THUNDER BAY, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug. 26, 2015) -
| WHAT: | Wataynikaneyap Power signing of a Partnership Agreement with FortisOntario Inc., and Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. ("Fortis-RES Partnership") for the purpose of connecting 16 remote First Nation communities to the provincial power grid. The ceremony will include First Nations Chiefs, four tribal councils, representatives from FortisOntario and RES Canada, and delegates from the provincial governments |
| WHERE: | Valhalla Inn, The Viking Room |
| 1 Valhalla Road | |
| Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7E 6J1 | |
| WHEN: | 10:00a.m. Thursday, August 27, 2015 |
| Photo Opportunity: 10:45am, Signing of Agreement | |
| WHO: | |
| Margaret Kenequanash, Chair of Wataynikaneyap Power | |
| Eliezar Mckay, Chair of the First Nation Holding Company | |
| The Hon. Bob Chiarelli, Ontario Minister of Energy | |
| The Hon. Michael Gravelle, Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines and MPP for Thunder Bay-Superior North | |
| The Honourable Bill Mauro, Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry MPP, Thunder Bay-Atikokan | |
| Jerry Vaninetti, Senior Vice President, Market & Transmission Development, RES Canada | |
| Bill Daley - President & Chief Executive Officer - FortisOntario Inc. | |
| R. Scott Hawkes - Vice President, Corporate Services & General Counsel - FortisOntario Inc. | |
| Tim Lavoie - Regional Manager & Director, Northern Development - FortisOntario Inc. | |
About Wataynikaneyap Power:
Wataynikaneyap Power is a transmission company equally owned by 20 First Nations communities. The company will develop, own, and operate new transmission facilities in Northwestern Ontario in order to connect remote First Nation communities currently powered by diesel generation. Continued use of diesel generation to power First Nations communities is financially unsustainable, environmentally risky, and inadequate to meet community needs. Wataynikaneyap's goal is to provide clean and accessible power for residents, businesses, and industry in the region, and maximize opportunities and benefits for First Nations as a result of the development.
More information about Wataynikaneyap Power can be found at www.wataypower.ca.
About RES Canada
Since 1997, RES has been providing development, engineering, construction, and operations services to the utility-scale wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage markets across the Americas. The company has constructed more than 1000 kilometers (km) of transmission lines, including the 344.4km MATL project, and over 8,000 MW of utility-scale renewable energy and energy storage projects, throughout the U.S., Canada, and Chile. RES' corporate office in Canada is located in Montreal, Quebec with regional offices located in Oakville, Ontario. Globally, RES has developed and/or built over 10 GW of renewable energy capacity, has an asset management portfolio exceeding 1 GW, and is active in a range of renewable technologies including wind, solar, energy storage, transmission, and demand side management. For more information, visit, http://www.res-americas.com/en/about-us/res-canada.aspx.
About FortisOntario
FortisOntario is an electric utility which owns and operates Canadian Niagara Power Inc., Cornwall Street Railway Light & Power Company Ltd. and Algoma Power Inc., serving a combined 64,000 customers located in Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Cornwall, Gananoque and the Algoma District of northern Ontario. FortisOntario also owns regulated transmission assets in the Niagara and Cornwall regions, including an international interconnection between New York State and Fort Erie, Ontario. It has approximately 3,300 km of distribution and transmission lines. FortisOntario is the only investor owned electricity distribution utility in the province of Ontario. FortisOntario is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fortis Inc. ("Fortis"). Fortis is a leader in the North American electric and gas utility business, with total assets of approximately $28 billion and fiscal 2014 revenue of $5.4 billion. Its regulated utilities serve more than 3 million customers across Canada and in the United States and the Caribbean. For more information, visit www.fortisinc.com or www.sedar.com.
Contact Information:
John Cutfeet
807-738-0935
cutfeetj@hotmail.com
Sussex Strategy Group
Laura Fracassi
647-984-6136
lfracassi@sussex-strategy.com