August 25, 2005: If Ontario Is Seriously Concerned About An Inadequate Electricity Supply, Why Doesn't It Consider A Diminished Electricity Demand By Pressuring For Reduced Immigration?
PRESS RELEASE
If Ontario is seriously concerned about an inadequate future electricity supply, why doesn't it consider reducing electricity demand? Conservation is one way of reducing demand. But, as critics have repeatedly pointed out, increases in population will negate any gains made by conservation. One of the most effective ways of reducing demand would be to pressure the federal government to lower immigration levels in order to stabilize Ontario's population, says Immigration Watch Canada.
Since the beginning of federal mass immigration policies around 1990, Ontario's population has risen by almost 3 million. Ontario had a population of 9,698,300 in 1990 and a population of 12, 513, 800, by July 1, 2005, according to Census Canada statistics and projections. Almost all of this increase has been concentrated in major urban areas in Southern Ontario and the most significant factor in the increase has been immigration. Ontario's population has increased by almost 30% in 15 years.
According to a report in The Toronto Star, “Ontario has been struggling at times to keep the lights on this summer. On high demand days, the province needs 25,000 megawatts of power, of which 3,000 megawatts are likely to be imported, mostly from the U.S.
“And because of the strain on the system several times this summer, supplies have been so tight, power system operators imposed brownouts to avert the need for rolling blackouts. ”
Ontario has 15 operating nuclear power plants. Five others are not functioning. The 15 in operation generate 50% of Ontario's electricity. The remaining 50% of Ontario's electricity comes from hydro-electric and coal-fired plants. Ontario's Energy Minister Dwight Duncan has indicated that the province will probably build more nuclear facilities to satisfy increased demand from Ontario's growing population.
According to The Toronto Star report, Duncan did stress the province must first make the best of hydro electricity, renewable forms of energy generation as well as conservation, “but there are clear limitations about what we can do (in these areas).”
Duncan said the province needs to have a larger base of generating power to meet its needs, “and nuclear is an important component of that.”
Immigration Watch Canada notes that if Ontario had stabilized its population by standing up against mass immigration 15 years ago, it would not have the electricity shortages it has now. Some costs would have been incurred without high immigration because nuclear plants do have a limited life span and do have to be replaced. Ontario NDP leader Howard Hampton has estimated the cost of new reactors at around $8 Billion each.
But the additional required reactors (caused alost completely by mass immigration policies) will increase the construction bill for Ontario taxpayers even more. These extra costs are one more example of the costs of immigration which governments continue to portray as economically positive.
The federal government's own very extensive, commissioned study (done by The Economic Council of Canada) showed that immigration is not an effective economic stimulus because it consumes almost all of the benefits it creates, says Immigration Watch Canada. In addition, critics have pointed out that the extensive study did not include environmental costs. If these had been added in, immigration would have been seen to be a significant negative for the economy.
The “additional” construction costs will not be shouldered solely by the “additional” people (new immigrants). This means that the host population will be asked to bear the largest part of the electricity costs of adding new people to its numbers.
Ontario's energy minister is receiving criticism from all sides, including from the Energy Co-Ordinator for Greenpeace Canada who has called nuclear energy “an unmitigated disaster”. At one point, he said, 7 of Ontario's 20 nuclear plants were not working.
None of Ontario's political leaders has mentioned that mass immigration is causing a significantly-higher demand for electricity. In addition, none have mentioned that, if continued, federal mass immigration policies will create an even higher demand for electricity and on all other parts of Ontario's infrastructure.
None of the environmental groups concerned about the long-term environmental effects of nuclear power has mentioned the long-term environmental effects of putting several million immigrants into an already-densely populated area such as Southern Ontario. In addition, no enviromental groups have stated that a sensible, environmentally-friendly thing to do would be to end the mass immigration policies that have caused increased demand for electricity.
High immigration levels have a very high price. This is just one more example of the very high price, says Immigration Watch Canada.
END OF PRESS RELEASE
Note: The Toronto Star article on Ontario's future energy needs is available on the internet.
