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Featured Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on May 20, 2013

Expect Delays: Reviewing Ontario’s “Buy Local” Renewable Energy Program

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/expect-delays-reviewing-ontarios-buy-local-renewable-energy-program/

Launched in 2009, Ontario’s “buy local” Feed-In Tariff (FIT) program promised to deliver hundreds of megawatts of new renewable energy and create 50,000 new jobs by the end of 2012. The program has had some notable achievements, and the province has worked hard to remedy some of the remaining roadblocks to success. The bottom line… Continue reading

Expect Delays - Presentation on Ontario FIT 2013.001
Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on May 20, 2013

Expect Delays: a Presentation Reviewing Ontario’s “Buy Local” Renewable Energy Program

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/expect-delays-presentation-reviewing-ontarios-buy-local-renewable-energy-program/

Ontario’s landmark “buy local” renewable energy Feed-In Tariff program launched in late 2009.  After four years, the program has created thousands of jobs, helped close coal-fired power plants and made energy producers of many Ontarians.  But roadblocks remain, and changes are needed.  The following presentation outlines the program, its goals and accomplishments, and the barriers… Continue reading

Ontario Feed-In Tariff Promotes Democratic Energy
Article, Resource filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on May 20, 2013

Democratic Energy from Ontario’s ‘Buy Local’ Renewable Energy Program [Infographic]

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/democratic-energy-ontarios-buy-local-renewable-energy-program-infographic/

Read more in Expect Delays: Reviewing Ontario’s “Buy Local” Renewable Energy Program Continue reading

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Article filed under Broadband | Written by Lisa Gonzalez | No Comments | Updated on Dec 12, 2012

Canadian Community Brings Fiber to All in Alberta Town

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.muninetworks.org/content/canadian-community-brings-fiber-all-alberta-town

Back in 2010, we reported on SuperNet in Alberta, Canada. We noted how, even though it resulted in significant middle-mile infrastructure expansion, there were still many, many Canadians along the route that were not connected. We drew a parallel between that experience and the focus on middle mile infrastructure via the broadband stimulus programs. In… Continue reading

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Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | 2 Comments | Updated on Nov 27, 2012

Going Local Gives More Value to Solar Power

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/grid-solar-power/

Update: you can now read the whole essay – Wide-scale Implementation of Solar Power I just read an essay by a Canadian utility executive arguing that solar is the most economic energy source, and he systematically dismantles the notion that “cheap baseload coal” is more competitive that solar electricity. First: Solar is Cheaper Than Coal… Continue reading

Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Aug 10, 2011

SolarShare Bonds Help Democratize Ontario’s Electricity System

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/solarshare-bonds-help-democratize-ontarios-electricity-system/

Thanks to innovative energy policy, residents of Ontario can invest in local solar power projects by buying SolarShare bonds. The $1,000 bond provides a 5% annual return over five years and the money is invested in solar power projects across the province (as the chart below shows, this beats a savings account with 0.8% interest or even a 5-year U.S. treasury, with 0.91% interest). Continue reading

Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on May 24, 2011

Nova Scotia Boosts Economic Development with Community-Owned Renewables

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/nova-scotia-boosts-economic-development-community-owned-renewables/

Yet another Canadian province is showing a serious commitment to the economic benefits of renewable energy development. Ontario’s “buy local” energy policy has the promise of 43,000 local jobs from 5,000 MW of new renewable energy. Now Nova Scotia is completing rulemaking for a provincial goal of 40% renewable power by 2020 that includes a 100 megawatt (MW) set-aside for community-owned distributed generation projects. The policy promises to increase the economic activity from its renewable energy goal by $50 to $240 million. Continue reading

Article filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 19, 2011

Nova Scotia Proposes Feed-in Tariffs Solely for Community-Owned Projects

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/nova-scotia-proposes-feed-tariffs-solely-community-owned-projects/

Joining Ontario and several U.S. states, the Canadian province of Nova Scotia has proposed a new twist on a common clean energy program. The policy provides a guaranteed, long-term contract for wind, biomass, hydro, and tidal power producers and offers them the same return on equity provided to utiltiies. Continue reading

filed under Energy | Written by John Farrell | No Comments | Updated on Jan 14, 2011

John Farrell Explains Ontario’s ‘Buy Local’ Clean Energy Policy on Etopia News

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/john-farrell-explains-ontarios-buy-local-clean-energy-policy-etopia-news/

We put out the new report, Maximizing Jobs From Clean Energy: Ontario’s ‘Buy Local’ Policy, this week and now you can watch an interview of my explanation of the report’s findings on Etopia News.

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Article filed under The Public Good | Written by David Morris | No Comments | Updated on Dec 13, 2010

How Canadians Built a Fair Health Care System from the Bottom Up

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/how-canadians-built-fair-health-care-system-bottom/

 The seeds of the current Canadian health system were sown in rural Saskatchewan in the early 20th century when small cities with no doctorsbegan to subsidize a physician to come and set up practice. Several communities then joined together to open publicly-funded hospitals.

In the 1930s, a new Canadian political party, whose name reflected its philosophy, the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation (CCF), came to powerin Saskatchewan.

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