California
has its Silicon Valley and
Ontario has its Technology
Triangle.
Terry Collins
would like Six Nations,
Brantford and Brant County to
become known as the Green Energy
Hub, a place of research,
development, production and
manufacturing of green or
renewable energy.
The president
of the Chamber of Commerce
Brantford- Brant, Collins has
embarked on a mission to bring
all three communities together
to work towards a common goal.
"All three
communities have lots to offer
and all three stand to gain by
working together on this,"
Collins said.
"They have
land to develop and they have
people who need work.
"This is
something that could bring the
three communities together in a
positive sense that would be
beneficial to everyone."
Collins has
been taken his proposal to
leaders in all three communities
and aims to have a formal
business plan ready for the
provincial government by the
fall. The goal is to have this
area designated a green hub so
that any company looking to sell
their green energy technology or
set up shop would be directed to
the Six Nations, Brantford and
Brant County area.
The Silicon
Valley refers to the high-tech
region in the San Francisco Bay
area, while the technology
triangle refers to the Waterloo
Region which is home to a lot of
advanced technology, including
Research in Motion, makers of
the Blackberry.
The Six
Nations, Brantford, Brant County
area has a lot to offer
including land for development,
buildings that have space
available and a skilled
workforce. It also has three
post-secondary school
institutions that are eager to
participate in the initiative.
Laurier
Brantford is looking to expand
its presence in Brantford's
downtown with the establishment
of a research and academic
centre. The university is also
planning to bring some science
programs to its Brantford
campus, Collins said.
Mohawk
College, meanwhile, is also
anxious to participate, he
added.
At least three
corporations, all of which are
involved in renewable or green
energy in some way, have indicated
that they'd like to come to the
area, Collins said.
One of the
companies, Renewable Energy
Management Inc., plans to introduce
a waste management system that
converts garbage to use-able energy
at a state-of-the-art plant on
Powerline Road between Oak Park and
Paris Roads. The facility will use
an advanced thermal conversion
process.
Plans call for
the company to begin taking waste
from Brantford and Brant County in
about two years after environmental
assessment and planning approvals
have been received.
A solar company
is also looking at establishing
roots in Brant County, Collins said.
A lot of what's
being investigated and being done
right now is the result of the Green
Energy Act. The act opens the door
to a lot of different possibilities
and applications for homes,
commercial buildings as well as
industrial buildings, said Collins.
Projects and
developments initiated as a result
of the Green Energy Act could
produce a lot of jobs in a lot of
different areas. Those areas include
research and development, as well as
manufacturing.
By way of
example, there's no reason the
hardware needed for a wind turbine
couldn't be produced in this area,
said Collins.
He noted, too,
that two companies in the area --
Sonoco Canada and Fererro Roche --
both generate and sell power back to
the grid.
Collins began his
efforts earlier this year after
hearing a presentation by Ontario
Deputy Premier George Smitherman.
"In addition to
being chamber president, I'm the
chairman of Brant County Power and I
was at a conference earlier this
year where he (Smitherman) was
promoting the province's Green
Energy Act," Collins said. "After
the conference, I started
researching the act and there were a
couple of things that stood out."
The act speaks to
the role of municipalities and it's
clear the provincial government is
looking for involvement of First
Nations communities, he said.
In his capacity
as chamber president, Collins has
met with Brant County council, the
economic development committee, as
well as representatives from the
economic development department at
Six Nations.
County council is
supportive of his plan and so are
economic development committee
representatives from the city and
Six Nations, he said.
He's hoping to
have the support of all three
communities formalized so that he
can prepare a formal proposal for
provincial government officials in
the fall.
"I think this is
something that benefits all three
communities," Collins said. "I think
this is the business of the future."
