Wind Turbine discussion.
Theresa Clemen of North Gower and Laforet of Scarborough distribute "No Turbines" buttons during the Jan. 23 turbine information meeting at the Alfred Taylor Centre in North Gower which was filled to capacity. Laforet spoke about the effects the Green Energy Act is having on Ontarians. He is the president of the Wind Concerns Ontario.
LJ Matheson
Three Ottawa-area
communities concerned about proposals for industrial scale wind turbine
developments held a public meeting on Sunday Jan. 23 at the Alfred Taylor
Centre in North Gower.
About 150 people were
in attendance at the centre where they heard personal stories from three people
whose lives have been changed by turbine projects in their areas.
The North Gower Wind
Action Group, the South Branch Wind Opposition Group, and the Beckwith
Responsible Wind Action Group hosted the event.
“It’s a way for us to
get information out to people so they can make informed decisions about wind
turbines,” said Jane Wilson of the North Gower Wind Action Group.
Posters dotted the
walls of the community centre, outlining some of the issues residents are
concerned about – like health risks of living close to a wind turbine, and how
property values will be affected.
Posters to stop the
wind turbine projects and buttons declaring “No to Turbines” were also
prevalent.
One of the guest
speakers was Ian Hanna of Prince Edward County
who has launched a lawsuit against the Ontario
government and the Green Energy Act.
He says he has
travelled extensively throughout Ontario
and doesn’t feel any of those communities should be home to a cluster of wind
turbines.
“There isn’t a community in Ontario that I want to see destroyed by an
enormous industrial disaster,” he said.
Hanna says that the
government failed to comply with the Precautionary Principle, as it is required
to do, when it established the Green Energy Act regulations.
The Precautionary
Principle requires that, in situations where there is scientific uncertainty
about environmental or human health effects of a proposed action, the proponent
should not proceed until the uncertainty is satisfactorily resolved.
“If there is a health
risk to people, animals or the environment, then there is cause for further
study,” he said.
“We need to try and
stop things (the progress of wind turbine projects) until we can find out what
those health risks are.”
Hanna said he will
continue with his efforts, regardless of the court’s decision.
Wolfe Island resident Janet White was one of a few people who
were against the wind turbines in her area.
The passionate
advocate and stay-at-home mother and wife said she and her family were hounded
for 10 years to lease part of their heritage property to Canadian Hydro.
“They didn’t
understand when we said ‘no’ we meant ‘no’,” she said. “What they offer (in terms
of rental fees) and what we receive… there is no comparison. They spent
billions on our island and there is not one millionaire.”
White urged those in
attendance to not sell out and to learn the health risks above all else.
She spoke about a time
when her children were outside when the turbines were running.
“Within 15 minutes,
both their noses exploded with blood,” she said.
“It makes you wonder,
but I can't prove it… I’m just a housewife and no Kingston lawyer will take on the case. They
don’t want anything to do with it… I have to go to Toronto to find a lawyer.”
The third speaker was John Laforet, president of Wind Concerns Ontario, a
coalition of more than 50 community groups.
Laforet spoke about
the effects of the removal of local democratic powers under the Green Energy
Act, and what Ontario’s
energy plan is doing to electricity bills.
“We are having an
impact,” he said. “Projects are being slowed down. But we have to wake up the
government… they need to get real and listen.”
“The province and industry
say these industrial machines don’t make noise, but they do,” noted Wilson.
“They say property
values won’t decline, but we know from other places in Ontario that they can. Worst of all, we’re
told there will not be health effects from the constant noise and vibration,
yet we’re learning that people all over Ontario are getting sick and some are
having to leave their homes. We want the truth. ”
Gary Thomas of North
Gower says he’s feels more information is needed before decisions should be
made. His home will be close to about three proposed turbines.
“There should be
proper health studies done,” he said. “Delay the projects for a year and
implement the precautionary measure… if it’s delayed a year, then the health
studies can be done.”
Another North Gower
resident Stephen Nourse says he’s been at public meetings since the proposed
projects started two years ago.
He says these turbines
“have a habit of mushrooming” and he wants to know why they can’t be located
farther away from homes.
“Why do they have to be practically on top of homes?” he asked. Each of the
three communities is facing an industrial wind turbine project with as many as
10, 190-meter or 60-storey tall turbine towers.
Wilson added that more than 70 municipalities in Ontario are demanding
that the province halt wind turbine development, and return planning powers to
communities for renewable energy projects so they can protect their citizens.
See next week for more information on wind turbine projects in the area.