Industrial scale solar fields, S. Frontenac needs a plan

Michael Goodspeed | Aug 19, 2015

I spent a day cycling through Prince Edward County recently, and I can't help thinking that this is a community that appreciates and understands the value of their rural heritage. They’ve done a great job of preserving their rural environment and developing tourism without ruining their inheritance. Unfortunately, here in South Frontenac we have no real plan that spells out how we will achieve sustainable development that will leave our heritage intact.

The “Strategic Plan” listed on the council’s website is really a strategic vision – and, it’s a good vision; but we don’t have a follow-on plan in place that defines how to develop and implement that vision. A true strategy requires that we define the secondary objectives, pertinent restrictions and opportunities that will ensure that we achieve our vision. All that detail is missing, and this is what’s truly alarming about the current approach to installing industrial scale solar fields in South Frontenac.

One councillor I spoke to thinks we should address the industrial solar fields issue one project at a time - which appears to be how council is now handling requests for installing industrial scale solar fields. This is a recipe for disaster. It’s an approach that ignores the reality that pressure to install industrial scale solar fields is a new development that threatens the rural character of South Frontenac and demands a clearly defined management plan. We haven’t got one.

If we want examples of well-managed rural development, we can look to the British, (and the French, the Italians, the Germans, the Danes and the Swedes…) They have all done a fabulous job of ensuring that the heritage of their countryside has been preserved and maintained for future generations. They fully understand that development doesn’t necessarily mean unfettered commercial exploitation and growth. They understand that progress has to be carefully groomed according to a vision that’s married to an implementable and enforceable plan.

If sensible strategic planning is conducted in accordance with the established and agreed upon vision for what Council has already defined as a desirable future for South Frontenac, the municipality will reject, or at the very least drastically and severely limit the plans of multi-billion dollar companies who would cheerfully ruin our countryside with industrial scale solar fields – It would also prevent the ominous and destructive secondary effect of corrupting our municipal political process with institutional bribes under the guise of a donation.

The recent casual adoption of Kingston’s criteria for solar fields has been a serious mistake. Uncritically adopting the criteria for a mid-sized city, as opposed to the needs of a rural township, doesn’t address our unique requirements or goals.

Before Council goes forward on deciding whether or not to approve any more industrial scale solar fields, it absolutely needs to define the following: how many of these industrial scale fields do we want in South Frontenac, how large can they be, what is the exact criteria for where they can and cannot go, and what public input will be allowed in these matters. Sadly, none of this is in place - and council has already started approving Industrial sized solar fields. Time to rethink the game plan!