>Sobie Road biodigester odours grossing out neighbours, Pg 8 > GPAG survey tunes into visitors’ needs Pg. 3 > Lincoln Fire hosts BBQ Sept. 5 > West Niagara Fair on next week’s menu Pg. 7 Thursday, August 31, 2017 Vol. 6 Issue 17
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Hydro rates discussed in open sessions now confidential By Mike Williscraft NewsNow Rates for electricity generated at Grimsby’s biodigester - discussed openly for years, now are confidential, says Grimsby Energy chair Shafee Bacchus. At Monday’s meeting of Grimsby Town Council, Mayor Bob Bentley outlined a rate structure which included peak rates of more than 23 cents/KwH and off-peak rate of just over 14 cents/KwH. That news was a surprise to many, including Ald. John Dunstall, who said he was pleased GE could “make even more money” and added this was the first he had heard of this new structure. In fact, the only rate discussed widely in recent years and reiterated by GE chair Shafee Bacchus during a July 17 update to town council, has been 16.8 cents/KwH. GE has a Feed-InTariff (FIT) agreement with the IESO (Independent Electricity System Operator. The IESO operates and settles the electric-
ity wholesale market, where the market price is set based on accepted offers to supply electricity against the forecasted demand and oversees a host of agreements with electricity suppliers among other things. “It’s all public knowledge,” said Dunstall this week. While discussions of the rates outlined in GE’s contract with the IESO have been thoroughly discussed many times - mainly as a method break down projected revenues for the biodigester now Bacchus says that structure is confidential. After last week’s new rate information was discussed, questions about the information were sent to GE officials. Bacchus responded on Monday of this week. “Since this rate is part of a contract with the IESO I am not at liberty to disclose the arrangement for reasons that these terms are subject to our confidential agreement under the contract,” wrote Bacchus in an email. See RATES, Page 2
Historic trip
A group of nearly 80 (cadets, staff and parents) – representing 62 Grimsby Phantom Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets – are currently on an epic, 10-day venture touring historic battle sites around Europe. They visited Vimy Ridge
last week just two days before two unknown soldiers were finally laid to rest 100 years after that battle. See next week’s edition of NewsNow for more photos and coverage of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.