Posts Tagged ‘Green Energy Act Regulations’
Between Legal Action and Resolutions in the Legislature – It’s Clear Green Energy Act Backfired
As I said when called for comment by the Canadian Press on the legal action launched by Ian Hanna, Wind Concerns Ontario supports Ian Hanna’s courageous decision to seek legal action against what is probably the most irresponsible and undemocratic piece of legislation that has been passed by this government. We’ve been warning government and industry since February that they were on the wrong track and promised we would not go away quietly.
It is a sad day on Ontario when a resident has to sue the government to have their health protected. But the successful lobbying of the wind industry has made that the reality in Ontario today.
In a meeting between the Canadian Wind Energy Association and Wind Concerns Ontario, Robert Hornung, the President of CanWEA ignored pleas from our medical experts to call for an independent third party epidemiological study into the effects of poorly sited turbines on human health. In response to his repeated and totally lame answer ‘well we’re not seeing this in other jurisdictions (other jurisdictions have real regulations and recognize the precautionary principle in planning and also didn’t seek to dismantle democracy or environmental planning)’ my response was simple ‘your problem is in Ontario’. We each repeated ourselves two or three times on this point.
I told Hornung in that meeting that they can win all the back room victories they want through lobbying because that isn’t where the ballot boxes are kept and that once we lost our procedural rights, our own options would be legal and political. When the new regulations were announced last month, it was clear we had lost our procedural rights in the interest of the wind industry’s right to our money – which we’ll all be paying when our electricity bills go up 12% by 2011 (this doesn’t include power increases or the HST, this is just the fantasy ’smart’ grid needed to allow these stupid projects to sell power into the grid, the occasional time they produce it). I applaud the personal strength of Ian Hanna who has been brave enough to take on the government and stand up for the health of Ontarians. I am certain tens of thousands of residents across Ontario will be lining up in support of him. I know I am.
Many of us are also lining up in support of a motion to be introduced in the legislature on October 29th 2009 calling on the government to put in place a moratorium on all new industrial wind projects until proper health studies have been done. The proposal has been endorsed by the medical officer of health for Bruce Grey and is receiving support from around Ontario.
This joins a growing worldwide push in recent weeks by medical professionals to study the health impacts and end the industry backed plan of ignoring the legitimate suffering of individuals. There are over 100 people in Ontario suffering ill effects. It is no coincidence that Canadian Hydro Developers got into the real estate business in a big way, to the tune of nearly two million dollars over three years near one of their projects. It wasn’t because they liked the view – its because they were making people sick and decided two million bucks was a better voluntary solution to whatever the courts would throw at them.
I am hopeful on October 29th the legislature will pass a resolution recognizing the need to stop what we’re doing until we’ve studied the effects. I believe this position is in line with statements made by both the NDP and PC parties and hope at the very least, each of them will be voting to protect human health in rural Ontario from these carpet bagging developers that are tearing communities apart and using the law they’ve written and paid for through massive donations to the Ontario Liberal Party as justification.
5 Comments »Bayshore Broadcasting News Centre: Wind Regulations Opposed
Below is a news item from Bayshore Broadcasting News Centre on the Wind Concerns Ontario reaction to the new regulations.
Wind Regulations Opposed
September 24th 2009
by John Divinski
Ontario’s set of regulations governing the location of green energy sources in Ontario are not getting a good report card from some circles.
The President of Wind Concerns Ontario John LaForet says the regulations are woefully inadequate.
The rules state projects of five industrial wind turbines or less will have to be at least 550 metres away from the nearest home.
The great the number of turbines, the greater distance they’lkl have to be away from residential areas.
LaForet says the distance is no where near what other jurisdictions are doing to protect human health.
He says the cost of an extra few metres from a residential area is nothing compared to the cost of concerned citizens losing their democratic rights.
LaForet says he can’t see any reason why a wind turbine development should be treated any differently than any other kind of development across the province.
He suggests the regulations are being forced on us without any dialogue and the Green Energy Act allows wind turbine companies to come in and set up shop without the blessing of any given community.
Efforts to contact the President of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, Robert Hornung have been unsuccessful.
1 Comment »Wind Concerns Ontario Will Be Responding to Green Energy Act Regulation Announcement
I will be responding to the Green Energy Act regulations cabinet has passed and will announce today, once they are available. I don’t have much to say having not yet seen a final draft of what the Minister is to announce, but will be as soon as they are available.
Members of Wind Concerns Ontario are galvanized, energized and have always been prepared to take on government and industry for irresponsible regulations that hurt human health, deny science, damage the environment, harm our democracy and hurt our community decision making.
While I always hold out hope the government will listen to us, I remain pessimistic as I await a copy of the final regulations. I expect today will be like every other day, and that our members will find themselves continuing to fight hard against this industry and it’s irresponsible projects.
The difference is now that the regulations are in place, there is little left to discuss, especially once offshore regulations are decided, and it is quickly becoming a time for action.
More comments later.
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