The Great Anemometer Debate
Toronto Hydro will be hosting it’s third attempt at a community meeting for Guildwood residents to discuss the placing an anemometer off the Scarborough Bluffs to measure the strength of the wind prior to the construction of an all out industrial wind turbine project.
The first meeting Toronto Hydro scheduled was sited in a church well outside of Guildwood on a rainy night, against the advice of the local Councillor. When twice capacity showed up they were turned away and the meeting was re-scheduled.
The second meeting was held in Guildwood but was stacked with bussed in paid organizers from organizations that not only had received grants, but also organizations that Toronto Hydro’s project page encourages individuals who are interesting in knowing more about the project and wind power to visit. Those paid organizers hogged the mics and gave impassioned speeches in favour of wind energy, while their diesel school buses idled outside (buses that literally mirrored a popular bus route from Kennedy Subway station). Guildwood residents who could not stand in line for over two hours, weren’t heard because of these individuals and Peter Tabuns who thought it was a campaign event for those interested in being the leader of the third party blocked them.
This third meeting is intended for Guildwood residents. It is being held on January 20th 2009 at Sir Wilfrid Laurier CI. The same site as before. The difference this time is residents need to pre-register five days before the meeting to attend. Easy enough right? Except Guildwood residents also need to supply a pin number they were to receive as unaddressed admail from Toronto Hydro. As of January 16th – a day after the last day to register some residents confirmed to me they still have not received their notices. Even those who did receieve a notice will only be allowed to register two attendees. This is problematic for multi generational families, families with adult children at home and homes with multiple families living at one address. Those who have not registered will not be allowed to enter, regardless of residency.
Toronto Hydro has said they will extend the time for residents to register, and that is fantastic, but they have not conveyed that message through the media, no press release has been issued to recognize their error and any residents who did not receive a notice by Friday likely won’t until Monday, making it still realistically too late for them to register to attend even if they knew to call and try anyway.
Some will defend Toronto Hydro’s decision to restrict access to the meeting only to residents of Guildwood. This is not a position I would defend. I would defend Toronto Hydro if they chose to allow an open meeting, but only allowed Guildwood residents with valid ID to put questions on the floor. The City of Toronto Act, appears to like my position better than Toronto Hydro’s too.
On the City’s website “Open and closed meetings of City Council, its Committees and local boards” the City states: “Generally, the City and its local boards are required by law to give notice and hold all meetings in public.” It goes on to recognize Toronto Hydro as a local board, provides an investigation process and then goes on to say the investigation process does not apply to boards like Toronto Hydro. Toronto Hydro’s reason for closing the meeting does not meet any of the provisions provided on the City of Toronto website.
Is a meeting public if notices are never received and people are barred from entry if they do not follow a process they were not empowered to follow?
I will be covering the January 20th meeting on a day when I hoped I would be able to celebrate the acheivement of President Elect Obama and the ability his campaign had to give a breath of fresh air to American grassroots democracy. But instead, I will be at Sir Wilfrid Laurier, with hundreds of Guildwood residents, hoping to see the community given the opportunity to share their questions, opinions and comments on placing an anemometer off the Bluffs. Toronto Hydro has said the meeting can and will only be just about placing an anemometer in the lake for two years worth of study at a cost of $1 million dollars, but the intent of Toronto Hydro is considerably more than just testing the wind.
If you are a Guildwood resident, you can still register, and need to call Toronto Hydro using the information on the notice you should have received in the mail. If you have not received the notice, you can call Toronto Hydro directly at 416-204-0153 to register. If unable to register, I would encourage you to show up to speak to officials directly about being allowed to attend the meeting.
Tags: Anemometer Lake Ontario, Guildwood, Guildwood Community Meeting, Guildwood Wind Farm, January 20th 2009, Lake Ontario Offshore Wind Farm, Scarborough Bluffs Wind Farm, Toronto Hydro, Toronto Hydro Offshore Wind
January 19th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Wow. Am I correct in concluding from this that it’s easier to vote in an election than it is to attend this meeting?
For the record, I’m generally sympathetic to wind power. So much so that I feel like it doesn’t need to be rammed down peoples throats. Sigh. Good luck standing up for local democracy.
January 19th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Hi Dan,
You are correct, it is easier to vote in an election than attend this meeting. Interestingly, the requirements for birth registration in Ontario are also considerably more laxed than to register to attend this meeting.
I like wind power too, where it makes sense and the science can show it would be viable. I just don’t like the idea of a project that is clouded in secrecy that refuses to examine or recognize the environmental sensitivities of a site like the Scarborough Bluffs or the viability of the wind.
If they did it right from the start, it would be a whole lot harder to oppose this project for a lot of residents. That being said, doing it right would include accepting that two studies of offshore winds in western Lake Ontario deem our shores not viable, while finding nine viable sites in the Kingston area. That may be the part Toronto Hydro as a municipally owned utility has difficulty with.