Power & Pet-Coke: The SynFuel Controversy (2004)

Power and Pet-Coke is the culmination of six months of investigative reporting examining the recent controversy over the for-profit power plant proposed for construction on the edge of the city in the Fort William First Nation Industrial Park. This is currently a hot issue, as that there are at least 10 identical plants planned by SynFuel Technologies Inc. for communities all over Northwestern Ontario in the next few years. Through interviews with supporters and critics of the project, in addition to academics and community leaders, Power & Pet-Coke takes viewers inside a complex political, economic and environmental issue that has divided a community. The documentary provides details and facts that will get both the uninformed, as well as those involved with the project thinking. Power & Pet-Coke documents the fight of local citizens and community groups to get a full environmental assessment of the controversial SynFuel plant, which will employ petroleum coke waste from Alberta refineries as a fuel source. It also documents the project proponents and many local politicians' argument that the plant is vital to the economic future of the area.