unsure if it can rely on the funding as promised and “everything’s on pause.”

If the project doesn’t go through as planned, it would be a huge blow to the community, which is looking to replace some of its aging infrastructure, a lot of which, Marchisella said, is in rough shape.

“Everything in Elliot Lake was built at the same time, so everything is very aged and, I don't want to say crumbling, but you can only put so many bandages on a wound before it doesn't cover the wound anymore,” Marchisella said.

The community learned that lesson the hard way in 2012 when part of the roof of the Algo Centre Mall collapsed, killing two women and injuring several others. A final report issued following a public inquiry into the incident blamed corrosion stemming from human neglect as a primary factor in the roof’s collapse.

Marchisella said the city hopes to get more concrete answers upon attending the 2018 Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference Aug. 19-22, when he’ll have a chance to speak directly to provincial representatives about the city’s case.

If the funding doesn’t come through, he said the city will have to come up with the capital another way, since he doesn’t believe shelving the project is an option for Elliot Lake.

“If we don't build new we may end up without these facilities in our community, and it's not just for our community, it's for the surrounding communities that utilize them,” Marchisella said.

“This is the health and welfare of all the members of our community; regardless of the age, the healthier the community is, the less the medical expenses are going to be.”