Spadina-Fort York Candidate Responses
Andi Hoàng-lefranc
1. Question 1 (solar electricity): Yes
2. Question 2 (offshore wind): Yes
Additional comments
Though I support a preliminary feasibility study on the potential location and costs and benefits of a Lake Ontario offshore wind farm, it must be noted that in 2011 the provincial government suspended support for all planned offshore wind power projects, despite over 100 studies supporting their feasibility. Any novel feasibility study must be accompanied by intensive collaboration with the provincial government (especially as natural resources falls under their purview) and renewable energy organisations from the beginning in order to establish a mutual understanding of the project’s parameters and end goals. This will hopefully increase the odds that any new wind farm project reaches completion rather than being suspended once again after the completion of the study.
Ausma Malik
1. Question 1 (solar electricity): Yes
2. Question 2 (offshore wind): Yes
Additional comments
Xue Ding
1. Question 1 (solar electricity): Yes
2. Question 2 (offshore wind): Yes
Additional comments
Question 1.
Of course. Toronto should develop a serious plan to expand local solar generation, and the 2.8 billion kWh target gives the City something concrete to test and work toward rather than simply saying that we support more renewable energy. My platform has consistently supported new energy and the use of technology to modernize Toronto. Solar fits that approach particularly well because it allows us to use space we already have, including City buildings, commercial rooftops and large parking areas, while giving residents and businesses more opportunities to generate electricity closer to where it is consumed.
At the same time, the plan needs to be economically and technically credible. Toronto Hydro should identify where the grid can absorb new generation, which City owned properties can produce the strongest return and what barriers are preventing businesses or residents from installing solar today. Permitting, interconnection time and access to financing matter just as much as the number of panels installed. Toronto already has tools such as SolarTO and net metering, so I would rather improve and scale systems that work than create another program that looks ambitious on paper but is difficult to use in practice.
The goal should not be renewable energy at any cost. It should be cleaner local electricity that strengthens grid resilience, reduces long term energy costs and creates economic opportunities in Toronto. I would support the 2.8 billion kWh planning target with transparent milestones so Council and the public can see what it will cost, how much capacity has actually been added and whether the benefits are reaching households and businesses.
Question 2.
Yes. A preliminary feasibility study is exactly the type of work Toronto Hydro should undertake before anyone decides whether an offshore wind project deserves further investment. Lake Ontario is an important energy asset beside the largest electricity consuming city in Canada, so refusing even to study its potential would mean making a decision without understanding the economics or the technology.
The study should be broader than simply asking whether turbines can physically be built. I would want to know the expected cost per unit of electricity, potential near shore and farther offshore locations, transmission requirements, effects on the lake and surrounding communities, reliability of generation and how the economics compare with solar, storage and other sources available to Toronto. Toronto Hydro has examined offshore wind in Lake Ontario before, including engineering and geotechnical work, which means a new study can build on earlier work while incorporating major changes in turbine technology and energy markets.
Supporting a study is not the same as committing Toronto to build a wind farm. My approach to new technology is to understand the opportunity first and then invest when the evidence supports it. If offshore wind can provide Toronto with reliable and competitively priced electricity while strengthening energy security, we should know that. If the economics or environmental impacts do not make sense, the study should tell us that too.