Perth-Wellington Has a Message for John Wilkinson – Sayonara!
I’m writing this from the front seat of our vehicle as the ‘Winds of Change Tour’ barrels down the highway from Stratford, en route to Searchmont for tomorrow’s rally with folks in Algoma-Manitoulin.
It has been an amazing two days in Perth-Wellington! Seeing so many supporters of the local Wind Concerns Ontario groups come out to send a message to John Wilkinson, followed by a canvas for his PC opponent Randy Pettapiece was a real treat. We had a great turn out in Stratford, turn out was much closer t0 300, not the 150 estimated by media. We’ve seen chronic under-reporting of crowd sizes, but based on the number of signs that we went through and signatures on petitions it is clear what it was.
CanWEA and OSEA sent their funded ‘Friends of Wind’ supporters – all four of them – hundreds of kilometres from Kincardine to try to stir it up, but once again it didn’t work. It’s a sad statement when the industry has to pay people to support their position, and even then can only find someone who also has a lease with a wind developer to do it.
We covered a lot of ground today in Stratford during the canvas, and it was a pleasure to meet and speak to so many people last night in the parking lot at Wilkinson’s office as we unveiled a ‘final eviction notice’ for him. The coward chose not to come, but did have his paid staff lurking from the otherside of the parking lot.
His bizarre and shameful press conference at the Stratford Hospital earlier in the day failed to turn the media message and further re-enforced how unqualified and unable Wilkinson is of the tasks assigned to him as Minister of the Environment.
I look forward to coming back again soon for future canvasses and rallys. Wind Concerns Ontario will be working very hard with our local supporters ot unseat Wilkinson especially.
No Comments »Great Rally and March in Port Dover Today!
It was a blast to be back in Haldimand-Norfolk today as we held a BBQ, rally and march at Silver Lake with the help of the local Lions Club. Many thanks to the event organizers at Haldimand Wind Concerns, MPP Toby Barrett who came out, and the hundreds of people who joined us as well for what was a lovely afternoon.
I`d also like to thank the OPP for doing the responsible thing and sending a number of officers to ensure everyone`s safety by blocking intersections as demonstrators marched by. We had a great turn out and a procession that was about half the length of the main drag in Port Dover.
As always the folks the fighting to protect Haldimand-Norfolk did an amazing job, and I was proud to be there with folks from all over these two counties, some living with wind turbines, others facing the threat of industrial wind development.
We were well received by residents and visitors in Port Dover, with many people honking in support of chants like `Oust McGuinty now` `Health studies first` and others.
Norfolk county knows all too well the negative impacts industrial wind development has on communities as clearly seen in Clear Creek near Long Point where a number of families have been forced from their homes. Haldimand and Norfolk face very real threats going forward, but together through continued activism and pressure I am certain we will be able to protect this very special part of Ontario.
Toby Barrett brought a very clear message about the PCs intention to the crowd which the crowd responded quite enthusiastically too. His strength on this issue has been a very positive influence for members of his community and something that is very appreciated locally. I think as many of his signs as ours left with people at the end of the afternoon.
Tomorrow it is off to Brant to help the local candidate there with motivated volunteers who want to see the government change in just 39 days.
It is an honour to be on the road again, visiting our friends and allies around the province on the `Winds of Change`tour for Wind Concerns Ontario.
No Comments »“Wind Concerns Ontario’s Winds of Change Tour Launched in Owen Sound”
Wind Concerns Ontario has successfully launched the latest province-wide organizing effort of 2011, this time with a strong election focus. Over the next forty or so days, Wind Concerns Ontario members in sixty seven ridings will be mobilized to actively work to defeat Liberal incumbents, and candidates in their respective ridings. I look forward to personally visiting over two dozen ridings to hold rallies, canvas blitzes and other events.
We pulled out of Toronto last night around midnight and didn’t roll into Owen Sound until 3am. I was pleased to visit the AM 560 CFOS studio again at 9am to talk with Manny Paiva about the problems with Dalton McGuinty’s industrial wind schemes. By 10:30am over fifty members of Wind Concerns Ontario groups from around Bruce-Grey Owen Sound had come to the pavilion at the very beautiful Harrison Park to formally launch Winds of Change, talk about the importance of the coming election and the need to elect good MPPs who will represent rural Ontario.
Although Bill Walker was unable to attend in person, he was kind enough to send a statement to be read on his behalf to the folks who were present and it was very well received. To make it clear that Wind Concerns Ontario means business about doing its part to ensure winds of change help blow the McGuinty Liberals from Queen’s Park, many of those who came for the morning went for a canvas after lunch.
I had a couple of other interviews about the Winds of Change tour, followed by a quiet afternoon to catch up on Wind Concerns Ontario stuff.
Tomorrow Bob Rae is going to be in Owen Sound, so we’ve decided to attend his event because as a former Federal Liberal Riding President, who did not vote Liberal for the first time federally in the last election, I’m curious how he can reconcile his desire to rebuild the Federal Liberals in rural Ontario, and support the re-election of Dalton McGuinty, whose government has ended local democracy, destroyed property values, harmed human health and the environment while selling out rural Ontario largely to Ontario Liberal Party donors and industrial wind welfare recipients.
If I get the chance to ask Rae, I will be sure to share how that goes.
Video: John Laforet’s Address to the Empire Club of Canada – Wind Generated Controversy
John Laforet at the Empire Club of Canada
John Spears of the Toronto Star covered the speech and wrote : Wind Foe Vows to Defeat Liberals
No Comments »Thunder Bay Rally a Success!
As the Wind Concerns Ontario Truth about Turbines Tour kicked off in Thunder Bay last night, I began blogging at wcotour.ca It’s a site where myself and others will share their stories, photos, videos and audio from the province wide tour Wind Concerns Ontario is undertaking over the next six weeks. I encourage you to check out http://wcotour.ca regularly to see and hear what real Ontarians feel about industrial wind development in the lead up to the fall election.
Below is last night’s entry.
Residents against the proposed Horizon Wind Inc. wind farm have a message for Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and the city’s two MPPs – no Liberals, no turbines.
More than 200 residents attended the Wind Concerns Ontario rally at the Nor’Wester Hotel Monday night. The rally was a chance to give residents more information on the Horizon Wind development of a wind farm on top of the Nor’ Wester mountains.” From May 16th 2011 – Thunder Bay Newswatch - ‘Ready to Fight’ (A description of last night’s meeting in Thunder Bay)
What a great night in Thunder Bay! We couldn’t have had a better launch to Wind Concerns Ontario’s ‘Truth about Turbines’ than we had last night in Thunder Bay. I was amazed and the number of people who turned out on such a beautiful night to hear our message and organize in advance of Horizon Wind Inc.’s most recent attempt at ‘public consultations’ on May 17 and 18th in the Thunder Bay area.
We did a lot to raise awareness about the inappropriate proposal for the Nor’Wester Escarpment. I was fortunate to have some time on AM 740 to speak to Dale Goldhawk about the Wind Concerns Ontario ‘Truth about Turbines Tour’ and my visit to Thunder Bay, and had a couple of interviews with local Thunder Bay TV News, and other local media here. It is critical that we tell our stories and I was happy to tell Thunder Bay’s tonight and to stand with them to fight.
Resident’s of Thunder Bay made it clear they are ready to stand up to fight the developer and local MPPs to protect the Nor’Wester Escarpment from Industrial Wind development.
There was a defiant, upbeat crowd that understands more than anyone the importance of protecting the Nor’Wester Escarpment and the Loch Lomand watershed protection land from clear cutting and blasting – something local residents, the provincial government and the local municipalities have pushed for, for almost a hundred years.
We had school age children, teens, young adults, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents at our rally standing in common purpose. It was an amazing sight!
I was asked to judge the Nor’Wester Escarpment Mountain Protection Committee’s drawing contest for young kids that saw about a dozen entries. Children were asked to draw the Nor’Wester escarpment in it’s current beauty as a reminder of what their parents, and grandparents are fighting to protect for their future. The winner received a new bike that was generously donated by members of the NEMPC committee.
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