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Signatures gathered in opposition to Summerland solar project

First 15 names included in document to be presented at June 22 council meeting
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Summerland has received conditional approval for $6 million in federal funding to build a one-megawatt solar array to provide power to the community. (Stock photo)

A petition opposing the proposed Summerland solar project will be presented to Summerland’s municipal council on June 22.

The petition has been organized by Mary-Anne MacDonald. The first page, with 15 signatures, has been included in the upcoming council agenda package.

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“We, the undersigned, feel Summerland Council should not be spending our tax dollars on the solar project as presented, without full accountability for the project and not use municipal property without public input,” the petition form states.

The petition also states that other communities have already rejected similar solar projects as not being financially viable and that the proposed project will not result in a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, the land proposed for the project is within Summerland’s Urban Growth Area, adjacent to municipal services already in place for further development in the area.

The Solar+Storage project has been designed to allow Summerland Power to produce some of its own electricity.

The plan calls for 3,200 solar panels and storage batteries. This would allow Summerland Power to generate 1,200 kilowatts of electrical power.

Coun. Richard Barkwill has earlier raised objections to the solar project. His concerns include the value of the land for the proposed site.

“The land proposed for the solar site is very valuable for development. How valuable? We don’t know because council defeated my resolution to have an appraisal done. To me, ignoring the value of the land you are going to put a temporary, $7 million solar site on is not how you make a business decision,” he said.

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John Arendt

About the Author: John Arendt

John Arendt has worked as a journalist for more than 30 years. He has a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Journalism degree from Ryerson Polytechnical Institute.
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