Hydro
power, Manitoba’s economic edge
Historically Manitobans have enjoyed
some of the lowest power rates in Canada and the U.S. This
is a significant consideration when it comes to locating a
business in the province. This has been possible in the past
because of a series of hydro power plants on the Winnipeg
River and more recently because of large hydro projects on
the Nelson River.
Industrial electricity rates in
Manitoba range from 15 to 40 percent below those in Saskatchewan
or Alberta. The reason for this price advantage is straight
forward; Manitoba generates nearly all of its electricity
using hydro while Saskatchewan and Alberta depend heavily
on coal and natural gas. Further, Manitoba has low cost sites
for its power plants. At most locations the size of the dams
are relatively small thus reducing significantly the cost
of concrete and other building materials. The other advantage
of hydro is that plants last from 50 to100 years, and water
is a renewable resource.
Hydro reservoirs, a mixed
blessing
Anyone who has lugged a canoe around
rapids or a snowmobile through the bush in northern Manitoba
knows that hydro dams and the lakes they create can be a blessing.
The portages and bush trails are shorter. One can cover a
lot of territory traveling by boat on a reservoir or even
more by snowmobile in winter. Hydro reservoirs have become
highways for the north.
While reservoirs destroy one form
of habitat, they also create new habitat for fish and waterfowl.
This can augment the local economy through increased tourism,
trapping and fishing.
But hydro reservoirs are not always
a blessing. When reservoirs are initially filling, water leaches
mercury from the soil which can accumulate in fish. Reservoirs
can also flood critical moose and fish habitat, and cause
problems such as blockage of fish runs, and fish mortality
in turbines. In winter the demand for hydropower is often
the highest. High water flows through power stations can cause
the ice to shift and crack, allowing water to flow onto the
ice below the snow cover. Many trappers and hunters have driven
their snowmobiles into snow-covered slush with unhappy consequences.
It's no wonder that the debate gets a bit heated when hydro
companies propose new power projects.
New challenges, new strategies
The $11-million renovation and
expansion for the Food Development Centre in Portage la Prairie
is a huge economic boost to the area. The Centre focuses on
helping the food industry with food product and process development,
food safety and food quality testing. The Centre was the first
of its kind in Canada and the project could create as many
as 1,400 jobs.
Portage la Prairie has several
significant food processors including McCain Foods who employ
nearly 500 and has recently expanded their potato processing
plant. Simplot is constructing a $120 million potato processing
facility just west of the city. But the focus is not only
on jobs. Portage spent $40 million upgrading their water treatment
system. |
