Please refer to the Millbrook Times for the latest updates

Due to unforeseen circumstances I have been unable to keep this blog active. Please refer to the Millbrook Times for the latest updates. All the best to you, the concerned citizens of Cavan Monaghan !

Letter from Graham Hawkridge to Jeff Leal

November 3 2013 Dear Mr. Leal; Your reply to my previous letter to you concerning the proposed deployment of wind turbines on the Oak Ridges moraine, along with my many previous letters containing facts as to the dangerously proposed location of yet another Wind Plant (only five to six kilometers) near to the Rolling Hills Public school at the junction of highway 35 and 7 has, as usual, meant absolutely nothing to you or that of the liberal caucus, and as usual caused you to reply with more typical liberal hyperbole. Yours and your parties letters along with their press releases media doesn’t even begin to address the health problems associated with, and now scientifically proven on three continents, to cause health issues at distances of 5-6 kilometers. The fact that you and the liberal caucus refuse to address or heed this science will not allow you to cheat the justice system that will eventually seek you out, as health issues begin to affect the children and seniors of rural Ontario. Parents and grandparents will not forget this betrayal of our families and neither will they condone your ignorance of the democratic system that put you were you are today. You and your party have chosen and have made it abundantly clear to all rural Ontarians that you intend to ignore all scientific evidence that has now proven to the contrary that Industrial Wind Turbines are not entirely safe at less than 5 kilometers away from homes or public schools, yet they continue to ignore all precautionary measures and have acted in such a way as to place thousands of rural families at risk from health issues and has also knowingly allowed property devaluation to continue, instead of insisting that fair market value be given to those affected which your party knowingly exists and is caused by the liberal party allowing only 550 meters as a set back safety margin. Many seniors are now going to be forced out of their homes in the years to come, all due to you constant electrical dollar massive increases, of which this winters electrical utility costs are just one example. When the next election comes around it will be a day of reckoning for the liberal caucus, as the public will insist that all of you be prosecuted for all the lies, and subterfuge you have carried out in the name of Dalton McGuinty. None of this Liberal caucus deserves to be in any one of your positions, as not one of you have served the public to the best of your ability or with honor since the last election. There simply cannot be one Liberal member that sits at Queens Park that hasn’t asked themselves at least once “are Wind Turbines really safe” and why in Gods name are we ignoring rural Ontarians? And that’s the telling part of this wind fiasco, you were aware of it but ignored it, and that’s what will be your downfall. Graham Hawkridge City of Kawartha Lakes PS how many wind plants are going in your back yard Mr. Leal?

News Article- Proposed Ontario wind turbines may jeopardize $40M Buddhist retreat

Wind TurbineCredits:File/REUTERS/Carlos Jasso GALEN EAGLE|QMI AGENCY/Sun PETERBOROUGH, Ont. - Proposed wind farms in Cavan Monaghan Township and the City of Kawartha Lakes could derail plans for a $40-million Buddhist retreat currently under construction near Bethany. "We are offering a meditation centre for people to come to as a retreat. How can we do this when there are huge wind turbines in the neighbourhood whirling away?" said Diane Chen, property development and special projects manager for Cham Shan Temple. "We believe in energy. This is upsetting the Chi of the whole place." The Buddhist Association of Canada's Cham Shan Temple began purchasing a number of properties in the Bethany and Pontypool areas 20 years ago for the purpose of constructing four Buddhist gardens. Each garden would feature a main temple, each with its own set of smaller temples, modelled after the four great Buddhist mountain sites of China - Wutai Shan, Putou Shan, Omei Shan and Jihua Shan. Construction on the centrepiece of the project - the Wutai Shan Buddhist Garden - is well underway at the Cham Shan Temple's 530-acre property. The completion of the overall project over the next two decades will cover about 7,800 acres of land and cost more than $40 million, Chen said. But while the main temple has gone past the point of no return, the future of the rest of the project is uncertain in the face of several wind farm proposals in the area, Chen said. One proposal in particular calls for at least four industrial turbines to be installed nearby. "Our plan was to make our site an attractive site where people can come and admire the architecture," she said, noting when people take just a short drive from their property, they will see the massive turbines. The temple's leaders invited representatives from Kawartha Lake's city council and Cavan Monaghan Township council to view the area in question, and plan to make a presentation to Peterborough County council next month. Cavan Monaghan deputy mayor Scott McFadden has long said municipalities have little power to fight unwanted wind farms despite promises made by Ontario Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli in May to give municipalities a greater say over the location of new wind and solar farms. McFadden has been hosting weekly town hall meetings on the topic, featuring residents from other communities and their David and Goliath experiences fighting wind farms. He said it would be a travesty if the province's Green Energy Act were to kill the fulfilment of the entire Buddhist project slated to bring millions of dollars in tourism revenue to both municipalities. "We're horrified at the prospect of a provincial decision that could potentially devastate a plan 20 years in the making," he said.

Winslow family says no to wind turbines - Article from Todd Vandonk/This Week

Concerned community members swayed the Winslow family to back out of their plans to erect a wind turbine on their farm on Sharpes Line Peterborough This Week PETERBOROUGH -- The Winslow family has had a change of heart and won’t be erecting a wind turbine on their family farm at this time. Nearly 50 people broke out in a cheer, and some in tears, when son-in-law Norm Lamothe announced Monday (Sept. 16) at a press conference that his family had withdrawn its commitment to M.K. Ince and Associates Ltd. Mr. Lamothe says the change of heart comes after listening to the community’s concerns, “They were deeply concerned from a health prospective and the health effects it may have on their families,” he said. “It certainly touched us and we decided at that point that it was not going to happen.” “They were deeply concerned from a health prospective and the health effects it may have on their families.” M.K. Ince and Associates Ltd., owned by Martin Ince, plans to build five industrial-size turbines in Cavan Monaghan Township. The wind farm would overlook the Devil Elbow skill area and also straddle the City of Kawartha Lakes border. “We’re very relieved,” explains David Frank, chair of Cavan Says No group. “Locally, this is major blow to the developer here but it is not over yet and people have to be aware of that.” While Mr. Ince is hopeful residents in the area will get onboard with his plans, there’s strong opposition from a group of residents and the Township, citing health issues and impacts to property values among their top concerns, “The relief on their faces was worth my drive to come here today,” says Debbie Lynch who travelled from Norwood to support the local protesters. “I really give the Winslow family credit for taking the time to do further research and to take the opinion of their community and neighbours to heart.” Mr. Lamothe says his family can’t speak to the status of other land owners committed to the project, nor the viability moving forward, but submitted a formal request to council to initiate a discussion as to what they would promote as a meaningful and sustainable way for the municipality to enter the era of green energy. “We urge you to consider available options and clearly define the parameters for these projects for those who would like to participate,” he explains. “Rather than tearing the community apart over sustainable green energy, let’s work at building it together.”

Ontario to pay idle wind farms - Article from the Montreal Gazette

Province has a power surplus but signed 20-year contracts with wind-power producers TORONTO — Ontario will start paying wind power generators today not to produce electricity, but the government says the move will actually save ratepayers big bucks. Ontario has had a surplus of power since 2006, but until now, the province paid for all the electricity generated from industrial wind mills, even when it wasn’t needed. Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli says the system operator can now order wind producers not to generate power, and will pay them — just as it pays Bruce nuclear — not to produce electricity when it’s not needed. He says they are paid at a reduced rate that will save the province $200 million a year just on the wind mills. Ontario has signed generous contracts with wind producers for about 5,800 megawatts of electricity, only about 1,500 of which is connected to the grid. The Progressive Conservatives say paying wind power producers with 20-year contracts not to generate electricity shows the Liberals’ green energy act “is a failed social experiment.” Critics point out wind power is unreliable and can’t be counted on in peak demand periods like gas-fired generation or nuclear plants. Meanwhile, Chiarelli says Ontario is making a net profit of up to $6 billion a year on importing and exporting electricity, a big turnaround from 2003 when the province paid $500 million to import power because it didn’t have enough to meet demand. It’s not unusual for neighbouring jurisdictions to sell each other electricity, but the province used to frequently have to pay Quebec or New York state to take the excess power off its hands.

Examiner Article - Shouting protesters try to block wind farm presentation

Shouting protesters try to block wind farm presentation 

Tuesday, September 3, 2013 10:07:19 EDT PM

MILLBROOK - A company proposing a five-turbine wind farm straddling Cavan Monaghan Township and the City of Kawartha Lakes would consider terminating the project if a majority in the community is opposed, the head of the company said Tuesday.
“I’m flexible and I am willing to look at different options, and that (termination) is one of them, too,” said Martin Ince, president of M. K. Ince and Associates Ltd., the company behind the Stoneboat Community Wind Farm.
Ince made the comment in an interview with The Examiner following a raucous meeting of township council. More than 200 opponents of the project packed into the gymnasium and spilling into the main hallway of the former school that is now the township municipal building.
Mayor John Fallis used his gavel repeatedly in attempts to quiet the angry crowd, some of whom barred Ince’s way into the building when he arrived.
Ince had to be escorted into the building by Cavan Monaghan fire chief Bill Balfour.
“This man has a right to come inside,” Balfour told the crowd.
Despite an early warning from Fallis, the crowd interrupted and shouted Ince down during what was to have been a 10-minute presentation, but was opened to questions from the demonstrators for 30 minutes following questions from councillors.
During the 90-minute session, council passed Deputy Mayor Scott McFadden’s motion to transfer $500,000 from the township’s lottery reserve – its share of the Slots at Kawartha Downs revenue – to a legal reserve. It also requires that “staff be directed to assemble a legal team of experts to defend our municipality’s position against the construction of industrial wind turbines within the township of Cavan Monaghan.”
The motion also included a request to the City of Kawartha Lakes to match the commitment.
Fallis cast the only “no” vote. He wanted the legal fund limited to $100,000.
Both Cavan Monaghan and the City of Kawartha Lakes have passed motions declaring themselves unwilling hosts for wind turbines.
The crowd erupted into loud applause when the motion passed.
Ince described his presentation as an introduction to the project and said further community consultation is planned. A public meeting will be held in October.
He highlighted features that he said distinguish the Stoneboat proposal from other wind-farm projects, including a property value evaluation program that would provide compensation to landowners within a kilometre of the turbines if their property values decline; an annual fund of about $100,000 to be shared by homeowners within a kilometre of a turbine; making a share of project equity up to $5 million available for residents to invest in the project; and a pledge to turn the turbines off “at sensitive times” if noise becomes an issue.
McFadden challenged Ince’s pledge on the noise issue, asking whether the turbines would be turned off permanently if noise became a problem.
“We wouldn’t shut them off permanently,” Ince said.
“Then I don’t understand, if noise becomes an issue, and there are health issues, then how is your statement true? If someone has this syndrome it’s around the clock. They don’t turn it on and turn it off.”
“That’s something we would have to talk more about,” Ince said.
Councillors expressed frustration that they have no input into the approval process for wind turbines.
“The provincial government has stymied the municipal level and the public in many ways,” Coun. Lynda Todd told Ince. “But I can assure you we will have a lot to say.”
Residents questioned the validity of water and other studies to be conducted by people working for Ince’s company; called the revenue-sharing plan a bribe; urged Ince to “fold up your tent and leave”; and asked why he was pursuing the project in the face of clear opposition.
After the meeting, despite the crowd reception and the motion from council, Ince said he was not convinced the majority of the community is opposed to the project.
“This is just the start of the project,” he said. “We only announced this last week, and this was supposed to be the first introduction. I’m willing to hear what people say, but a lot of what I’m hearing is a repeat of what I have heard in the last little while.”
Stoneboat would be built under the same feed-in-tariff contract as the defunct Whispering Woods Wind Park just east of Millbrook. Ince took over the project from the former proponent.
rob.mccormick@sunmedia.ca

Peterborough Examiner Article - Group Calls For Wind Farm Uproar

Group calls for wind farm uproar

By Rob McCormick, Peterborough Examiner

Thursday, August 29, 2013 12:02:29 EDT AM

  Opponents of a proposed wind farm that straddles Cavan-Monaghan Township and the City of Kawartha Lakes are urging area residents to attend a township council meeting Tuesday to register their opposition to the project.

“Unless you are happy with the continued invasion of our area by industrial wind turbines, please save this information and take action,” states an email sent to residents by ManversWind Concern (MWC), a group opposed to wind farms in the area.

Public meetings on other area wind-turbine projects have been raucous protests, with hundreds of angry residents shouting down representatives of the companies behind the wind farms.

“Some more of your neighbours have decided to steal your property value and carpet-bomb your countryside for a few pieces of silver from a wind company,” the MWC email states.

“Everyone who can, please show up…signs in the parking lot by noon, please…If we do not react, it will be taken as a sign of acceptance.”

The email reminds residents that “rules of decorum at council meetings apply.”

The council meeting takes place at 1 p.m. at the council chambers on County Rd. 10.

The project, the Stoneboat Community Wind Farm, consists of five industrial wind turbines between Stewart Line and Sharpe's Line on the east and west sides of Dranoel Road north of Hwy. 7A, according to the email.

“This essentially would overlook the Devil's Elbow area, the new subdivision on the east side of Ski Hill Rd. just north of Bethany, and the new Buddhist temple,” the email states.

“No one will want to purchase property in a town surrounded by a ring of turbines,” the email states. “If you are in the area of this new project, or if you have had enough, please get in touch.”

MWC is fighting three other wind-farm projects in the area.

“We need skill sets and we need contributions to the legal fund,” the email states. “We are well on our way to where we want to be to launch actions against Sumac Ridge (Bethany), Snowy Ridge (Bethany) and Settlers Landing (Pontypool ), but we are nowhere with Stoneboat. So let’s get started.”

At Tuesday’s meeting, council will hear a deputation from Martin Ince of M.K. Ince Inc. the developer of Stoneboat project, the email states.

“It is so important that there is a large turnout at the council meeting… to support Cavan Monaghan council, who on Sept. 7, 2010 passed a resolution requesting a moratorium on industrial wind turbines until independent health studies have been completed and on May 6, 2013 declared the township an ‘unwilling host’ for these industrial projects,” the email states. “Little or no display of public interest will mean that there are no concerns about this power plant.”

rob.mccormick@sunmedia.ca

Letter from Graham Hawkridge to OPA

Attention Colin Anderson, CEO

Ontario Power Authority

Regional Sessions

Re Oshawa forum

July 15, 2013

 

 

Dear Sir;

My Wife and I attended your forum in Oshawa several days ago now and thought it important that you hear some of our comments about its location, the timing of the event itself and the way in which it was run.

Allow me to start with some comments about how we and the rest of rural Ontarians have felt about the possible siting and various methods employed by Wind Corporations, in order to intimidate the general public into an attempted belief that they could force us all into their choice of location and not the publics.

 

My wife and I live next to the Oak Ridges moraine an area that Premier Kathleen Wynn’s Municipal Affairs Minister, Linda Jeffrey has bragged about quite recently as being the largest permanent Greenbelt of its kind anywhere in the world and she went on to say quote, “it plays a key part in Ontario’s efforts to protect the environment and combat climate change in its vital new role of Urban river valleys while it allows the Greenbelt to grow permanently while it cleans our air and water, and connects millions of Ontarians to the Jewel that is Ontario’s Greenbelt”

Not one word about the proposed Wind Turbine plants, planned for a site behind the Rolling Hills Public school, or the fact that it’s less than 2-3 kilometers from a 750 acre conservation area that we know is home to “rarely sited but seen” Cougars” Otters, Moose and many other species not normally seen in southern Ontario.

Nor has the minister mentioned that for over 5 years rural residents in this area have fought tooth and nail to try and keep these marauding carpet baggers out of our beloved Oak Ridges Moraine. We feel, in many ways that we have failed to keep them from getting this far along, only because we have been let down and betrayed by a government that seems to have more in common with Benedict Arnold than its own people.

This Oak Ridges that the Minister of Municipal Affairs is so fond of talking about is full of many animals that the Minister failed to mention in her glowing birthday report of the now eight year old permanent Oak Ridges Moraine Greenbelt. Nor did she mention that if the Wind Turbines get final approval to deploy their 500 foot plus machinery, all it will take is one accident, an explosion, to scatter hundreds of liters of hydraulic oil, which will find its way into the vast underground layer of streams and springs that make up this moraine, and thousands of people with wells will be without valuable drinking water, and wild life all over the Oak Ridges would be in immediate jeopardy. One drop is all it takes to contaminate one hundred gallons. Think about that please.

 

We have all been lied to by all wind proponents who stated quite openly that much of their technical research information came from the MOE, and when asked “where were the final results” with the culled and collected information, their answer was simply we don’t have it yet. Even though this was their last public meeting. They were asked about Wind Turbines exploding and pouring hydraulic oil all over the ground and they simply said they hadn’t done studies on its effects.

This is simply not acceptable, yet the various government Ministries have gone along with it and in many cases provided them with protective cover, which as we all know has come from a higher source..

One single item that has been the most galling of all is the denial by both government and their partnered wind corporations is the health effects from wind turbines. It is just so frustrating that the previous government would have the gall to ignore over seventy world class scientists, most of whom, have had the honour of having their research peer reviewed and then immediately ignored by the past government and is now again by this government. It has left most rural Ontarians speechless and angry at their government’s willful ignorance and is only matched by the continued repetition given to those rural residents that have lodged complaints about health effects for over 4 years now.

The favorite trick of the wind proponents in many parts on Ontario was to try and move their second or third public meetings to another location (35 kilometers or so away) in an attempt to intimidate people from driving and attending, along with insisting that we show identification, making us sign in, being filmed as we enter, plus having the OPP present. Their timing was also intended to put people off, as the meetings were always held at supper times, similar to OPA’s forum, six until eight pm, (although I must say you allowed it to go on longer than was called for)

None of this has stopped rural Ontarians from defending our democratic rights. All similar in part to the forum held in Oshawa. A public meeting by nature means exactly that, it’s public, it’s not held as private meeting for employees, nor is it held for outsiders coming to a convention. Yet we had to register on line to let them know we were coming to attend the meeting. I personally had to apply on line three times, and at that point I sent a message to the Minister of Energy and an opposition MPP, John Yakabuski in order to make sure I was going to be accepted, or at the very least, that was the way I was made to feel.

 My wife, myself and many others had to drive over 50 kilometers one way to attend this forum, why is that? Please tell us why a group of twenty five people had to do this, from outside of any proposed area, when you are only a group of four or five people at most, attending. Not one person attending was from the Oshawa area! I beg your pardon; the man who was operating some equipment was from there.

Once again it smacks of continued intimidation, although to a much lesser degree, while most felt it was paying lip service to those that “really matter” in this supposed friendly forum.

Personally, I await with baited breath to see what comes of these forums and the suggestions that this government will put forward will be quite telling in there answers to the rural people of Ontario, because after all that’s where any major energy projects will be sited, certainly not in Urban Ontario. The need for any major energy building has passed us by for the foreseeable future and if not foreseeable, certainly a very long, long time from now. I don’t see any major corporation relocating to Ontario when our electricity costs are the highest on North America, if not most of the world. We need to be looking at ways of lowering our electricity costs so that seniors and lower income families are prevented from slipping further into poverty class all of their own.

 

We would certainly appreciate your comments on why you held all of these forums in city centers when the Ontario Power Authority has no intention whatsoever of opening up major power plants or deploying Wind turbines anywhere close to urban centers as the noise from Wind Turbines alone would not be tolerated and the danger Gas Turbines present would also not be tolerated. All in all, both my wife and I are completely disappointed and shocked that you would allow the OPA to be involved in and used for what appears to be just a continuation of the same old baffle gab that we have become accustomed to over the last five or so years.

 

Sincerely

Graham Hawkridge

Northumberland wind farm projects stopped

John Campbell and Paul J. Rellinger

Northumberlandnews.com


Apr 03, 2013 - 4:30 PM


Northumberland wind farm projects stopped

Company cites 'borderline economics'

"It's just not viable for us to build turbines there." Ingo Stuckmann, CEO of Wind Works Power Corp. NORTHUMBERLAND - The company that planned to install 10 wind turbines near Grafton and Centreton has quietly put an end to the two projects for economic reasons.

In a press release posted on its website March 28, Zero Emission People said "recent feasibility studies for the projects have resulted in borderline economics. Therefore, the company has decided to cease development of the projects."

Ingo Stuckmann, CEO of Wind Works Power Corp., who bought Zero Emission People, said as far as his company is concerned, no turbines will be built in Alnwick/Haldimand Township.

"Once we're finished up with this, that's it for us," Mr. Stuckman said. "We're moving away from it all together. It's just not viable for us to build turbines there."

Mr. Stuckman said the company reached its decision despite "impressive numbers" that showed its Clean Breeze Wind Farm projects would have produced enough power to light up Alnwick/Haldimand Township and Cobourg.

Opponents of the wind turbines were jubilant over the announcement -- but hesitant to claim total victory.

"Obviously we're pleased with that decision, it's what we've been striving for," said Gwyer Moore, a member of the Alliance for the Protection of the Northumberland Hills, a group of neighbours whose properties are near the proposed site.

However, "what we are still apprehensive about is the status of the actual FIT (feed-in tariff) contracts" that Zero Emission People obtained, which made it possible for the Clean Breeze Wind Farm to get this far.

The Alliance is trying to find out if the company still has those contracts with the Ontario Power Authority and is considering "reactivating them at a later date on other sites (in Northumberland County)," or if it has sold them, Mr. Moore said.

Mark DeJong, who operates a family farm with his wife Lisa adjacent to where the turbines were to be built, was ecstatic to hear the news.

"We couldn't believe it at first," Mr. DeJong said. "Now the neighbourhood can move on."

Mr. DeJong believes the actions of the Alliance had something to do with the cancelled plans.

"With all the pressure we put on the company and the government, it had to have been noticed," he said.

Mr. DeJong, who has lived and farmed in the area for more than 40 years, plans to continue to live in Alnwick/Haldimand Township, and is not at all against green energy sources -- just not so close to residential property.

"I am installing solar panels on my barns," he said. "And I am all for turbines, just not so close."

Zero Emission People has cancelled the three public meetings it had scheduled to explain its proposals but the Alliance is still going ahead with the one it set up for April 11 at the Baltimore Community Centre, citing the "ongoing risk" of wind turbine projects being allowed in the county.

"We feel it's a public service to hold the meeting and to disseminate the latest information," Sarah Holland said.

The Alliance fought the wind farm proposals because of concerns of the impact they would have on the social and economic fabric of the community and risks they posed to citizens' health.

More than a dozen of its members who live near the Grafton site launched a multi-million dollar lawsuit in January demanding compensation from the developer and landowner, claiming their properties have been devalued by the project.

The lawsuit will continue, "unless we have some degree of certainty that they aren't going to try to resurrect these projects," Mr. Moore said. "The risk to property values is as real as it ever was."

Zero Emission People also announced it is ceasing development of the wind farm it planned to build west of Hastings, in Peterborough County, offering the same reason, "borderline economics," for deciding not to install three turbines.

Wind company 'confident' Ministry will approve wind turbine project

• By Mary Riley
• |
• Dec 19, 2012 - 5:19 PM
• |

Wind company 'confident' Ministry will approve wind turbine project

Sumac Ridge application for wind project intended for city is currently going through provincial review

(KAWARTHA LAKES) Although Ward 16 Councillor Heather Stauble is calling it "premature," a wind power company officer says he is confident a project planned for the City of Kawartha Lakes will be approved by the Province.

Suzlon Group subsidiary, REpower Systems, announced on Dec. 17 they completed a contract with wpd europe GmbH for the delivery of a total of 51 wind turbines.

The turbines, each with a rated power of 2.05 megawatts are intended for a total of six projects; Whittington, Springwood, White Pines, Napier, Sumac Ridge and Fairview, to be constructed and commissioned in 2014. They are located in the Southern Ontario counties of Simcoe, Middlesex, Prince Edward, Dufferin, Wellington and Kawartha Lakes. The contract includes a service and maintenance agreement for 15 years for the new projects.

Sumac Ridge is the project intended for the city.

On Wednesday (Dec. 19) Kevin Surette, manager of communications for wpd Canada, said five of the six projects were submitted to the Ministry of the Envrironment (MOE) for approval. Four of the five are still being evaluated. The application for the Springwood project, he said, was submitted last January and approved in mid-October.

Mr. Surette said the applications are "comprehensive" and the company ensures all provincial regulations are followed. "The four projects are still being evaluated by the Ministry, but we are confident they will be approved," he said.

He noted the months that passed between the submission of the Springwood project and its approval shows the Ministry takes the time to carefully review each application.

REpower also announced its plan to set up a new rotor blade manufacturing facility in southern Ontario, but did not say where.

In its press release, the company did not say approvals have been granted; only that the projects are intended for the specified municipalities.

Coun. Stauble, however, said the announcement was "misleading."

She wrote in an email that "Wpd Canada/REpower's announcement is premature, undermines public confidence and should not be endorsed by the government."

"Statements such as the projects 'will be located in'..and 'awarded six wind energy contracts' are misleading and distressing to those who have been led to believe that there is an objective review, approval and appeal process in place," she wrote.

Coun. Stauble pointed out the contracts have not been approved; they have Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) contracts that are conditional on Ministry approval.

Mr. Surette agreed, saying the approval has not been given yet, but expects it will be forthcoming in the next few months.

"Announcements such as this one suggest that these projects have a pre-determined outcome," Coun. Stauble wrote. "The projects in the City of Kawartha Lakes have not even been posted on the Environmental Registry for public comment, let alone approved by the Ministry of the Environment. If these projects are approved they may very well be appealed through an Environmental Review Tribunal."

Asked if the application process can continue when the Legislature is currently suspended, Mr. Surette told This Week the Legislation and regulations "give the authority to the Ministry (specifically the director appointed under the regulation) to approve the REA applications, provided they meet the requirements as set out in those legislation and regulations." http://www.mykawartha.com/news/article/1556253--wind-company-confident-ministry-will-approve-wind-turbine-project

Wpd Canada/REpower's announcement is premature and should not be endorsed by the Government.

  
This is in regard to the outrageous plan to announce the sale of turbines for projects without the projects being approved on December 17th (see invite below)...that includes the wpd Sumac Ridge project over in Manvers. And as you will recall, Wind Works did the same thing for area projects including the two Manvers projects as well as the Millbrook project.

Invitation to press conference

Announcement of multi-million dollar investment in Southern Ontario and contract signature for 105 MW of wind energy

REpower Systems Inc. and wpd Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of wpd Europe, will be officially signing a contract for the delivery of 52 MM92 turbines for six wind farms in Ontario. The wind farms have a combined total of 105 MW of installed capacity and will be located in the counties of Simcoe, Middlesex, Prince Edward, Dufferin, Wellington and Kawartha Lakes. As a result of this agreement, REpower has committed to a multi-million dollar investment in a manufacturing facility in Southern Ontario in order to meet the 50% domestic content requirement of the Green Energy Act. This investment will result in the creation of 175 sustainable jobs, with the potential to increase as business grows.

December, 17th 2012
10 am
at the
Royal Fairmont York, 100 Front Street West, Toronto, ON M5J 1E3
the press conference will be followed by a celebratory reception

At the conference you will have the chance to learn more about the investment and its impact as well as the cooperation between REpower and wpd from

• Helmut Herold, Managing Director of REpower Systems Inc.

• Ian MacRae, Managing Director of wpd Canada

We are also expecting representatives from

• The Ontario Ministry of Energy,

• The Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation,

• The German Embassy,

• The German-Canadian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

The Minister of Economic Development and Innovation, Brad Duguid, as well as the German Ambassador, Mr. Werner Wnendt, have been invited to the event.

Please let us know
by December 14th 2012, 12 pm if we have the pleasure of seeing you at the event by sending an email to i.kelemen@repower-systems.ca.2

About REpower
:

REpower Systems SE, a wholly owned subsidiary within the Suzlon Group, is one of the leading manufacturers of onshore and offshore wind turbines. The international mechanical engineering company develops produces and markets wind turbines with rated outputs of 1.8 MW to 6.15 MW and rotor diameters of 82 meters to 126 meters for almost any location. The company also offers a comprehensive portfolio of service and maintenance packages. With more than 3,000 employees worldwide the company headquartered in Hamburg can draw on the experience gained from the manufacture and installation of about 3,800 wind turbines around the world.

The Canadian subsidiary REpower Systems Inc. has been incorporated in Montreal, Quebec in 2007. Since 2010 the company is also represented in Ontario with an office in downtown Toronto. Today the subsidiary counts more than 100 employees. With the installation of more than 200 wind turbines totaling more than 400 MW of installed capacity in Quebec, 2012 is going to be a record year for REpower in Canada. In Quebec, components are provided by factories in Matane, Gaspé and New Richmond. Within the next 2-3 years, REpower will deliver its turbines to wind farms in Ontario and Quebec for an installed capacity of more than 1,200 MW.


About wpd Canada
:

Based in Mississauga, wpd Canada currently employs a growing staff of Ontario professionals including engineers, legal, accounting, environmental compliance and communications. wpd Canada has been awarded 6 wind energy contracts with a capacity of 111 MW, and is actively developing other projects in Ontario and other provinces. wpd Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of wpd Europe, the market leader in renewable wind energy in Germany and active in 18 countries with 850 employees around the globe. As a member of the wpd family, we are able to draw on the expertise of our colleagues around the world, as well as the financing and purchasing power of our parent company to the advantage of our projects here at home.

Below ... this is Councillor Stauble's response to the invitation sent to City of Kawartha Lakes councillors. She was also on Goldhawk Talks Back yesterday.

This is the link to her interview:

http://www.zoomerradio.ca/shows/goldhawk-fights-back/podcast-goldhawk-fights-back/gfb-podcast-heather-stauble/


-----Original Message-----
From: Heather Stauble [mailto:hstauble@city.kawarthalakes.on.ca]
Sent: December-16-12 6:51 PM
To: bduguid.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org; daniel.levitan@ontario.ca; Minister of Environment Jim Bradley; cbentley.mpp@liberal.ola.org
Subject: Wpd Canada/REpower's announcement is premature and should not be endorsed by the Government.


Wpd Canada/REpower's announcement is premature, undermines public confidence and should not be endorsed by the Government.

This announcement by wpd/REpower is misleading and premature. Statements such as the projects "will be located in".. and "awarded 6 wind energy contracts" are misleading and distressing to those who have been lead to believe that there is an objective review, approval and appeal process in place.

Wpd has not received approval for many of these contracts. They have Feed -in -Tariff (FIT) contracts which are conditional on approval by the Ministry of the Environment...very different from approval.

Announcements such as this one suggest that these projects have a pre-determined outcome. They undermine the public's confidence in the Government and the Ministry of the Environment's ability to review these projects independently and objectively and the likelihood that their concerns will be heard at any point in the process.

The projects in the City of Kawartha Lakes have not even been posted on the Environmental Registry for public comment let alone approved by the Ministry of the Environment. If these projects are approved they may very well be appealed through an Environmental Review Tribunal.

Bottom line: Announcements suggesting approval where none exists should not be allowed or endorsed by the Government.


Heather Stauble
Councillor
Ward 16
City of Kawartha Lakes

Changes to Cultural Heritage Assessment - Deadline December 6th

Subject: Ontario's Proposed Changes to Cultural Heritage Assessment Process on Renewable Energy Projects

Please spread the word to your members and area heritage and culture organizations that public input is requested by the Ontario Government and is only open for comments until December 6th, regarding proposed changes to Cultural Heritage Assessment process involving Renewable Energy projects. 

The proposal will streamline the process in favour of the proponent.Earlier this year the Ministry of the Environment made regulatory amendments to Ontario Regulation 359/09 Renewable Energy Approvals. These amendments, which came into force on July 1, 2012, responded to public and proponent concerns that were raised as part of the Feed-In Tariff Two-Year Review and the government's review of current practice since the implementation of the REA regulation.

The revised regulation can be accessed online at: www.e-laws.gov.on.ca   These amendments included changes to sections 19 through 23, which outline the cultural heritage requirements of the REA.Changes include: Proponents are no longer required to prepare separate written summaries related to protected properties. These summaries will now be included in the design and operations report Archaeological and heritage assessment reports are required, unless a proponent can demonstrate that there is low likelihood that archaeological and heritage resources are present at the project location using ministry checklists (available on the MTCS website: http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/heritage/renewable_energy.shtml )

If proponents can demonstrate through the checklists that there is low potential for resources to be present, further assessment is not required. Proponents are required to include a summary of their findings in their design and operations report. The Regulation now provides more detail on the process for conducting heritage assessments, including reporting requirements.In response to the amendments, the ministry is proposing to revise the REA Information Bulletin:  Protected Properties, Archaeological and Heritage Resources: An Information Bulletin for Applicants Addressing the Cultural Heritage Component of Projects Subject to Ontario Regulation 359/09 Renewable Energy Approvals.

The REA Information Bulletin, originally released in the summer of 2011, provides guidance to proponents on how to meet the REA cultural heritage requirements. The revised version of the guide will include a new Part 2, called "Guidance for Conducting the Heritage Assessment". This new section will provide guidance on heritage assessments prepared for the REA, advice on best practices for identifying and evaluating cultural heritage resources, and information on assessing development impacts related to renewable energy projects.

Additionally, Part 2 discusses the importance of engaging with heritage stakeholders as part of the heritage assessment process. This includes: Municipal Heritage Committees, local heritage organizations and municipal staff, to help inform the assessment. As the proposed "Part 2" of the guide provides new policy and direction related to the conservation of cultural heritage resources and environmental approvals, a draft has been posted to the Environmental Registry for a 30-day public review and commenting period. The posting and related materials can be access through the following link:http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/displaynoticecontent.do?noticeId=MTE3ODY0&statusId=MTc2NDIz&language=en

Written comments on this posting can be submitted directly through the Environmental Registry website or they can be sent to the individual listed under contact. All comments must be submitted by December 6, 2012. The ministry appreciates its stakeholders taking the time to review and provide comments on this proposal.

Government Using Residents As Guinea Pigs ? - Toronto Star article

Farm couple fights wind turbines


Published on Tuesday September 11, 2012 - Toronto Star

A big wind farm in Huron County should be put on hold until a federal study into the health effects of turbines is completed, says a farm couple who have said they intend to sue the Ontario government.
The Ontario government is using its residents as subjects in an experiment with wind turbines, says the lawyer for a Huron County farm couple.

That’s wrong, says Julian Falconer; and he gave notice Tuesday that his clients intend to file a lawsuit in 60 days that would block a proposed wind farm until a federal study into the health effects of wind turbines is completed.

His clients, Shawn and Tricia Drennan, raise crops and feed hogs on a 300-acre operation started by Shawn’s grandfather in 1922.

The proposed wind farm would, they say, place a dozen turbines and a big transformer station within two kilometres of their farm.

It would also surround their property with high voltage electric lines.

Falconer told reporters Tuesday that the development, which is in the late stages of getting provincial approval, should be halted pending completion of a federal health study.

That study, announced in July, won’t be completed until 2014.

“No government – Conservative, NDP or Liberal – should ever feel entitled to subject its citizens to experiments,” Falconer said.

Yet that, in effect, is what will happen if the wind farm is built before the results of the health study are known.

“We generally know first and act second,” said Falconer. “Here, we act first and know second.”

Falconer said the law requires the Drennans to give the province 60 days notice before formally filing a legal action.

His legal notice, sent to the province Monday, argues that the Drennans’ right to security of the person under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is being violated.

The wind farm also interferes with their freedom of expression – farming – under the Charter, he argues.

The notice to the province says the installation of turbines close to the Drennans’ home “has the potential to cause serious health effects,” including sleep disturbance, cardiovascular disease, headaches, dizziness and psychological illness.

Falconer said the wind development is likely to severely devalue the Drennan farm. Since the farm needs credit to operate, and the credit is based on the value of the farm, the wind turbines threaten its financial viability, he said.

A spokesperson for energy minister Chris Bentley wouldn’t comment directly on the action, but noted that Ontario’s medical officer of health Dr. Arlene King has found no link between health problems and wind turbines.

The Drennans have been trying to get King to testify about her findings in a separate proceeding, but she has declined. A court has ordered her to appear, but she is seeking leave to appeal.

Detailed IWT Location Maps Uncovered by Resident - Maps Now Available Online

Wind farm mapping project welcomed by turbine opponents


by Patrick Raftis

BELWOOD

The opponents of a proposed wind turbine project here say the efforts of an Ohio-based blogger to provide detailed maps of turbine projects in Ontario fill an important gap in the information chain.

Wayne Gulden, creator of the website Ontario Wind Turbines, uses Google Maps technology to indicate the site and scale of wind farms, both existing and proposed, across the province - including the NextEra Energy site in Mapleton as well as other projects near Belwood and Arthur.

Gulden’s main residence is Yellow Springs, Ohio, which is not currently the site of any existing or proposed turbine projects. However, he has a cottage on Amherst Island, an Ontario community in the middle of a region where numerous projects are either in operation or on the drawing board.

The lack of detailed information on a province-wide basis has been a sore point among turbine opponents for some time.

“It’s important that people know where they are,” said Janet Vallery, spokesperson for the Oppose Belwood Wind Farm Association.

She suggested the Ontario Power Authority has the information but is hesitant to release it because it will reveal the government’s plans to “industrialize” rural Ontario.

“I think the government just doesn’t want people to know how bad it is,” said Vallery.

The government doesn’t make a consolidated map of projects available to the public, but the Minister of Energy says the information is available.

“The contracts are publicly posted,” Energy Minister Chris Bentley told the CBC earlier this month. “They’re available. Who has the contracts is public information. Every company establishing wind turbines has to go through public consultation.

“It’s out there for the people in the community and municipality.”

However Gulden said gathering detailed information on turbines requires some serious detective work that not everyone interested in the developments is able to do.

“You almost have to have the individual coordinates,” he said. Gulden uses site descriptions, noise studies and other published information to create his maps, but concedes he is limited by time and lack of published resources

Gulden’s map illustrates not just where projects are located, but the number of turbines on the site, and brings the scale of development into clearer focus, says Jane Wilson, president of Wind Concerns Ontario.

“I think it’s extremely valuable and it shows really well the growing area it’s happening in,” she states.

Wilson feels neither the government, nor wind power proponents want to put a consolidated map in front of the public.

“I would say, to put it out there, that it’s intentional, because they really don’t want people to know how many projects there are going to be and the scale of them,” she stated.

For his part, Gulden would be happy to have the government take over the project and would happily turn over his programs and information to assist with the project.

“I really think that it would be nice to have the government doing this,” he said.

Gulden, a retired computer networking specialist, keeps the maps as updated as possible, based on information he searches out himself, or is supplied to him by followers of his blogs, including Wind Farm Realities and Amherst Island Wind Info.

He recently added the NextEra Energy location in Mapleton to his Ontario Wind Turbines website, but as of Tuesday, the site did not yet show either the existing project in Arthur or the proposed project in Belwood.

Vallery welcomes any attempt to provide a map that displays the density and location of wind turbines, which she called “unreliable” and “eyesores” that have a negative impact on tourism and prime farmland.

“It will show the extent of the damage that’s going to be done,” she said of Gulden’s mapping project.

“Once the turbines are up, they’re up for 20 years.”

Gulden’s mapping information can be found at http://ontario-wind-turbines.org.

- with files from Chris Daponte

August 10, 2012

Proposed Wind Turbine at Queen's Park

Wind turbine worker threatened with gun - CBC news article

West Grey Police are investigating alleged threats against a worker, who says he had a shotgun pulled on him while working on a wind turbine site northeast of London, Ont.


Police are also investigating threatening phone calls the man says he received.

Jeff Damen was doing preliminary work at the site of a proposed wind farm in the community of West Grey, near London last week when he says a red pickup truck pulled alongside his vehicle and the driver asked what he was doing.

After Damen explained the work he was doing, the driver pulled out a gun, Damen said.

"He reached over his back seat, and pulled out a shotgun, pointed it at me and stated, 'Why don't you leave us all alone? If I catch you back here again, I'm going to kill you,'" Damen said.

Damen was unable to get a licence plate number. It was covered by a folded down tailgate.

West Grey Police Const. Janet Shumaker said Damen was alone at the time of the alleged incident but the police are taking the matter seriously.

"This is the first time something like this has ever happened," Shumaker said.

Damen said he then received some cryptic phone calls Monday.

"They stated they know where I live and know what I do," he said. "That's pretty much how they left it and hung up."

The father of two, who lives in a rural area, said he has had some sleepless nights.

Bill Palmer opposes wind farms and claims the province refuses to listen to health and safety concerns. So he's not surprised tempers are flaring over wind farms.

"That's unfortunate. I mean I hate to see that happen, but it's what happens when you divide society," Palmer said.

Damen said it's not the first time he's been confronted in his field of work.

"I have encountered verbal attacks, personally to me, regarding wind, but it has never escalated to this point," he said. "This has gone to a new level of my safety, for sure."

Immediate Moratorium Needed on Wind Turbines

 

Health Canada will conduct research into the relationship between wind turbine noise and health effects reported by people living near wind power developments

Immediate Moratorium Needed on Wind Turbines

(Canada Free Press Article)

---

QUEEN’S PARK – PC Energy Critic and Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli today called for an immediate moratorium of further wind power development in Ontario in light of a study announced by Health Canada.

Health Canada, in collaboration with Statistics Canada, will conduct research into the relationship between wind turbine noise and health effects reported by people living near wind power developments. The results of the study are expected in 2014.

“The fact the federal government feels this study is necessary is reason enough to put a halt to any more wind turbines being built in Ontario right now,” said Fedeli.

“I’ve been to dozens of town halls across the province and have heard the painful stories of those who’ve reported these adverse health effects,” Fedeli added.

“Dalton McGuinty needs to do the right thing and implement an immediate halt to further wind power development in Ontario.”

This past session, the Ontario PC’s put legislation before the House calling for a moratorium on wind turbines, which was rejected by Liberal and NDP members.

Fedeli reiterated the concerns with wind power go well beyond health concerns.

“Wind power is helping drive up the cost of Ontario electricity to second-highest in North America, killing jobs and our competitiveness,” said Fedeli, noting wind producers are paid twice what it costs to produce the power through the Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) subsidy.

“It also is generated at times we don’t need it creating surplus power we have to sell at a loss, and isn’t there when we need it, as was seen during last week’s heat wave,” added Fedeli.

“Wind power, quite simply, has been a dismal failure for Ontarians.”

Letter From Mary Cowling to Dalton McGuinty

Dear Mr McGuinty;

I wish to draw your attention to two different statements, one made by yourself, the Premier of Ontario, and one made by Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, published in the Toronto Star newspaper June 23, 2012.

Finance Minister Duncan stated, "A person's word is their word" when referring to a "deal" made with NDP leader Andrea Horwath concerning the recent budget bill.  He was dismayed that anyone would give their word and then renage.

You, Mr McGuinty, when asked about the erection of Industrial Wind Turbines in communities that were clearly against them stated, "I've got all kinds of communities that want them.  "I don't need the headaches that are associated with them going into communities that don't want them."

We, in the City of Kawartha Lakes, have demonstrated that we are "a don't want" community.  The most recent time was June 19,2012 when it was documented that nearly 700 people attended WPD's second consultation meeting regarding The Sumach Ridge project.  Despite a torrential downpour, hundreds stood out in the rain to show their displeasure.  The meeting hall had a capacity of over 300, but WPD had security allow only 175 in at a time.  Many elderly and those with infants left before entering the school, so the number in attendence may have been significantly higher.  In addition, hundreds of people have signed letters of objection stating that they do NOT want Industrial Wind Turbines in The City of Kawartha Lakes, formerly Manvers County  This includes not only WPD and EFO(Zero Emission People), but any other proponent seeking to bring turbines to our area. 
WPD claims there are those in favour of industrial wind turbines in our community.  Many individuals joined in a door to door campaign for just that reason.  In the many hours I spent, I only encountered ONE person in favour. The other canvassers reported similar results.  Other than leaseholders, I can say emphatically, the majority are against them.

I would now challenge you to keep your word to our community as you expected Ms Horwath to do regarding the Budget Bill.  You can demonstrate to the people of Ontario that you are a man of your word by having your staff deny the approval of any industrial wind turbine contracts in The City of Kawartha Lakes.

I look forward to your response.

Thank you;
Mary Cowling
murcmarc@gmail.com
Citizen of The City of Kawartha Lakes

Sun Article - Time to gas failed green programs

Time to gas failed green programs   

First posted: Tuesday, May 22, 2012 08:04 PM EDT    

lorne.gunter@sunmedia.ca

 

Green energy alternatives are nothing more than expensive fantasies, at least for now. Wind farms, acres of solar panels and ponds of bio fuel are, by and large, uneconomic without huge, direct subsidies from taxpayers.

There may come a day when non-carbon fuels make financial sense, but for now alternate-energy projects are simply money pits. And the private companies that politicians hail as pioneers in “clean” energy are mostly just subsidy miners. They’ve simply figured out how to make money by extracting big grants from crusading politicians eager to prove their environmental bona fides by spending other people’s money.

Take hydrogen fuel cells, for instance. The previous Liberal government pumped billions into technology that, they insisted, would convert gasoline and diesel vehicles to low-emission hydrogen. So how did that work out? Where can I buy a hydrogen SUV?

Like most clean-energy dreams, the “promise” of a hydrogen-fuelled future keeps slamming up against immutable realities. For instance, no one has yet figured out how to make hydrogen give up more energy than it takes to convert hydrogen to fuel. Say, for example, it takes 10 units of carbon energy to force eight units of energy out of hydrogen. No matter how many tax dollars go into research, manufacturers still have a 20% deficit on each energy unit produced.

Then there’s the fact that there are about 7,000 retail gas stations in Canada and almost no hydrogen stations. Where would you fuel up your eco-mobile even if you could buy one?

Then there’s the problematic little fact that many “clean” energies aren’t that clean.

Electric cars, as an example, need to be charged. The power to charge them has to come from big generating plants, which means that while electric cars themselves emit no pollution, they cause as much or more pollution to be created from power generation.

And solar panels are dirty to make. Toxic waste is generated during their manufacture, which is one of the biggest reasons most of them are made in China and the developing world rather than in the eco-conscious West.

All of this may explain why Europe is backing away from huge alternate-energy subsidies. Having spent tens of billions of dollars bribing Germans to attach solar panels to every house, apartment and shed in the country, the Berlin government is now ending most such subsidies because the effort simply has not generated enough power to allow conventional electric plants to be closed.
Even the EU energy commissioner is set to recommend next month to the Union’s governing body that European subsidies, too, be scaled back by at least 30%.

So it should come as no surprise that University of Alberta energy economist Andrew Leach calculated this week that for Alberta homeowners who choose their utilities‚ current offers to lease solar panels for their rooftops will save no money over the life of their contracts. The panels may be fashionable symbols of a homeowner’s commitment to the environment, but they can cost upwards of $4,300 more than conventional electricity over a 15-year contract.

This has been the experience in Ontario, too, where the government of Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty has spent billions upon billions on green energy only to find the alternatives have generated little new energy, created few truly new jobs and saddled taxpayers with subsidies to alternate-energy providers that will continue for decades. Just about all Ontario has to show is power rates that are higher by 30-40%.

The province may have thousands of new panels glinting in the sun, but no economical way to get the power to consumers.

It’s time to stop bilking taxpayers and consumers for “green” dreams that never materialize.

lorne.gunter@sunmedia.ca

Manvers will be on the hook for turbines- Graham Hawkridge Comments

"Hidden within that budget was another piece of legislature called Bill 55, which basically dismantles much of the Environmental Protection Act, giving wind turbine farms all the protection "they need" to invade bird species, at-risk habitat, osprey, swans and any other species of wild animal life."



"Sumac Ridge Wind project, will turn more than 11 thousand acres of the Oak Ridges Moraine into the largest industrial area ever seen in City of Kawartha Lakes "


Manvers will be on the hook for turbines


The words "renewable and green" seem to give politicians the right of approval anywhere around the globe these days.

These magical words if you hear them mentioned in your neighbourhood mean little else but destruction of animal habitat, desecration of water rights, or the taking and using of your land in the name of renewable energy.

Take industrial wind turbines, for example. Many of these 550-foot monsters are proposed for the Oak Ridges Moraine, a stretch of hilly terrain north of Toronto that runs east and west for more than 160 kilometres and measures up to 11 kilometres wide at various points and is the remnants of several ice-age events.

Many of the creatures here have multiplied and have bred to the extent that we are lucky enough not to have to travel to the near north to see this wonderful collection of wildlife.

Many of us have the opportunity of living on the Oak Ridges Moraine and are indeed thankful that it has been a protected area for many, many years. That is until Dalton McGuinty said Ontario was open for industrial wind turbines.

Since he Okayed this madness, there has been a massive uprising by more than 80 municipalities, fighting back against his "Green Energy Act" that took away our municipal rights to say, "No," to foreign wind corporations, doing whatever they wanted to do in our backyard.

Since that time many, many people have had no choice but to move away from wind turbines, as the health effects were too serious to put up with.

Since then we have had a budget proposal that would only pass if the NDP approved it by two votes, which they agreed to do and it took place last week.

Hidden within that budget was another piece of legislature called Bill 55, which basically dismantles much of the Environmental Protection Act, giving wind turbine farms all the protection "they need" to invade bird species, at-risk habitat, osprey, swans and any other species of wild animal life.

It also gives them (government) the right not to allow you, a private landowner, the right to have your land declared a protected site for any wild life.

This bill was tucked into the budget, but Andrea Horwath knew about it. Then, after signing it, the NDP environment critic jumped up and made the usual noises to try and cover this appalling sell-out of Ontario's rural people, for just a few million tax dollars, most of which, ironically, will be used to support Dalton's dream of even more turbines.

The proposed site just north of Pontypool, known as Sumac Ridge Wind project, will turn more than 11 thousand acres of the Oak Ridges Moraine into the largest industrial area ever seen in City of Kawartha Lakes, never mind Manvers Township, and will remain there for more than 20 years at which time, we, the citizens of Manvers will be asked to bear the brunt of millions of dollars to dismantle each and every one of these scrap iron, slice and dice machines.

G. Hawkridge

City of Kawartha Lakes

The sorry lessons of green-power subsidies - Globe Article

The sorry lessons of green-power subsidies

"The lessons of the green-power debacle are clear. For governments, the message is that forcing consumers and taxpayers to subsidize any business almost always leads to economic damage and political unpopularity. For investors, the lesson is that companies living on government subsidies may die when the handouts stop."



GWYN MORGAN
Columnist profile

From Monday's Globe and Mail

Published Sunday, Apr. 29, 2012 8:00PM EDT
Last updated Monday, Apr. 30, 2012 5:55AM EDTcomments


A recent study, co-authored by Fraser Institute energy economist Gerry Angevine, found that Ontario residents will pay an average of $285-million more for electricity each year for the next 20 years as a result of subsidies to renewable energy companies.

By the end of 2013, Ontario household power rates will be the second-highest in North America (after PEI), and they will continue to accelerate while they level off in most other jurisdictions. Even more alarming for Ontario’s economic competitiveness, businesses and industrial customers will be hit by almost $12-billion in additional costs over the same period.

Such is the legacy of the provincial government’s 2009 decision to establish feed-in rates, ranging from 44.5 cents to 80.2 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for solar power, and 13.5 cents/kWh for wind power. These solar feed-in rates average 11 times the 5.6 cents/kWh paid for nuclear-generated power, and 18 times the 3.5 cents/kWh for hydro-generated power. The wind-power rates are more than twice as high as nuclear, and four times those of hydro.

Besides the direct cost of these huge subsidies, there’s also a big hidden cost of fossil-fuelled standby facilities, because the wind doesn’t always blow and the Ontario sun certainly doesn’t always shine.

Faced with rising consumer reaction, the provincial government recently announced modest reductions to the feed-in rates, but they do nothing to change the results of the Fraser study because thousands of contracts have been guaranteed the higher rates for the next 20 years.

Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty has predicted that the subsidies will propel Ontario to a world-leading position in green-power technology, creating thousands of jobs. Sadly, the Fraser study shows quite the opposite as the province’s already beleaguered manufacturing heartland sees its former electricity-cost advantage transformed into a competitive millstone.

Ontario isn’t the only place where grand green-power dreams have turned into a nightmare.

Several European countries began doling out subsidies nearly a decade ago. Germany has given away $130-billion, mostly to solar-power companies. Yet solar power makes up a minuscule 0.3 per cent of German power supply, while doing almost nothing toward the original objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In February, Germany’s Minister of Economics and Technology, Philipp Roesler, announced a pullback from green-power subsidies saying the cost was “a threat to the economy.”

Spain also poured cash into solar- and wind-power subsidies with little to show for it except a $25-billion increase in its national debt. And British consumers have grown increasingly outraged about paying some $700-million a year in wind-farm subsidies that produce less than 0.5 per cent of power demand.

In the United States, green-power companies have received more than $4-billion (U.S.) to build wind farms as part of the Obama administration’s massive job-stimulus program. A recent Wall Street Journal investigation found that those projects created a total of 7,200 temporary construction jobs and only 300 permanent jobs.

Federal grants and loan guarantees were also awarded to companies with rickety business plans. Last September, California-based Solyndra LLC sought bankruptcy protection after receiving $535-million in loan guarantees to build a solar-panel factory. This month, Solar Trust of America filed for bankruptcy after failing to meet the terms a $2.1-billion loan guarantee to build what was to be the world’s largest solar-power generation plant.

It isn’t only energy consumers and taxpayers who have been hit by the green-power mania. The Globe and Mail reported in February that 10 wind- and solar-equipment makers in China, India, Europe and the U.S. have seen their share prices collapse by between price of their shares collapse by between 85 per cent and 98 per cent since 2008. A combination of ineffectual environmental benefit, escalating power costs and debilitating government deficits have driven a precipitous drop in the outlook for green-power subsidies.

The lessons of the green-power debacle are clear. For governments, the message is that forcing consumers and taxpayers to subsidize any business almost always leads to economic damage and political unpopularity. For investors, the lesson is that companies living on government subsidies may die when the handouts stop.

Gillespie, NAPAW take on wind industry - Article in the Orangeville Citizen

Gillespie, NAPAW take on wind industry
By WES KELLER Freelance Reporter

"...industrial wind energy facilities are being driven by economic and political objectives; The health of individuals living in close proximity to industrial wind turbines is being compromised.."


The lawyer who represented Ian Hanna in a judicial review and appeal of a wind farm in Prince Edward County is now acting on behalf of North American Platform Against Windfarms (NAPAW).

In the Hanna case, Ontario’s Divisional Court found that Ontario’s Renewal Energy Assessment (REA) followed proper procedures in its approval of a wind farm, but also suggested that there needs to be more study of human health issues.
Now Toronto lawyer Eric Gillespie is saying that the desire for rapid deployment of wind energy facilities “appears to violate numerous Articles of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and United Nations Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilites (UNCRPD) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.”

In letters to all premiers and attorneysgeneral in Canada, Mr. Gillespie alleges on behalf of NAPAW that: “State and country decision-making processes for locating and operating industrial wind energy facilities are being driven by economic and political objectives; The health of individuals living in close proximity to industrial wind turbines is being compromised and the ability of families to care for their children and elders is being seriously undermined; The public lacks confidence that the science advice of state and country health authorities is credible; and further that this advice is based on a rigorous and objective assessment of all available information; The lack of full scientific certainty is being used as a reason not to take preventive measures; We conclude that the fundamental human rights of individuals living in close proximity to industrial wind turbines are not being protected, and further that the dignity and worth of the human person are not being upheld,” Mr. Gillespie says.

As part of a remedy, he asks “that immediate and careful objective study be undertaken with respect to wind energy’s economic benefits, which our client believes are net zero, and objective study of the impacts to human health also be simultaneously initiated; that the protection of human health be restored as primary, m all energy policy henceforth; and that the need for restitution and compensation be incorporated into the studies of the above two obligations, for those who have abandoned homes, lost income, property, and/or health,”

“We respectfully request: A complete and immediate moratorium on the new construction and placement of industrial wind turbines; an investigation regarding the apparent violations of the Articles detailed in this letter; protection of the population from the imposed intrusions; the restoration of democratic rights; National, State and Provincial Attorneys General investigations regarding the economic damages including net job losses, environmental damages, and societal and community degradation; (and that) remediation be established for the economic and social damages to humans, including loss of homes and jobs, future economic consequences such as decreased pensions and other negative impacts, and environmental damages.

“Failing this, we reserve the right to further legal inquiry including the UN Conventions and all local and national laws to protect life, property, liberty and rights,” he concludes, along with a request for responses by May 1.

Barrie Examiner Article - Lawsuit Claims Against WPD Now More Than $17 Million

"groups are establishing a model that other groups across Ontario will now be able to follow... "

Clearview Township landowners line up in action against wind turbines


By Morgan Ian Adams, QMI Agency

Posted 23 hours ago

CLEARVIEW TWP. — The fight against two wind turbine projects is not about to blow over.

Twenty more residents have joined two collective actions against WPD Canada and the landowners who would host the turbines, bringing the value of the two claims to more than $17 million.

John and Sylvia Wiggins launched a suit earlier this year against WPD and Beattie Bros. Ltd., claiming the threat of wind turbines being located near their property on the 6th Conc. had devalued their property and made it difficult to sell.

The Wiggins' claim sought an injunction and $2 million in damages related to the proposed Fairview Wind Farm.

Kevin Elwood, a farmer and pilot who operates an aerodrome at his farm on County Road 91 west of Stayner, has also filed suit against WPD and the Beatties, citing that the proposed locations of the turbines would make use of his airstrip unsafe.

Elwood says one of the proposed turbine locations is in the direct path of his airstrip.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

The board of the Collingwood Regional Airport is also challenging WPD plans — albeit not yet through legal channels — noting the siting of turbines could jeopardize the airport's approach areas.

WPD has proposed to locate eight wind turbines in an area north and south of County Road 91.

On Friday, Wiggins announced in a news release that 15 residents are now proposed plaintiffs in his action; five other residents have launched a second action against another Beattie family, Ed Beattie & Son Ltd., who the release claims intend to host two turbines on their property south of County Road 91.

“All of these landowners near the proposed wind turbine development are clearly upset that 50-storey turbines are being foisted on them arbitrarily," Wiggins stated in the release. "These groups are establishing a model that other groups across Ontario will now be able to follow... a snowball effect that wind companies, landowners and the Ontario government should take note of.”

WIND PROTEST BLOWS INTO TORONTO - Letter to Millbrook Times From Marion Thompson

"a great show of solidarity among rural residents!!!!"

WIND PROTEST BLOWS INTO TORONTO

On Tuesday April 3^rd a group of citizens from Millbrook, Bethany, Pontypool, Norwood/Hastings and Port Hope/Welcome, concerned about the proliferation of Industrial Wind Turbines already built, and new wind power plants proposed right across Ontario went to Toronto to join more than 800 other concerned residents from over seventy locations.

Councillor Lynda Todd from Cavan Monaghan and Councillor Heather Stauble from City of Kawartha Lakes also attended to show support for their constituents.

We met at Simcoe Park across the road from the Metro Toronto Convention Centre where the wind developers were holding a conference.

Guest speakers included energy critic Vic Fedeli speaking about the fallacies of the FIT program under the Green Energy Act. Mark Davis, Deputy Mayor of Arran-Elderslie gave an impassioned but humourous speech about the revised Feed In Tariff rules. Lawrence Solomon of Energy Probe also spoke. Mr. Solomon sees Industrial Wind Turbines as not only being environmentally destructive but economically unsustainable.

Protestors then poured onto Front Street and marched through the financial district of Toronto with informative signs bringing the issues directly to people living and working in the city. 

It was a great show of solidarity among rural residents!!!!

Marion Thompson

Power protest blows into Toronto - Toronto Sun Article

Power protest blows into Toronto



By Antonella Artuso ,Queen's Park Bureau Chief

First posted: Tuesday, April 03, 2012 06:31 PM EDT
Updated: Wednesday, April 04, 2012 08:25 AM EDT


TORONTO - Anti-wind protesters journeyed from across Ontario to demonstrate in Toronto Tuesday against the province’s green energy subsidy plan.


Farmer Pat Jilesen, who raises hogs near Port Elgin in Bruce County, said his hydro bill has gone through the barn roof with off-peak power alone up 80% between 2008-2011.

The cost of running his business and the price of his food is being driven up, he said.

“And I’d like everybody in the City of Toronto to understand that,” Jilesen said at a Queen’s Park media conference Tuesday.

So far, much of the debate around wind power subsidies has raged outside urban cores, but Wind Concerns Ontario brought their complaints to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre Tuesday where green energy industries were participating in a Feed In Tariff (FIT) forum.

Jane Wilson, President Wind Concerns Ontario, said Ontarians came from Thunder Bay, Sarnia, London, Ottawa and all points in between, to talk about the impact of wind turbines and the FIT program on their communities.

In addition to pushing up hydro costs, FIT has devalued properties located near industrial wind farms, she said.

“It’s going to impact everybody,” Wilson said, asking Torontonians to imagine how they would feel if their property values suddenly dropped by 40%.

Janet Vallery, who runs a campground north of Guelph, said her hydro bill has jumped 16% in two years to $131,000 and she projects her electricity tab will hit $200,000 in 2015.

“It seems the wind companies’ business plan is based solely on subsidies,” Vallery said. “I’m a small business. I wish my business plan was based on government subsidies but it’s not. It’s based on being competitive, having excellent product and the ability to attract tourists.”

Vallery said the full financial impact of subsidized green power on hydro bills will hurt small businesses and all industry across the province.

“This is a ‘Bad FIT’ for Ontario,” she said.

Tory MPP Lisa Thompson said her party would buy out all the existing FIT contracts, believing it would be cheaper to do so in the long run.

“We’re not anti-green; we’re anti-nonsense,” she said.

Energy Minister Chris Bentley said significant changes made to the FIT program will provide for much greater community participation in future projects.

Renewable energy development has attracted billions of dollars in investment and thousands of jobs to Ontario, Bentley said.

One Billion Dollar Lawsuit - If We Lose, We The Taxpayers Will Pay !

McGuinty's wind-energy woes grow with anti-turbine protest and $1B lawsuit


By Romina Maurino, The Canadian Press
April 03, 2012

TORONTO - The wind woes of the minority Liberals seemed far from dying down Tuesday as anti-turbine protesters upped the pressure in Toronto and the government was hit with a new lawsuit.

A few hundred protesters — with signs decrying the health, financial and community impact of industrial wind power — called for the ouster of Premier Dalton McGuinty because of his green-energy policies, and urged cities to join their fight against wind turbines.

"I'm hoping we can bring it to the people of Toronto to realize that it's not an economical way to produce electricity, and they should help us stop them," said dairy farmer Ralph Coneybeare of Listowell, Ont.
"Hopefully the people in Toronto will realize that, and maybe we can have a change of government and we can solve some of our problems."

The protest came as the government found itself facing a $1-billion lawsuit over its moratorium on offshore wind farms.

SouthPoint Wind is seeking damages for confiscation of its property and assets, and accuses the province and several agencies of failing to negotiate in good faith.

SouthPoint tried to develop industrial wind-power projects near the Lake Erie communities of Leamington, Union and Kingsville before the government announced a moratorium on offshore wind farms in February 2011.

The claims have not been proven in court.

Opposition to wind farms isn't new, and anti-turbine groups have long called for a moratorium on the projects until their full health effects can be determined.

The government recently made changes it says will lower premiums paid for future wind and solar energy projects.

But Sherri Lange, of the group North American Platform Against Windpower, said the changes will do little to lower electricity bills or offset the health impact to people who live near the giant windmills.

"People are being chased out of their homes, they can't live beside them," she said.

"It's internationally known, recognized by very world-class doctors, that these people have wind-turbine syndrome, a collection of medical symptoms that are very serious. There have been suicides around the world."

Several lawsuits have also been launched against wind farms, attributing health issues such as sleep disturbances, headaches and memory problems to the turbines.

The government argues the research shows the giant windmills are safe, and notes it's continually looking at the issue.

Premier Dalton McGuinty defended his approach earlier Tuesday, arguing the recent changes to Ontario's clean-energy plans should appease the critics.

"We have driven those costs down, we intend to drive them down further and further every year," McGuinty said.

He also noted the province will favour projects proposed in communities that support turbines, although the government has stopped short of giving municipalities a veto over new installations.

"We've tried to rejig it so that it's more in keeping with people's views in their community about whether or not they want these things there," he said.

But to people like Coneybeare, who live in the affected communities, the changes aren't enough, and do nothing to ease tensions between neighbours who want turbines and those who don't.

"If you have a wind turbine next to you, even though you don't like it, there's nothing you can do about it, but you can be affected by it," he said.

Message from Councillor Heather Stauble - City of Kawartha Lakes

A message from Councillor Heather Stauble and the City of Kawartha Lakes:


The FIT Review has been completed and submitted to the Government.

I have attached the FIT Report for your information and a list of highlights below. There continue to be significant concerns with respect to a number of areas.

The City of Kawartha Lakes asked for a moratorium; independent clinical health studies; requirement for full environmental assessments; 2km setback from base of turbine to property line; no projects on the Oak Ridges Moraine; an approved, accredited Low Frequency Noise testing protocol before approvals are granted and a requirement for demonstrated support of a project by both the community and the municipality as a condition of approval. There has been some movement but there needs to be more.

On Tuesday April 3rd, I will be joining constituents from this area and people from around the province in Toronto for a protest highlighting the need for more changes as the Ontario Feed In Tariff Forum takes place in Toronto at the Metro Convention Centre. I urge you to join me and others in making this a success.

A bus has been arranged for those who do not or cannot drive. It is important. Please make the time. We have made a lot of progress – Let’s keep it up! Join me! Tuesday, April 3rdIndustrial Wind - F.I.T. Protest 11:30 am Speakers – 12:00 noonMarch - 12:30 p.m. Simcoe Park on Front Street, beside CBC building and opposite Metro Toronto Convention Centre

Please plan to attend and make your concerns known!A bus has been arranged for those who would like to avoid traffic. Bus: $20.00 Porter Rd/115 car pool parking lot Passenger assembly: 9:30 a.m.Depart: 9:45 a.m.Arrive: Front St. Toronto 11:30 a.m.

Depart: Front St. 3:00 p.m.Arrive: Porter Rd. parking lot 4:30 p.m.To book a seat contact: 705-277-1454 or contact pwr.outriding@gmail.com

Summary of Report:
Municipality cannot veto a project
Streamlined environmental approval process
Point system introduced for approvals and FIT rates
Reduced FIT rates
Some changes to the Municipal consultation process
No requirement for Environmental Assessment for projects
No approved or accredited Low Frequency Noise Testing Protocol/Method available
No independent clinical health study
No change to setbacks
No moratorium on approvals
Proposed changes to the FIT Program:
Reduced rates:13.5 cents to 11.5/kW for wind (-14.8%)
80.2 cents to 54.9/kW for rooftop solar (-31.5%)
64.2 cents to 44.5/kW for smaller ground mounted solar < 5kW (small microFIT) (-30.7%)
44.3 cents to 37.4/kW for larger ground mounted solar (FIT) (-21.7%)
Point system for approval, FIT rate and priority given to projects with more points:
Community equity ownership 15% or more (50 landowners or more involved) = 3 points
Resolution of support by Council = 2 points Project readiness = 2 points Improved FIT rate for 50% or more ownership by community
Minimum of 1 point required to be considered for approval Report recommends that:
The Ontario Power Authority (OPA) should allow for a window of time during which existing contracts can voluntarily withdraw from the FIT Program and have their security fees returned.
Transition:
It is not clear on how these recommendations and changes will apply to projects that have existing FIT contracts. Project Status in City of Kawartha Lakes: Energy Farming Ontario (EFO) has moved projects to Zero Emission People (ZEP). There has been no announcement yet of upcoming meetings.

http://www.zeroemissionpeople.com/index.php/projectswpd Canada-

There has been no announcement yet of upcoming meeting. http://canada.wpd.de/projects/in-canada/sumac-ridge.html

Heather

Heather Stauble Councillor Ward 16 City of Kawartha Lakes

Link to FIT Review

http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/en/fit-and-microfit-program/2-year-fit-review/