Is Niagara the nation's Green Energy Capital?

Niagara could crown itself Canada’s green energy king — just weeks after slaying efforts to give wind turbines the boot.

At regional council Thursday, councillors will consider naming Niagara the green energy capital of Canada.

But the suggestion, put forward by Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati, comes with Wainfleet and West Lincoln digging in against impending wind projects.

It also comes just weeks after council voted down a motion by St. Catharines Coun. Andy Petrowski calling for a moratorium on wind farm openings.

“To do this, what I’m hearing from my residents is that the Region doesn’t care about us,” said Wainfleet Mayor April Jeffs.

She said west Niagarans feel the Region is ignoring their concerns about wind projects.

“I know (Wainfleet and West Lincoln) doesn’t make a huge chunk of the population of Niagara, but we count, too.”

But there are plenty of perks in a name, said Walter Sendzik, CEO of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce.

He said the name could help the Region follow KitchenerWaterloo’s example. It named itself the Tech Triangle, he said, and ultimately attracted big tech companies like Research In Motion.

Niagara, he said, produces more green power per capita than any jurisdiction its size.

“We have a long history of green energy production. It goes back to the 1800s,” he said.

“More and more individuals … are looking for communities who meet a sense of criteria. This really does at least put us on that grid.”

Diodati originally raised a motion to name the Region the green energy capital earlier in the year, but it was deferred.

If it’s approved this time, the Region would post signs at key entry points trumpeting the new moniker.

The name, though, could put off investors, said Petrowski.

He called it a sign of desperation for Niagara to hunt jobs he says are heavily subsidized by the province.

“We’re so sick economically that we’ve got to call ourselves something we’re probably not,” he said.

Petrowski said he doesn’t feel Niagara has earned the green energy capital title.

He noted despite recent announcements of green jobs coming to Beamsville and Thorold, the DMI Industries wind tower plant in Fort Erie shut down last week.

“Does two companies arriving give us bragging rights (as) the green energy capital?” he said. “I guess there are no rules. You can call yourself whatever you want to call yourself.”

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