Provincewide call to action challenges Ontarians to conserve on August 14

June 3, 2009, Toronto, ON - Woodstock Mayor Michael Harding has dropped the gauntlet, this morning issuing a challenge to municipal leaders across Ontario to compete in the Count Me In! Community Challenge Day on August 14, 2009.

Mayor Harding’s challenge has already been accepted enthusiastically by the representatives of 19 other municipalities who have each committed to reduce their overall energy consumption between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. on the Community Challenge Day.

The Count Me In! Community Challenge Day takes its name from the ongoing theme for Energy Conservation Week 2009 (May 17-23). Ontarians are being asked to pledge a commitment and to create a personalized conservation plan at www.countmeinontario.ca, from now until Challenge Day.

Participating municipalities can compete in two different categories:

• The highest percentage drop in electricity consumption on August 14, and 
• The highest per capita participation in the Count Me In! pledge drive.

Results of the provincewide challenge will be announced at the AMO Annual Conference on August 19th in Ottawa.

The City of Woodstock has played a leadership role among Ontario municipalities over the past few years encouraging energy conservation with its August 14 Blackout Day initiative. This year, Woodstock has been joined by the Ontario Power Authority, the Independent Electricity System Operator, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, and the Electricity Distributors Association to create the Count Me In! Community Challenge Day.

Municipalities which have made an early confirmation of their participation in the challenge are:

Aurora Callander Elliot Lake Guelph Hamilton Ingersoll Kenora Kitchener London Norfolk

Orangeville Paris Penetanguishene Peterborough Sarnia Tecumseh Tillsonburg Township of East Ferris Waterloo

 
Quotes Regarding “Count Me In! Challenge Day” from Participating Organizations

Woodstock:
“This year’s challenge is bigger and better than it’s ever been and that’s because there is growing interest among all Ontarians and their municipal leaders in conserving energy,” said Woodstock Mayor Michael Harding. “I’m extremely excited to see the commitment put forth by these municipal representatives this morning, and I’m officially challenging all other municipal leaders in the province to show us what they’ve got.”

OPA:
“Count Me In! Challenge Day represents the final phase of this year’s spring-summer campaign to encourage energy conservation by Ontarians,” says Paul Shervill, Ontario Power Authority Vice President, Conservation. “It’s an opportunity for everyone in the province to contribute toward the long-term goal of creating a ‘culture of conservation’ and achieving the most ambitious energy saving targets in North America.”

AMO:
"I encourage all municipalities across Ontario to join the Community Challenge and inspire their communities to get involved", said Peter Hume, President of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. "As municipal leaders, it's our job to lead by example and demonstrate how simple, practical steps can reduce costs, increase energy efficiency, and help fight climate change."

IESO:
“This challenge helps remind us both of the many opportunities available to conserve electricity and how important electricity is in our daily lives,” said Paul Murphy President and CEO of the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO). “Through conservation and shifting use of electricity to off peak hours, Ontarians can play a major part in helping to manage the reliability of the provincial power system.”

EDA:
"You can 'Count Ontario's Electricity Distributors In' to take action alongside their local municipalities on Community Challenge Day on August 14th," said John Loucks, Electricity Distributors Association (EDA) Chair. "Promoting energy conservation awareness is the first step in inspiring action. This one-day challenge is symbolic of a larger purpose to promote a culture of conservation every day throughout the year."