Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
Alex McNichol, left, of Enbridge, addresses the public hearing on Dec. 8. In the centre are the RM of Weyburn council, and on the right are the lead representatives from Enbridge. Photos were not allowed. The sketch does not include the sign on the podium prohibiting photography or recording. And yes, at least four of the council members are bald. Sketch by Brian Zinchuk
WEYBURN – The Rural Municipality of Weyburn held a public hearing into the Seven Stars Energy Project development application on Dec. 8, with a decision to be made by council at a later date.
Seven Stars is a 200 megawatt wind power generation to be located east and southeast of Weyburn. Enbridge is the lead proponent, with six Indigenous bands and organizations taking part.
Enbridge representative Alex McNichol, business development director for Canada, made opening remarks explaining the project and what measures the company had taken to address concerns that have been raised about it. He was followed by a series of speakers, most of which identified their address within the RM, but a few of whom lived in Weyburn.
The number of supporters of the project who took to the microphone to speak notably outnumbered those who spoke in opposition, although some opponents turned down their opportunity, saying they supported what had been previously said.
Five members of the RM council were present in the front row in McKenna Auditorium.
Several in attendance wore large red circular stickers on their chests which said, “Enbridge doesn’t live here. WE DO!”
This sticker (scanned in) was left laying on the floor beneath the seats where some of the opponents to the project were sitting. Several people wore these on their chests, but none wished to speak with Pipeline Online afterwards.
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As per an RM bylaw, recordings, photos and videos were not allowed during the proceedings, and signs to that effect where posted everywhere – including on the podium the speakers stood behind.
The RM’s development officer, Candace Dixon, summarized the application. She pointed out notices were mailed out to landowners with a boundary identified. The permit is for discretionary use for a 200 megawatt commercial wind power generation project. The overall project spans 24,000 acres between the RMs of Weyburn and Griffin, but that actually consumes 577 acres and once in operation will take up 48.5 acres within the RM of Weyburn.
The project is meant to sell power to SaskPower.
The project’s website says, “We estimate a 200-megawatt wind project with startup in 2028 would contribute approximately $800,000 annually combined for the RM of Weyburn, RM of Griffin and to provincial education taxes, beginning in 2028.”
Construction is expected to start in 2026 and an in-service date is anticipated as early as 2029. Enbridge has applied for a 36 month extension for the permit.
In total there would be 46 wind turbines, with 23 each in the RMs of Weyburn and neighbouring Griffin. (This appears to be a reflection of the shift of the project further south and east from its originally proposed layout.) The most recent map provided by Enbridge is shown below.
With the RM of Weyburn, there would be one meteorological tower, one substation, an operations and maintenance building, access roads and underground electrical cables. There will be a laydown yard during construction.
The turbines would have a 98 metre hub height and a total height of 179.5 metres (589 feet). Once turbines are completed, they will be surrounded by a five metre gravel “collar.”
The workforce during construction is expected to be around 100, but peak at 200.
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Enbridge comments
McNichol said the environmental assessment is more rigorous than typical oil and gas development.
There are 40 different property owners affected. He explained that there are approximately 24,000 acres under lease, but once the project is complete, it will ultimately utilize approximately 50 acres. Decommissioning will be covered by Enbridge.
He pointed out there will be no work camps during construction, which will be a benefit to local businesses like hotels.
The Enbridge rep added that while they are not required to do so, the company will do well water testing within two kilometres of sites. This is apparently in response to concerns about well water, which was brought up by some of the speakers in opposition to the project. McNichol pointed out that the standard for water testing when it comes to fracking operations is 250 metres distance.
(What impact on subsurface water a project of this type would have was not elaborated on by the opponents or Enbridge. The subsurface disturbance would include the massive concrete foundations weighing several hundred tonnes each, as well as the underground cables collecting power generated by the turbines and routing them into the central substation. But impact on well water was a common thread in the opponents’ presentations.)
Enbridge has adopted a 1,500 metre setback of turbines from residence, “One of the most significant setbacks of its kind,” he pointed out.
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Indeed, Pipeline Online has reported Nova Scotia recently adopted setbacks of four times the height of a turbine, which, if applied to the Weyburn project, would result in 718 metre setbacks if that standard was applied here. Enbridge is doing more than double that for Seven Stars.
McNichol said the sound should be limited to 48 weighted decibels at that range, similar to a “quiet library.” and no more than 30 hours per year of “shadow flicker” impacting residents.
The project will be similar to the Golden South Wind Facility at Assiniboia and the Bekavar Yotin Wind Facility near Kipling.
He said Enbridge has so far invested $33,000 to support ten nonprofit community groups, and as part of its application, will allocation $50,000 annually to support initiatives and causes identified by the RM.
McNichol said they realized they’ll never get 100 per cent support for any project they put forward. But he asked council to not lose site of the property owners, business owners, community groups and citizens who wished for the project to succeed.
He said Enbridge has deep roots in Saskatchewan, including operating the Westspur pipeline gathering system for 21 years in addition to its mainline system. Enbridge delivers energy through its core business of liquid pipelines, natural gas pipelines, gas utilities, storage, “and yes, renewable energy,” he said.
“We do this for the simple reason that all sources of energy are needed to deliver economic growth.”
He said the project would provide stable and sustainable economic benefits to the community for decades as well as diversification for the economy.
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Speakers
There was no debate during the hearing, and councilors did not make any comments during it. A series of speakers who signed up upon entering the building were then called upon in order. A few chose not to speak, saying they concurred with what had already been said, on one side or the other. This story reflects the order they spoke. As it turns out, the first six speakers spoke in favour of the project, and the last three were opposed.
Darcy McCormick
Darcy McCormick is a RM resident the RM and also CEO of Jerry Mainil Ltd., a Weyburn-based oilfield services company. He spoke of how the RM of Weyburn has seen a significant decline in tax revenue as oil wells in the RM have been abandoned under the provincial site closure program. The impact has been over $150,000 years annually, and would continue to rise as more wells are abandoned. And yet the RM’s costs keep rising.
“The gap must be filled somehow,” he said, and noted taxes would have to go up as a result. But the Seven Stars project would “offer something rare that we have not seen in our area for a very long time, a major long term economic opportunity at a time when we desperately need to rebuild our tax base.”
McCormick said Enbridge had a long track record of operating in Saskatchewan and was a good steward of the land.
McCormick also spoke of confrontations at workplaces in the community. “We cannot allow disagreements to turn into harassment.”
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Norm McFadden
Norm McFadden is a resident of the RM. He said, “This project represents change.” He pointed out that back in the day, there was resistance to oil drilling and pumpjacks, but now the community benefits from the oil and gas industry.
McFadden pointed out that commercial property makes up half of the RM’s tax base.
The project would pay taxes and create jobs during construction as well as some permanent jobs upon completion.
“It’s a signal we’re genuinely open for business,” he said, warning that the money would “be spent here or down the highway.”
McFadden recalled that Weyburn had not been very welcoming to the oil business many years ago and as a result much of that business established itself in Estevan instead.
“Our community needs this investment,” he said.
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Monica Osborn
Monica Osborn spoke on behalf of the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce and Weyburn Economic Development, saying both were strong supporters of the project.
She referred to it as “the most significant outside investment our community has seen in decades.”
She spoke of a young farmer who works off the farm. The additional revenue from the wind turbine leases could improve his financial situation enough that he could focus on his farming without needing that additional off-farm income.
Hoteliers have endured ten years since the last oil boom, she noted.
“When was the last time Weyburn saw a large outside investment of this scale? Show Weyburn is open for business,” Osborne said.
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Candace Wasacase
Candace Wasacase is the chief operating officer of Kahkewistahaw Economic Management Corporation. The corporation is based in Yorkton but their primary reserve is north of Broadview. The first nation is one of the six Indigenous bands and organizations that are part of the “Seven Stars.” They include:
- Cowessess First Nation
- George Gordon First Nation
- Kahkewistahaw First Nation
- Métis Nation-Saskatchewan
- Pasqua First Nation
- White Bear First Nations
Enbridge is the “seventh star.”
Wasacase said it was her first time in Weyburn, and like other speakers, thanked the reeve and council.
She asked if there were any other First Nations people in the auditorium, but Pipeline Online was unable to see if there were any hands raised.
Wasacase spoke of similarities between her community and Weyburn’s. “We want the same thing. We want community prosperity. We want growth. We want jobs for your young people, and we want a sustainable future for all of us.”
She said it was an exciting opportunity.
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Dan Cugnet
Dan Cugnet is an RM resident and his family owns and operates multiple businesses in the community. He’s notable as being the most significant landowners involved in the project. Before adjustments made to the project to address concerns of some residents, the Cugnet family holdings represented the vast majority of the land involved in project. That proportion has since been reduced as the project has evolved, but is still substantial.
As previously reported by Pipeline Online, he’s been a strong advocate for the project and was one of the original proponents. His family collected wind data for nearly two decades, which was one of the foundations for the project. And as land assembly is a major component of any project, having one owner with much of the land can make it much easier for a developer to put a project together.
At the hearing Cugnet pointed out his family owns and operated Valleyview Petroleums, a private oil and gas company. “Every day we’re moving more water to move oil,” he said, noting that electricity is a significant cost to that business, and becoming prohibitively expensive with oil prices. In order to move more fluid he said they need the “opportunity to make electricity ourselves.”
He noted this is “not a tomorrow thing.”
Cugnet also spoke of the benefits of increasing the tax base for the RM, as it has been declining with well abandonments.
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George Siourounis
George Siourounis is not an RM resident but is partner with his brothers in ownership of the Weyburn Travelodge, a hotel they’ve owned and operated for 44 years. To emphasize how important this project was to him, Siourounis pointed out this was the first time he had ever done public speaking.
“We went through lots of booms and busts. That’s the oil business,” he said.
“One thing we know from experience, we need lots of economic activity to survive.”
To that end, they need out of town workers as clients, because local customers to not rent rooms. “We rely on selling rooms.”
“Let’s approve this project, because we need this project for our survival. If we do not have economic activity, forget it,” Siourounis said.
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Andrea Brady
An RM resident, Andrea Brady was the first speaker to be critical of the project. She said “You’re considering a project that will permanently and irreparably alter the lives of the people in Division One and beyond.”
She said that the opponents concerns had been ignored. She questioned the veracity of the taxation numbers discussed, even as the project has evolved to shift more turbines to the neighbouring RM.
Brady asked if the RM had talked to other communities to see what their realities have been, including actual tax revenues from similar projects.
“What was promised at the outset was not delivered, has not materialized or was overinflated,” Brady said.
She said there would be 20 turbines within the RM division she lives in, “Six hundred feet high, I have to look at, hear, drive through and live with for the next 20 years,” she said.
Brady said the project would “destroy our future, our peace and our retirement.”
Noting how divisive the project has been for the community, she asked why council doesn’t “stop it right now?”
Brady spoke of procedural blockages by the municipality’s staff and council, legal fees incurred, and letters she said were ignored.
To that end she warned, “Today I’m formally issuing notice of liability to each councillor,” saying if they approve the project, they would be held personally liable and she would pursue legal action for harm to her family, home, health, water supply and future.”
Brady said local media refused to publish letters, and alleged that the editor had been contacted by Enbridge.
“I, myself, have been repeatedly approached at my place of work,” she said.
“We do not consent, we do not accept the risk to our homes,” she said, to limited applause from a few audience members.
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Faith McDonald
Faith McDonald is an RM resident and presented the most technical speech among the opponents. She listed specific pages of the application, for instance.
McDonald pointed out that when it comes time to remediate the sites, the concrete bases will only be removed to a depth of 36 inches, leaving the bulk of the massive foundations behind. “What about future farmers?” she asked.
McDonald sited a briefing note by Dr. Tammy Nemeth to the provincial government last April which called for a temporary moratorium on new wind project developments. (Nemeth is a regular contributor to Pipeline Online, as one of the co-hosts of the Energy Realities Podcast, and an occasional op-ed writer).
The briefing note also referred to impact of wind turbines on soil moisture. McDonald said Nemeth’s note referred to a 4.4 per cent reduction in soil moisture. “Why is this being ignored?” McDonald asked.
She questioned the ownership structure of the project and how much will be Enbridge and how much will be the Indigenous organizations.
“Not all investments are good, or worth the cause,” she said.
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Don Bourassa
RM resident Don Bourassa started out by referring to the councillors and said, “That is our government at that table,” and implored them to listen.
Bourassa said he blames the lack of trust on Enbridge.
He took issue with reflections, noise, the “ugly sight” and impact on property values wind turbines will have.
He was concerned about the number of cement trucks running on roads and how much traffic would be involved in construction. “Two hundred people is a lot of traffic,” he said.
He questioned what happened with the turbines of the decommissioned Sunbridge wind project near Gull Lake, Enbridge’s joint venture with Suncor that was its first wind project. After 20 years of operation, it was recently shut down and tore down.
SaskPower’s first wind farm, Sunbridge, a collaboration between Enbridge and Suncor, has been shut down and demolished SaskPower. These wind turbines were tiny compared to modern units. A clear indicator is the ratio of the blade length to tower height. New units are much taller and have much longer blades. SaskPower photo
He also brought up concerns about water wells.
He asked about consequences if there are health impacts.
Bourassa also said there had been no local investment from Enbridge in 10 years prior to the recent spending. “I don’t like what I see,” he said, alleging Enbridge had been dodging questions of his.
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Wrap up, Enbridge statement
With that, no one else wished to speak, and Reeve Bud Grohn adjourned the meeting.
Pipeline Online asked several of the opponents after the meeting for comment, but all refused.
Enbridge sent the following statement to Pipeline Online by email:
Enbridge is grateful for this opportunity to present our perspective on the proposed 200-megawatt Seven Stars Energy Project to the Rural Municipality of Weyburn.
Review of our development permit application is the first step in a robust public process involving all levels of government. The forthcoming, comprehensive environmental review – coupled with federal agency processes – provides additional assurance that this wind energy project will be developed responsibly and aligned with community priorities and standards.
Over the past 18 months, direct input from the RM of Weyburn and the broader community has led to an enhanced project proposal, including the 1,500-metre turbine setback from residences. This stringent standard, coupled with Enbridge commitments to limit noise and shadow flicker from our facilities to industry best standards, will protect the health, safety and welfare of residents throughout the life of the project.
While views on large energy projects like this will typically vary, Enbridge has garnered strong support throughout the region – from property holders, business owners and their employees, as well as community groups and citizens who have told us they want this project to proceed. This support was evident at today’s public hearing.
Enbridge recognizes Council’s role in balancing diverse perspectives of community members. While it is important to acknowledge and respect differing opinions, we believe it is equally crucial to consider the long-term opportunities a project like Seven Stars can bring, including an estimated $100 million in local economic benefits over the expected 30-year life of the project.
As Council considers Enbridge’s development permit application following the public hearing, we continue to engage the community, including those who may oppose the project – listening, answering queries in good faith, and addressing concerns as best we can. By fostering inclusive and fact-based discussions such as the RM’s public hearing, the community can work together to shape a future that balances growth with the preservation of local values and priorities.
Next steps for the project include continuing through the development permit process with the RM of Weyburn and RM of Griffin. We anticipate filing our provincial Environmental Impact Statement in early 2026.
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