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Russ Hellberg

Russ moved to Port Hardy in 1980 after serving in the RCAF for 20 years flying CF-100 and CF-101 aircraft.

He was elected to three terms, nine years, as the Mayor of Port Hardy. During this time, he was Chair of the Coastal Communities Network, the B.C. Ferries Mid-Coast Stakeholders and the North Coast Trail Group. Russ was also a director of Fisheries Renewal B.C. and the Forest Alliance of BC and is past Chair of Oceans Industries British Columbia (OIBC) and the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance (VIEA).

Russ worked for a number of years as Community and Government Liaison for Nomis and Rupert Peace Power Corp who have a series of wind farm under development near Port Hardy, Port Edward and in the Peace River Region. Russ is now a Wind Farm development consultant.

July 2010:

June 15th was Global Wind Day in Canada. There is cause for celebration as wind energy capacity and job opportunities are growing faster in Canada each year and finally British Columbia is part of the action.

Ottawa, June 15 –With thousands of events organized around the world to mark the second annual Global Wind Day, the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) celebrated by hosting a tour of the Erie Shores Wind Farm in southern Ontario to demonstrate how wind turbines work, and the economic opportunities they create for the communities that host them.

Wind energy generation in Canada has increased ten-fold in the last six years as governments seek ways to meet increasing energy demand, reduce greenhouse gases and other environmental impacts of electricity generation, and stimulate rural and industrial economic development.

Currently 3,426 MW of electricity is generated by wind in Canada, which is enough to power more than one million homes.

“There is much to celebrate in Canada on Global Wind Day,” said CanWEA President Robert Hornung. “Wind energy is now being produced in every province and we expect wind energy’s rapid growth in Canada to continue with production quadrupling in the next five years. With its unparalleled wind resource, large hydroelectric capacity, strong manufacturing base and linkages to the US market, this country has an incredible opportunity to maximize the economic, industrial development, and environmental benefits associated with wind energy.”

Canada is currently ranked 11th globally in terms of installed capacity, which is now roughly divided among Ontario (one-third), Alberta and Quebec (one-third split roughly 50/50), and Canada’s remaining seven provinces (one-third). An up-to-date graphic of Canada’s installed wind energy capacity can be found at www.canwea.ca.

“Our municipality has benefited so much from wind energy that it is now a part of our identity,” said Lynn Acre, mayor of Bayham, which is home to the Erie Shores Wind Farm. “We sought this opportunity to bring positive change to our region, and have benefited from job creation and increased tax revenues, new tourism and our local farmers now have another source of income.”

CanWEA is the voice of Canada’s wind energy industry, actively promoting the responsible and sustainable growth of wind energy on behalf of its more than 400 members. A national non-profit association, CanWEA serves as Canada’s leading source of credible information about wind energy and its social, economic and environmental benefits. To join other global leaders in the wind energy industry, CanWEA believes Canada can and must reach its target of producing 20 per cent or more of the country’s electricity from wind by 2025. The document Wind Vision 2025 – Powering Canada’s Future is available at www.canwea.ca .

Archive

May 2010	BC Green Energy Task Force: Clean and Renewable Electricity Development	View
April 2010	Wind Power on Vancouver Island	View
February 2010	Effects on Humans of Sound Created by Wind Turbines	View
December 2009	B.C.’s wind power sector catches updraft with three major projects	View
August 2009	Green Power Gets Green Light	View
May 2009	Access to the Power Grid	View
April 2009	Run-of-river hydro critics are missing the big picture, organizer says	View
March 2009	Independent Power Producers of BC Fact Sheet: Wind Generation Resources in British Columbia	View
February 2009	Independent Power Producers of BC Fact Sheet: WIND	View
January 2009	New Green Energy Projects Generate New Green Energy Jobs	View
December 2008	Challenges for the Wind Industry	View
August 2008	Progress at last for wind power in BC	View
July 2008	First Nations support green run-of-river power projects	View
June 2008	Wind Energy Ready to Answer BC Hydro's Call for Power	View
February 2008	Birds, Bats and Wind Farms	View
December 2007	Wind Power is Coming to British Columbia	View
November 2007	BC's New Energy Plan	View
October 2007	Change is in the Air	View
September 2007	Wind Power on Vancouver Island	View

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