Letter From Graham Hawkridge to Lindsay Post / Peterborough Examiner

I am one of the over two and one half million rural Ontario opponent’s to wind energy, and as your letter implies, I do not go around spreading false information about Industrial Wind Turbines, but write with well researched background material, garnered from Europe and other countries around the globe.


That being said, I would take issue with some of your recent statements made in the Lindsay Post some several weeks ago now.

“More wind means more local benefits” your statement.

Does this include the health issues that go along with the “near 550 meter set backs” perpetrated on rural Ontarians by the liberal government and Canwea? Does this also include the retail value loss to residents when living within a mile of IWT’s? And please don’t quote me the "Canwea paid for research" done down in southern Ontario, that would insult both yours and my intelligence.

Does local benefit’s also include the millions and millions of dollars you and your associates will be taking out of Ontario? Of course not!

Does it also include the asked for corporate tax relief from the liberal government last year?

You accuse opponents of spreading disinformation to the public, yet you, as a spokes person for Canwea, are well aware that Denmark has now stated that IWT’s will at the end of their present life, not be replaced, and Germany has now declared that IWT’s are not enough to supply there industrial power requirements, and will now pursue more coal plants to satisfy their huge needs. While I do not agree with this burning of coal, I mention this only to point out to you that IWT’s are already being hammered left and right around the globe.

The State of Victoria, in Australia has now ordered independent health and sound studies to ensure safety for all its residents, and has also stated that a 6 kilometer set back from all communities be observed and a minimum of 3 Klms, for all single dwellings.

Of all wind farm sites applied for in the United Kingdom in the last twelve months, less than half onshore wind farms have received planning permission, and it gets worse as each month goes by. A bill put forward by the House of Lords has asked that 2 miles be considered a safe distance from any wind Turbine and they await its passing.

This is going on all around the globe, yet you state in your letter that this wind platform is broadly understood to be an “ environmentally preferable form of electricity generation” If I might point out to you, hydro is still the king of clean and reasonably priced energy in this and many other provinces. Sir Adam Beck, hydro power plant in Niagara Falls still sells power at 2 to 3 cents per kilowatt, that’s about 400% less than you’re telling us wind power costs.

Your little speech about all the job’s they will bring doesn’t ring quite true does it Chris? Why not at least be honest and tell everyone that nearly all these jobs are temporary, because once there all up (thank goodness that will now be stopped) the big job is over, and all they’ll need now are servicing with two or three men per year, per several hundred turbines, tell me I’m wrong on this front Chris?

And if that isn’t enough for us all, please tell everyone who pays to take them all down at the end of twenty years? Why, the tax payer of course! I would love to send you pictures of all the turbines in lovely Hawaii, rusting hulks of metal that would cost millions to take down.

Oh! And let’s not forget about the guy’s that started all this, Denmark. They too have about 4,500 that are ready to come down, but nobody knows what to do with them, as their blade material is a known carcinogen, and cannot go in landfill sites.

Holland has also just recently issued a statement that they will now be going back to Nuclear as wind turbines just cannot meet their power supply requirements, and this from the inventors of windmills, that’s really saying something don’t you think?

Bettcha didn’t think to mention all this about wind turbines when you penned your letter, didya Chris?

Doubt it, rural Ontario is onto you Canwea guys and we don’t want you here at all, have you not seen the election results yet? Try Toronto they just love being green.

G Hawkridge

City of Kawartha Lakes