Wind Concerns Ontario Blog

Hamilton Township an 'unwilling host'

2013-05-23T09:35:00.001-04:00

Hamilton Township an 'unwilling host' | Local | News | Northumberland Today:

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP - Hamilton Township municipal councillors have voted unanimously to declare the township an "unwilling host" for any future large, green-energy, solar and wind projects.
It joins Alnwick/Haldimand which took similar action last February. Alnwick/Haldimand council's motion addresses only industrial wind turbine farms located on the Oak Ridges Moraine. It also requests a moratorium on all industrial wind installations until such time as low frequency noise and infrasound study is reviewed “and mitigated through the Renewable Energy Approval process” along with “conclusive and independent clinical health studies that eliminate the potential of adverse impacts to health, safety and well-being of the public.
Hamilton Township declared itself an “unwilling host” during Tuesday's council session even before holding a much-promised public meeting to ascertain what its citizens actually want. But it has already received criticism about on-going construction of a private, mega-solar farm near Community Centre and Payne roads.

Continue reading at Northumberland Today:

South Huron an “unwilling host” to wind turbines

2013-05-23T08:01:00.001-04:00

South Huron an “unwilling host” to wind turbines | Your online newspaper for Southwestern Ontario:

SOUTH HURON — The Municipality of South Huron has officially declared itself an “unwilling host” to industrial wind turbines.
Council passed a motion at its May 13 meeting declaring itself an unwilling host to wind turbines, while also requesting the province give more say to municipalities regarding municipal planning and site plan control for future wind and solar projects.
As reported in last week’s Times-Advocate, council declined at its May 6 meeting to declare itself an unwilling host to wind turbines, but at its May 13 meeting, in front of about 25 anti-wind turbine protesters, council unanimously declared itself an unwilling host.
The audience applauded council for its decision.

Continue to read Scott Nixon's Times-Advocate article

State finds Fairhaven turbines in violation of noise regulations/ Falmouth won't pay to shut down turbines

2013-05-22T11:08:00.002-04:00

News from Massachusetts

State finds Fairhaven turbines in violation of noise regulations | SouthCoastToday.com:

FAIRHAVEN — Fairhaven's two industrial-sized wind turbines are in violation of Massachusetts noise regulations, according to preliminary results of a sound study conducted by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The announcement at a meeting Tuesday night prompted opponents to demand the turbines be shut down.
DEP Deputy Commissioner Martin Suuberg told the Board of Health that noise from the turbines exceeded state regulations in five of the 24 periods during which the DEP conducted testing.
DEP started its sound study in August to determine whether the turbines were more than 10 decibels louder than ambient noise at homes of residents who had complained about the turbine noise.

Continue reading at SouthCoastToday.com

Meanwhile, in Falmouth a vote demonstrated most citizens were unwilling to pay the cost of removing turbines - regardless of whether the noise is in compliance.

The Winds Are Changing

2013-05-22T09:52:00.001-04:00

OWR has posted an article by Eric Nixon of Hayter-Walden Publications which serves "Parkhill - Forest - Watford - Glencoe & Surrounding Areas"

The Winds Are Changing | Ontario Wind Resistance:

by Eric Nixon, Hayter-Walden Publications
Forget everything you’ve ever heard about industrial wind turbines. Forget about the fact that some people can’t sleep because of them. Or that they cause property devaluations by up to 50%. Or that they’re a blight on the rural landscape.
Forget everything you’ve ever heard about industrial wind turbines. Forget about the fact that some people can’t sleep because of them. Or that they cause property devaluations by up to 50%. Or that they’re a blight on the rural landscape.
Forget about the fact that they make life unlivable for many autistic children. Or that many countries in the world are in the process of abandoning them. Or that they only operate less than 30% of the time and often when they’re not needed. Forget about the fact that they create virtually no jobs. Or that they seriously affect tourism. Or that they kill birds, bats and other wildlife.
Forget about the fact that they’re causing the destruction of valuable, productive farmland. Or that much of their profits go to U.S.-based corporations. Or that they cause tinnitus and other hearing disorders for many people. Forget about the fact that it will likely cost us hundreds of millions of dollars to tear them down in two decades or whenever they need to be decommissioned. Or that they’re driving a wedge between rural neighbours. Or that many people suffer headaches, dizziness, vertigo, nausea and other health disorders because of them.
Forget about the fact that they’re so unreliable they require other traditional forms of energy production just to supplement the meagre amount of power they produce. Or that when the nearly 800 litres of oil they contain starts burning most municipal fire departments are instructed to stand and watch them go up in flames because of safety and insurance concerns. Or that in the winter they throw chunks of ice as large as refrigerators hundreds of metres through the air.
Forget all of it. Just remember this. Industrial wind turbines make absolutely zero economic sense.

Continue reading at Ontario Wind Resistance

EU to dial back measures against global warming

2013-05-22T07:35:00.001-04:00

EU to dial back measures against global warming | GlobalPost:

The European Union, which has spearheaded efforts to curb global warming, is set to adopt a change of focus in response to concerns over costs and the impact on companies in economically depressed Europe.
Under the change, the European Union will prioritize the supply of energy at affordable prices over cutting greenhouse gas emissions which impose burdens on industries, in a turnaround of the region's energy policy, an EU official said Saturday.
EU leaders will decide on the shift in energy policy at a meeting Wednesday. The change reflects requests from businesses in the 27-member zone amid the prolonged economic slump triggered by the eurozone sovereign debt crisis, the official said.
A draft conclusion of the EU leaders' meeting obtained by Kyodo News said, "Against the backdrop of high pressure on Europe's competitiveness and increasing energy demand from major economies, the EU's energy policy must ensure the uninterrupted supply of households and companies at affordable and competitive prices."

Continue reading at GlobalPost:

County Health Unit will not proceed with IWT Study

2013-05-21T19:15:00.001-04:00

County Health Unit will not proceed with IWT Study | Local | News | Lakeshore Advance:

The Huron County Health Unit will not be proceeding with a study that looks at the health effects of industrial wind turbines, unless a lower tier is prepared to foot the bill.
But the bill, according to Erica Clark, epidemiologist for the Health Unit, could be upwards of $400,000. The decision was prompted by a request from the municipality of Bluewater to undertake the study.
During a presentation to the Health Unit’s Board on May 9, Clark outlined four different types of research studies the Health Unit could undertake, including a literature review, a primary research study, surveillance and knowledge translation. A literature review would be similar to the study undertaken by the Grey Bruce Health unit and Ontario Public Health, explained Clark.
“Public Health Ontario has already done an extensive review of literature and has examined what noise levels did affect sleep resulting in health affects…The Grey Bruce review asked a narrower question. Was there an association? Yes or no?” she explained.
With all that information already available, Clark wasn’t in favour of the board choosing this option.

Continue reading at the Lakeshore Advance

OBWF Honoured with Environmental Excellence Award

2013-05-21T17:49:00.001-04:00

“Three years ago this nomination would have been turned down because of the overwhelming pressure to support wind turbines...Today things are completely different.”

OBWF Honoured with Environmental Excellence Award | OPPOSE BELWOOD WIND FARM:

Picture from obwf.ca

In a stunning turn of events the Oppose Belwood Wind Farm Association (OBWF), a grass roots community group fighting wind turbines receives Environmental Excellence Award, at the Centre Wellington Awards Ceremony, held May 16th.
OBWF has become an environmental watchdog highlighting risks of wind industrialization to local land owners, the general community, the municipality and all levels of government. The group facilitated information sessions and community involvement in wind company consultation meetings. They bundled the voices of concerned community members into strong action by protesting the current policies at Queen’s Park and other venues. As a result thousands of people became educated on the environmental risks of unbridled and essentially unregulated wind industrialization.

Continue reading at OPPOSE BELWOOD WIND FARM

Juggling Act by Ontario's Energy Minister

2013-05-21T13:59:00.002-04:00

The new Ontario Minister of Energy, Bob Chiarelli appointed by Kathleen Wynne, the new Premier of the new Liberal Party of Ontario on February 11, 2013 has his hands full! A quick count of the issues he is dealing with indicate he is juggling upwards of 6 or 7 significant electricity sector events.

The first is obviously the gas plant moves but at least that one is on the back burner until the Justice Committee issue their findings. Those findings should entail, at a minimum, new legislation that will, at the very least, prevent political interference after an election writ is dropped on issues of this nature.

Falling out of the belated apology from Premier Wynne on TVO Ontario a week ago for those those gas plant moves are two issues directly related to them. In an apparent effort to close the barn doors after the cattle have fled, Minister Chiarelli issued instructions to the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) and the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) via a press release which stated; “the government has asked two key agencies to develop a new regional energy planning process based on formal input from municipalities, communities and the energy sector.” Following that announcement Premier Wynne advised us all that “The Honourable Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Energy is working with his colleagues, including the Honourable Linda Jeffrey, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and the Honourable Jeff Leal, Minister of Rural Affairs, to address this issue [local energy projects and siting of renewable energy] and allow municipalities to have more input into energy projects in their communities.” Minister Chiarelli has instructed the OPA and IESO to submit their report by August 1, 2013 whereas the Premier`s announcement does not appear to carry a specific reporting date.

Minister Chiarelli has also done nothing so far with the “Distribution Panel Report” that his predecessor, Chris Bentley received back in December of 2012 but hopefully the Minister will address it soon before Hydro One scoops up several more of the municipally owned local distribution companies (LDC) at above market prices as they did with Norfolk Power recently. Read more »

Millions for wind power we can’t use

2013-05-21T13:35:00.000-04:00

In the UK, concern on the costs of curtailing electricity generation

Millions for wind power we can’t use | UK | News | Daily Express:

WIND FARM operators are being paid millions for “wasted” electricity under a complex system known as constraint payments.
The money is paid out when turbines are spinning but the electricity they are generating is surplus to requirements.
Freedom of Information documents reveal that since 2011 more than £26.5million has been paid out under the scheme.
The payments, branded “utterly bonkers” by Conservative MP Chris Heaton-Harris

The entire article can be read at the Daily Express

The figures in the U.K. are probably tiny compared to the costs in Ontario.

Read more »

Canadians invited to weigh in on plan to build wind turbines off the shores of Juno Beach

2013-05-21T10:37:00.003-04:00

Canadians invited to weigh in on plan to build wind turbines off the shores of Juno Beach | Canada | News | National Post:

For decades visitors to the D-Day beaches on the northwest coast of France have looked out at the English Channel, taking in the journey made by Allied troops that marked a turning point in the Second World War.
The view from some of those sites — including Juno Beach where 359 Canadians died — could soon change if a plan succeeds to build an army of wind turbines some 10 kilometres offshore.
Canadians now have a chance to voice their opinions on that plan as a French commission holds public consultations on the project.
The body has made it a point to invite people from Canada, the U.S. and Britain to weigh in and notes that even if the project goes ahead, the company building the 75 turbines will work to deal with the issues raised.

Is Wynne the real deal?

2013-05-19T10:05:00.001-04:00

Sun News : Is Wynne the real deal?:

...the reality is that what went on in Oakville and Mississauga — before the Liberals flip-flopped for crass partisan reasons — is nothing compared to what happened in rural communities across Ontario, where the Liberals literally rammed industrial wind turbines down the throats of protesting citizens.
Not only did McGuinty arrogantly dismiss these people as “NIMBYS”, his Green Energy Act took away the right of their municipal councils to have any say on the location of the wind turbines planned for their communities.
If Wynne believes it would have been the right thing to do to consult with the residents of Oakville and Mississauga about the gas plants at every step of the process, why hasn’t she paid more than lip service for doing the same with people across the province besieged by industrial wind factories?
Particularly because industrial wind factories haven’t just been a social disaster but a financial one as well, dwarfing even the huge economic damage caused by the Liberal decision to cancel the gas plants.
As noted above, that has cost us $585 million, so far.
But then-auditor general Jim McCarter concluded in his annual report in December, 2011, that the Liberals’ flawed implementation of their renewable energy plan will add billions of dollars to the costs faced by Ontarians, both as taxpayers and electricity consumers, for generations to come.
And it’s only getting worse.

Please read Lorrie Goldstein's entire column at Sun News:

'via Blog this'

Unhealthy setback

2013-05-18T09:48:00.001-04:00

Picture from source article

Unhealthy setback | The Times:

Stephana Johnston retired to a small rural community on the north shore of Lake Erie after a career in teaching. Her newfound home was quiet, peaceful and friendly. She imagined she would live out her days in Clear Creek. But five years ago, trucks arrived to erect 18 industrial wind turbines around her home. Her dream retirement came to an abrupt and rude end
When the turbines turn Stephana becomes disoriented, dizzy and has great difficulty sleeping. Relief comes only when the wind doesn’t blow or she is away from her home. Wind energy proponents and developers don’t believe the massive machines are making her sick. Her government doesn’t believe her either. Its officials have weeded through the existing medical literature and can’t find anything linking Ms. Johnston’s complaints to the busload of magnets and current spinning above her home.
This week the octogenarian will testify how industrial wind turbines have altered her life—making her home unlivable and next to impossible to sell. Stephana Johnston is one of more than a dozen witnesses testifying to the direct effects of wind turbines before an appeal of a nine-turbine wind project approved for Ostrander Point in Prince Edward County.

Please continue reading at The [Wellington] Times:

aeinews.org » Blog Archive » Vermont DPS investigating wind farm noise complaints

2013-05-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

Vermont DPS investigating wind farm noise complaints | The Acoustic Ecology Institute:

The three large wind farms currently operating in Vermont have spurred enough noise complaints to trigger an investigation by the state Department of Public Service. DPS Commissioner Chris Recchia said “I want to get to the bottom of this….It’s not what was expected.” Recchia suggested that he’s considering asking the Public Service Board to reconsider their existing noise standards.
Since last fall, 105 formal complaints have been filed, by 23 different individuals living near the Sheffield, Lowell, or Georgia Mountain wind projects...
The DPS is hiring a noise expert to analyze the complaints, and comparing them to quarterly noise measurements made near each wind project. After this analysis, the DPS has three options, and could recommend one or more: enforce standards if they find violations, create a more effective system for operators to respond to complaints, or ask the PSB to change the noise standards if necessary.

The full article can be read at The Acoustic Ecology Institute:

Militants stop 396MW Marena project in Mexico

2013-05-18T09:43:00.001-04:00

Militants stop 396MW Marena project in Mexico | Windpower Monthly:

In a statement, Vestas said opposition groups were impeding access to the site. As a result, the project's lenders have agreed to delay forebearance agreement until 20 July, with the likelihood it could be extended further if certain milestones are hit.
Vestas has agreed to extend until 30 November. The delay does not affect its guidance for 2013...
Mitusbishi own 34% of Marena, with other investors including the Macquarie Mexican Infrastructure Fund and Dutch pension fund PGGM. In a statement, Macquarie said there was a chance the project could be axed if the issue is not resolved.
...Opposition to the project first came to light last year when members of the local indigenous Huave community forced the mayor to destroy a building permit he had signed with developer Marena.
At the same time, a Huave Indian group in the neighbouring town of San Mateo del Mar issued a statement saying it will "take up arms" if the project goes ahead as planned.

The entire article can be read at Windpower Monthly:

Independence turbine owners refusing to cooperate with sound study

2013-05-18T09:39:00.003-04:00

In Kingston Massachusetts, the turbine owner is reported as suddenly refusing to participate in acoustic studies, and instead is making noise about "legal action for cause of libel and defamanation."

Independence turbine owners refusing to cooperate with sound study - Kingston, MA - Wicked Local Kingston:

In an about face, the Independence turbine owners at Kingston Wind Independence are refusing to participate a long-awaited acoustic monitoring study.
This information was not available at press time.
This week the turbine owners released a statement accusing local residents of making “false, baseless and inflammatory statements” in the media. They did not say they won’t be participating in the study.
They left that to Alicia Barton, chief executive officer and executive director of the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center that was overseeing the study.

Instead of cooperating with the study ...
Read more »

OCOTILLO WIND TURBINE THROWS OFF MULTI-TON BLADE, PROMPTING WORLD-WIDE SHUT DOWN OF SIMILAR TURBINES AMID GROWING SAFETY CONCERNS

2013-05-17T09:35:00.001-04:00

OCOTILLO WIND TURBINE THROWS OFF MULTI-TON BLADE, PROMPTING WORLD-WIDE SHUT DOWN OF SIMILAR TURBINES AMID GROWING SAFETY CONCERNS | East County Magazine:

Picture from source article

[May] 16, 2013 (Ocotillo)—One day after San Diego Supervisors ignored residents’ safety concerns and approved a wind ordinance that would open much of East County to industrial wind turbines, a wind turbine at the Ocotillo Express Wind Energy facility hurled off an 11-ton blade. The blade, manufactured by Siemens, landed on a trail used by off-road vehicles. The accident has shut down the wind facility pending investigation into the cause."
An investigation by East County Magazine reveals a dark history of serious safety hazards involving Siemens’ wind products ...

Restoring a ‘Rust Belt’ | Tim Hudak at London Free Press

2013-05-17T08:28:00.001-04:00

Restoring a ‘Rust Belt’ | Local | News | The London Free Press:

Q: You’ve talked about putting a moratorium on new wind-farm developments. Would that extend to projects already approved and not yet built? Where would the line be?
They’ve got about 10,000 contracts that are somewhere in the pipeline today and there are different stages of contracts. So you have to be practical. What is going to have the least impact on the taxpayer? So, the contracts that have not been signed, you don’t sign any more. Those that are up and producing power, you respect those. Those that are in-between, the energy minister needs to have a system to make the call: Is it better to follow the contract all the way through and add on the power and build the transmission and the risk of having to export (unneeded power) to the States and pay them to take our power, versus using the termination clause in the contract? You’ve got be thoughtful, practical.
Q: What about local control over where these things go?
Re-establish that. Lambton County, Chatham, Middlesex — you should have a say on these projects.
Q: Final say?
Yes. This is not something new. This is the traditional way of doing it. Just like it exists for a Tim Hortons or a hot-dog stand or a new Walmart coming into town.

The entire article can be read at The London Free Press, where there is also a video segment on the interview

Adverse health effects of industrial wind turbines

2013-05-17T08:08:00.001-04:00

"The official journal of The College of Family Physicians of Canada" published a paper by Roy D. Jeffery, MD FCFP, Carmen Krogh and Brett Horner (May 2013 vol. 59).

Conclusion: "Industrial wind turbines can harm human health if sited too close to residents."

Adverse health effects of industrial wind turbines | Canadian Family Physician:

"Canadian family physicians can expect to see increasing numbers of rural patients reporting adverse effects from exposure to industrial wind turbines (IWTs). People who live or work in close proximity to IWTs have experienced symptoms that include decreased quality of life, annoyance, stress, sleep disturbance, headache, anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction. Some have also felt anger, grief, or a sense of injustice. Suggested causes of symptoms include a combination of wind turbine noise, infrasound, dirty electricity, ground current, and shadow flicker.1 Family physicians should be aware that patients reporting adverse effects from IWTs might experience symptoms that are intense and pervasive and might feel further victimized by a lack of caregiver understanding."

Background
There is increasing concern that energy generation from fossil fuels contributes to climate change and air pollution. In response to these concerns, governments around the world are encouraging the installation of renewable energy projects including IWTs. In Ontario, the Green Energy Act was designed, in part, to remove barriers to the installation of IWTs.2 Noise regulations can be a considerable barrier to IWT development, as they can have a substantial effect on wind turbine spacing, and therefore the cost of wind-generated electricity.3 Industrial wind turbines are being placed in close proximity to family homes in order to have access to transmission infrastructure.4
In Ontario and elsewhere,5 some individuals have reported experiencing adverse health effects resulting from living near IWTs. Reports of IWT-induced adverse health effects have been dismissed by some commentators including government authorities and other organizations. Physicians have been exposed to efforts to convince the public of the benefits of IWTs while minimizing the health risks. Those concerned about adverse effects of IWTs have been stereotyped as “NIMBYs” (not in my backyard).6,7

Continue reading at Canadian Family Physician

Kincardine Questions Wind Turbine Plans at Airport

2013-05-16T20:17:00.001-04:00

Kincardine Questions Wind Turbine Plans at Airport - Blackburn News:

The battle between Kincardine and the Pattern/Samsung Armow Wind Project continues to heat up.
Last night, council passed three motions regarding the proposed 90-plus turbine plan and the Kincardine Municipal Airport.
Councillors asked Pattern/Samsung to direct its airport consultant to review a draft report Kincardine just received from Genivar. Council commissioned the study last August which reviewed and updated the master plan for the Kincardine air facility.
The new report includes scenarios for growth and runway extension. Council wants the turbine developer to look at it and determine how their turbine plans could affect future growth.
Councillors stressed that current instrument approaches and airport landing protocols must remain as they are. In other words, it wants to keep the status quo at the airport.

Full article at Blackburn News

West Lincoln not a willing host to turbines

2013-05-16T16:47:00.000-04:00

"Alderman’s motion of declaration receives unanimous support"

NiagaraThisWeek Article: West Lincoln not a willing host to turbines:

Image from source article

West Lincoln is not a willing host.
That is the message council is sending to Premier Kathleen Wynne, several of her Liberal ministers, Niagara Region, the Association of Municipalities Ontario, the local utility company and the proponents of two separate wind farms planned for the municipality. Ald. Joanne Chechalk brought forward a motion at Monday’s planning, building and environment committee meeting to declare the municipality an unwilling host to industrial wind turbines. The motion cites a lack of information on long-term health effects, potential negative impacts on property values and long-term negative economic implications to the community resulting from the two applications before the provincial government for approval as the reasons the township is unwilling to become a home for towering industrial wind turbines.
...
While committee discussed Chechalk’s motion, just down the street, at Smithville District Christian High School, WLWAG held an information meeting. The meeting, which featured guest speaker Parker Gallant, a retired banker and Financial Post writer, was targetted to residents who won’t be living next to the towering giants.
“This will cost everyone,” said Switzer of the province’s push to increase renewable energy production to 10,000 megawatts by 2018. “It’s not just a one-time deal like the gas plants, this is the something we’ll all be paying for for the next 20 years.”

Read the entire article at NiagaraThisWeek

NextEra faces Ontario appeal of Bornish REA

2013-05-16T08:24:00.001-04:00

NextEra faces Ontario appeal | ReNews - Renewable Energy News:

Opponents have appealed NextEra Energy Canada’s 72.9MW Bornish wind project in southwestern Ontario.
The developer last month received renewable energy approval (REA) by the Environment Ministry, as reported in reNews. The Municipality of North Middlesex and an individual have asked the Environmental Review Tribunal to revoke the REA.
The appellants claim the wind farm will cause serious harm to human health. They also allege serious and irreversible harm to plant and animal life, listing at-risk species such as the bald eagle, red-headed woodpecker and tundra swan.
The tribunal has yet to set any hearing dates.

Continue reading at Renewable Energy News

Wind Performing Badly

2013-05-16T07:02:00.001-04:00

Wind Performing Badly — MasterResource:

Since 2008, thousands of turbines have been sited in communities across the U.S. As more towers were erected, public acceptance of the massive facilities started to drop.
Earlier this year, both New Hampshire and Vermont sought statewide moratoria on wind farm development until the impacts could be better understood. Law suits are now pending against proposed and operating wind facilities in at least six state courts as well as at the federal level. [2] Ohio , North Carolina and others are revisiting their renewables mandates after wind has failed to deliver lower energy prices and jobs.
And this week, the reality of big wind splashed across media screens worldwide when AP reported that in Wyoming “a soaring golden eagle slams into a wind farm’s spinning turbine [about once a month] and falls, mangled and lifeless, to the ground.”
The public is increasingly wary of the wind industry’s tactics

The entire article can be read at MasterResource:

Hydro One Inc: Paying up for another Local Distribution Company

2013-05-15T18:06:00.002-04:00

A media release dated April 2, 2013 from Norfolk County announced they had sold their local distribution company (LDC) to Hydro One Inc. and would net $66 million from the sale. At that time County Mayor Travale stated; “This isn't just about the money we received, it's about a partner who was interested in making a long-term investment in the community.”

Well, not to say the Mayor was wrong but the money is important, and that LDC sold for a hefty price. The sale was made for 2.3 times the book value (December 31, 2011), 28.5 times earnings and $3,467. per customer. Those are the kind of numbers that would make sense to an acquiring company if the projections for future growth were huge. To provide an example the Royal Bank presently trades at a multiple of about 12 times earnings so what does Hydro One see that makes this LDC so attractive? Read more »

Ontario cabinet ministers told to smooth out wind turbine conflict

2013-05-15T14:59:00.001-04:00

Ontario cabinet ministers told to smooth out wind turbine conflict | Toronto Star:

It’s a politically urgent task for the Liberals, who were almost wiped out in rural Ontario in the last election.
Anger over the lack of local control over renewable energy projects, especially wind farms, hurt the Liberals in some areas.
The Green Energy Act removes renewable energy projects from municipal planning and zoning control.
Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli, Environment Minister Jim Bradley, Municipal Affairs Minister Linda Jeffrey and Rural Affairs Minister Jeff Leal are have formed a working group on how to give local residents a voice.
“I'm working closely with my Cabinet colleagues to strengthen local control when it comes to the siting of renewable energy projects” Chiarelli said in an e-mail.
He didn’t say what options are being considered.
“We have a clear understanding that we need to make some course corrections to ensure that the process of siting renewable energy projects respects communities and respects municipalities,” he said.

The entire article may be read at the Toronto Star (which currently has comments open)

Norfolk seeks end to turbine development

2013-05-15T12:16:00.001-04:00

Norfolk seeks end to turbine development | Norfolk & Region | News | Simcoe Reformer:

Shana Greatrix: Picture from source article

NORFOLK - Norfolk County is no longer "a willing host" for further wind turbine development.

Norfolk council passed a resolution to this effect Tuesday. In doing so, the county becomes the 18th municipality to tell the province that it opposes the approval of additional industrial wind turbines within its boundaries.

Simcoe Coun. Charlie Luke sponsored the motion, which was based on a similar resolution recently passed by the Township of Wainfleet.

Rural municipalities began teeing up their motions after Premier Kathleen Wynne suggested recently that the Ontario Liberals will be more sensitive to the situating of wind turbines now that Dalton McGuinty is no longer in charge.

"It's worth a try," Luke said. "Our residents are fed up with this. They're tired of it. This is the very least we can do for our residents. If we don't support this motion, don't be surprised if the province comes back on us and says `You had your chance.'"

Please continue reading at the Simcoe Reformer