May 7, 2013 - The Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) is hosting two workshops focused on the Best Management Practices (BMP) Guide for the Mitigation of Impacts of Waterpower Facility Construction, which was developed to provide practical and current best management practices that will assist proponents in determining how best to construct, rehabilitate or repair a waterpower facility in an environmentally responsible manner.

February 5, 2013 - The Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) says registration is now open for the 13th annual “Power of Water” Canada Conference and Tradeshow, being held October 20-22 at the White Oaks Conference Resort in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. OWA is also pleased to report it has entered into a multi-year agreement with White Oaks to allow for additional exhibit space to accommodate growth.

January 25, 2013 - The Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) announced the completion of the “Best Management Practices Guide for the Mitigation of Impacts of Waterpower Facility Construction”, an initiative undertaken in partnership with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Fisheries & Oceans Canada.

October 18, 2012 - Next week’s Power of Water Canada Conference in Niagara-on- the-Lake, Ont.—put on by the Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA)—will see the premiere screening of “Our Heritage, Our Future: The Kapuskasing River Waterpower Project”. The feature documentary chronicles the development of a partnership between three First Nation communities, the town of Kapuskasing, and private sector proponent Hydroméga. Support for the film was provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

“The Kapuskasing River Waterpower Project will create significant social and economic benefits for the surrounding communities and will undoubtedly inspire more investment in Northern Ontario,” said Michael Gravelle, minister of natural resources.

The Kapuskasing River Waterpower Project is a 22MW development at four sites on the Kapuskasing River. The project began in 2005 and the first generation stations are scheduled to be commissioned next year. Brunswick House First Nation, Chapleau Ojibwe First Nation, Chapleau Cree First Nation and the town of Kapuskasing are partners in the projects with the developer Hydroméga.

“We hope that by sharing this story with Aboriginal communities, proponents and the public, people will come to realize the real potential of partnerships,” said Jason Batise, economic development & technical services advisor with Wabun Tribal Council. “This project will create significant socio-economic benefits for our communities for generations.”

The Power of Water Canada Conference, October 21-23, is the largest waterpower-focused event in the country, says OWA. The film will be released at the gala dinner on the evening of October 22.

Registration is still available HERE.

October 16, 2012 - A coalition of Canadian renewable energy associations announced today they will increase their collaboration in jointly marketing each other’s annual events to provide greater educational, networking and business development opportunities in Canada’s renewable energy industry. Those associations include:

October 2, 2012 - The Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) has developed the Aboriginal Funding Continuum, a web-based resource tool designed to assist Aboriginal Communities in accessing the various support programs associated with waterpower project development. The Continuum can be found on the Waterpower Working Group’s website at www.wpwg.org/funding-continuum. The product has been developed with the advice and input from Aboriginal organizations, industry and Provincial and Federal government agencies, says OWA, adding it will also serve in identifying potential funding and other support gaps for waterpower projects.

ONTARIO WATERPOWER ASSOCIATION (OWA)

August 29, 2012 - The Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) says it is “extremely pleased” with the findings of “Economic Impact of Waterpower Projects on Crown Lands in Ontario”—an analysis and report completed by AECOM Canada Ltd. for the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). The report focuses on the socioeconomic impact of 41 waterpower projects located on provincial Crown land with Feed-in Tariff (FIT) contracts.

July 11, 2012 - The Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) says it is pleased to announce the release of “Best Management Practices Guide for the Mitigation of Impacts of Waterpower Facility Construction”, saying this resource document—authored by Genivar Inc. and Natural Resource Solutions Inc.—”is another example of the collaboration between industry and the federal and provincial governments”.

[Updated March 22] March 22, 2012 - Today, the Ontario government announced the results of the scheduled two-year FIT Program Review, which considered issues such as:

March 14, 2012 - The Ontario Waterpower Association (OWA) says it is working with the Ministry of Natural Resources to help educate dam owners in the province about the modernized standards, guidelines and best management practices for dam safety.