Letter: Request for Province-Wide Moratorium and Comprehensive Health Study

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To: The Honourable George Smitherman, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure
To: The Honourable David Caplan, Minister of Health and Long Term Care
To: The Honourable John Gerretsen, Minister of the Environment
To: The Honourable Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario

RE: Request for Province Wide Moratorium and Comprehensive Health Study

The controversy of whether turbines and wind farms produce adverse health effects continues to arise almost exclusively from the lack of current statistically reliable and accurate data. As well, those that are being adversely affected are coming forward on a daily basis, increasing this controversy. Furthermore, many of these people are being bought out in exchange for them signing non-disclosure agreements preventing them to speak with anyone about their issue, which makes us even more disconcerted.

Current Ministry of the Environment guidelines result in minimum setbacks for commercial wind turbines (i.e., 1.5 to 2.0 MW nameplate capacity) in rural areas of approximately 400 metres from residences.1 In addition, these setbacks appear to be based on noise levels only, which is not acceptable. Current residential setbacks in the UK and France are 800 metres and 1500 metres, respectively. Most medical and research professionals today recommend a minimum setback of 2.0 km2.

We, as Canadian and Ontario Citizens respectfully request the following:

That a solid, comprehensive, repeatable and accurate statistical health study be done by an independent organization;
That the setbacks from residences reflect this data, as well as benchmarks set by those countries that have more experience with wind turbines than Ontario and by those recommendations from the professionals, and
That a province-wide moratorium on all wind farms be put in place immediately until such a study is met.

We are making these requests due to the fact that there have been no comprehensive statistically valid health studies done to date (there are only three doctors worldwide that are currently studying the effects of turbines on humans3). There are many studies done in Ontario that are based on a literature review only, which lack the reliability of a statistically based study. In addition, none of these studies are being conducted on any community where exposures to wind turbines are currently being experienced4.

We feel it is the responsibility of the Province of Ontario to conduct such a study. We as citizens, have the right to know if these turbines are a public threat and we are requesting that you take immediate action on this issue.

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