Dear Citizens, Fall, 2011
Nakina
has lost a good friend with the passing of Jeanne Schram. I can recall when I
first met Jeanne as she registered Jan and Jon in Nakina Public School after
they moved to Nakina from Ramsey, Ontario in the mid 70’s. I came to know
Jeanne well over the years during her employ with the Nakina District School
Area Board and subsequently with the
Township of Nakina and then Greenstone. Jeanne was our most familiar face in
the Nakina Ward office who took her responsibilities seriously. She enjoyed
talking and sharing her many projects and talents. On behalf of everyone who
knew Jeanne, we acknowledge the 30 plus years of dedication to supporting our
community and serving well, the needs of others. Our condolences to Doug, Jon and Jan, and
family.
Three of our busier roads have been
recently repaved (with Gas Tax revenue). Recognizing that there are more roads
which need our attention, the
resurfacing of Cordingley Lake to the Airport, Center Street and Main were identified
as strategic to address future local development potential. Council has agreed to discuss a multi-year
plan to address and repair Twin Lakes Road. I understand the importance of this
link to the cottagers and property owners on Twin Lakes and will fight hard to
ensure funding support is available for work to commence next spring.
On September 20th,
Greenstone made a significant media release supported with a technical paper
aimed at strengthening our bid to host Cliff’s Ring of Fire chromite refinery.
Numerous media groups covered the story across the newswire including Northern
Ontario Business whose headlines read, “Why
process chromite anywhere else?” The Chronicle Journal headline was, “Look no Further.” The release included a research report prepared
by former provincial Energy Minister George Smitherman and Don Huff of
Environmental Commutation Options who concluded the Exton site, west of Nakina,
as the best spot for the processing furnaces due to its rail access, power
supply and environmental sustainability. Larry Doran, president
and CEO of Imperium Energy, said it is feasible to supply Exton with the
required energy, which would not only allow Greenstone to be home to the
refinery, but benefit the entire region. “It’s both economically
and sustainably positive and possible to provide the required power to build
the refinery at Exton on the schedule that Cliff Natural Resources has
requested,” Doran said. “We’ve also found that it provides a base for a much
better opening of the grid system in Northwestern Ontario
From left, Don Huff,
president of Environmental Commutation Options; George Smitherman, consultant;
and Larry Doran, president and CEO, Imperium Energy Inc., speak about a
possible chromite refinery site, Tuesday morning at Thunder Bay’s Valhalla Inn.
(Brent Linton)
This media release was strategic for Greenstone because
it came the day before the Northwestern Ontario Chamber and the Northern
Ontario Municipal Association’s joint fall conference (which included the first
Northwestern Ontario provincial leadership debate). Next steps are well
underway by our Council to forge and strengthen regional partners as we aim to
land this economic opportunity. The Northwest Kick-Start
option involves a V-shaped grid connecting Nipigon to Dryden or Ignace through
Greenstone. Doran said it would create social and economic transformation in
the region by providing service to a wide range of existing needs and the grid
would be strengthened. “It is the best option, because it meets the timeline
with certainty,” he said. “That certainty is very important to the business.
G&G Global Solutions was contracted by Greenstone
to create a proposal for bringing the refinery to Exton. First Nation aspirations, energy supply and sustainability were the three keys
in the proposal.
Further details of the media coverage can
be found at: http://jay--daiter.blogspot.com/
The $5 million airport ACAP project is
virtually complete only waiting for the back-up generator. Speaking with
several users and municipal staff, the work was very well done. Replacement fuel tanks and catwalk have been
approved and are on order for the airport. I enjoyed flying out of the airport
with Councillor Chris Walterson last week in his “Dragonfly” aircraft. There
was a thrill even getting into the cockpit of such an aircraft, but even more
so, when I realized how few options I had to escape. Chris was kind to respond
to my interest in getting some aerial shots of Nakina this beautiful time of
the year and capture Nakina from the air, in particular the potential site
location for Cliff’s refinery at Exton. Several of the photos will be used to market
and further promote Nakina.
The new municipal
office ribbon cutting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 19th. The public will be invited to tour the
facility and meet the staff. Mayor and
Council were impressed with the letter written by the students from Nakina
Public School. More on this to follow.
A meeting has
been organized by the Recreation staff with all the Nakina user groups of the
Nakina Complex. The meeting date is October 13th at 6 pm. The purpose is to
develop a schedule for the Nakina Sports Complex. If you have not been
contacted, please call the ward office at 329-5356 for more information.
Regards,
Jay Daiter ,
Nakina Ward Councillor,
Municipality of Greenstone
