At the April 9 committee of the whole meeting, Seniors for Climate Action Now (SCAN) will be making a deputation to council regarding the Enbridge pipeline extension that will bring natural gas to Omemee and Bobcaygeon in the near future. SCAN is concerned that the city is going the wrong direction by expanding the use of natural (methane) gas for home heating, and that heat pumps powered by clean electrical energy provided by solar and wind is the direction the city should be heading instead.

Local SCAN members Moya Beall and David Rapaport will be making the deputation which they hope will educate and possibly change some minds regarding the Enbridge extension which the city first expressed support for in 2017, and whose construction is expected to begin this spring.

“Enbridge’s own information says the extension will increase methane emissions,” Beall told the Advocate in a telephone interview.

“The world has changed a lot since 2017,” Beall added. “Heat pump technology has improved significantly. The local climate is very conducive to heat pump usage and we wonder why the city hasn’t taken a more recent look at their 2017 decision.”

Beall points out that incentives exist through the federal government for people to convert to heat pumps and that she wishes the provincial government, which is pushing for expanded usage of methane gas, “would stop making bad energy choices.”

Beall and her group think local initiatives, like a wind turbine project built near Norwich, Ontario by the county of Oxford that produces 100 per cent clean and renewable power for local residents, will be a key to a cleaner energy future.

Beall believes the city needs “to put the brakes on” the pipeline expansion and make sure “residents have the data they need to make an informed choice between heat pumps and Enbridge gas.”

Councillor Pat Warren is very interested to hear what the deputants have to say.

“I look forward to hearing the deputations regarding methane gas expanding to Bobcaygeon and other areas,” Warren said. “I understand many people are choosing heat pumps instead of methane gas furnaces, to both save money and reduce pollution.”

Warren agrees that there needs to be “more education for the public to understand the true financial and environmental costs…so households can make informed choices.”

When asked for comment whether supporting an expansion of methane gas usages squares with the city’s strategic plan that prioritizes a healthy environment, Kawartha Lakes CAO Ron Taylor spoke of the city’s need to balance all municipal priorities.

“Council decisions require balancing all of our strategic priorities – Healthy Environment, Exceptional Quality of Life, Vibrant and Growing Economy and Good Government,” Taylor said. “While every decision may not check all of the boxes, the municipality is working hard to meet our Healthy Environment goals by encouraging more active transportation, developing a climate change strategy, transitioning to a greener municipal fleet, implementing a source separated organics program, and by protecting and preserving our natural areas. Energy sources and approvals remain the responsibility of the provincial government. The city has taken the position to-date that energy supply must be reliable and affordable to support Kawartha Lakes residents and businesses. Ideally, this would be accomplished through sources that minimize our local carbon footprint.”