Now you can access information directly at Northumberland Wind Field's web site:

www.northumberlandwind.ca

About Northumberland Wind Field

Northumberland Wind Field is a community economic development corporation operating in Pictou and Antigonish counties, established to make investments in renewable energy and, in particular, wind power. The corporation is governed by a community board of directors that manages local investments in projects that meet their community economic development plan and will raise funds using the Community Economic Development Investment Fund (CEDIF) initiative in Nova Scotia. 
The current board of directors consists of Sharon Henderson- President, Don Butler- Vice President, Tara Morin-Buchanan- Secretary-Treasurer, and directors Mike Reddick, Bill Teague, Margaret Ann McFarlane-Leil, Phil Wyman.

About Scotian WindFields

There is a network of Wind Field corporations being established in communities around the province and, collectively, they are referred to as The Scotian WindFields. This network serves to create a collective identity and to benefit from collaborative action. 
The Wind Fields have operating partnerships with Nova Scotia-based companies which will afford them the ability to participate in wind field exploration and development. 


About Community Economic Development Investment Funds (CEDIF) 


A CEDIF is a pool of capital, formed through the sale of shares (or units), to persons within a defined community, created to operate or invest in local business. It cannot be charitable, non-taxable, or not-for-profit, and must have at least six directors elected from their defined community. In addition to the RRSP tax credit, CEDIFs provide a 35% tax credit on Nova Scotia taxes payable to a maximum of $17,500.00 of credit per taxpayer per year. Shares of a CEDIF are pre-approved for holding in a self directed RRSP. 
The Department of Finance approves the offering as eligible for tax credit and upon receipt of a letter of non-object from the Nova Scotia Securities Commission a CEDIF Share Offering may be made. 


On Being a Board Member


A CEDIF must be governed by a group of six to 12 persons, six of which must be from the community the CEDIF represents. A president, secretary and treasurer along with the remaining directors manage the formation of the fund, the raising of monies and subsequent investments.

Directors have responsibilities, not only in time, but in a corporate or fiduciary sense for their actions as board members. 
Directors must pass an RCMP check, provide background information and may require bank and character references to perform the various duties associated with the raising of funds through the CEDIF vehicle. Board members will have a variety of backgrounds and experiences such as board development and leadership, community development, renewable energies, environmental stewardship, investment, banking, accounting, real estate, etc. 


On Wind Power 


There is a great deal of information on this topic, some of the most useful from the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CANWEA). CANWEA and its counterparts in the U.S.A. (AWEA) and Denmark (DANWEA) can provide in-depth information on all aspects of the wind industry, see their web address below. Also, through the links and articles on the Scotian WindFields site we cover economic and community benefits of Wind.
 

Further Information


Public meeting notices, brochures and more information about Wind Fields and information about wind and renewable energy development are available online at: www.scotianwindfields.ca. 
Information about Community Economic Development Corporations is available at the Department of Economic Development Website. You may also find the Frequently Asked Questions section on this site useful as well. 
The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CANWEA) is also a great resource for information.