Seven suggestions for Melancthon Council

Following are excerpts from an open letter to Melancthon Council, a copy of which was submitted for publication:

Let me help you, our Melancthon Council, by telling you the truth.

Within the month, I believe you will receive three documents from the Highlands Companies, Jerry Jordan, and Mr. Andrew Osyany:

1. A wind turbine proposal;

2. An aggregate and limestone quarry proposal;

3. An official zoning draft plan document.

Any objection by Council will force the matters before Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearings.

The very first thing you must do is hire a different lawyer other than Mr. Osyany. My reasons are many, but I don’t wish to discuss them at this point.

The second thing you must do is not sign up for any more turbines until the proper setbacks are established. The Ministry of the Environment has proposed a 550-metre setback from the turbine base to a person’s back door, and greater setback distances when more turbines are in place.

This may be a step in the right direction; however, the setbacks should be 2 km from the base of the turbine to a person’s property line. Anything shy of this is criminal because it affects the property value, and health of the affected rural homeowner.

Even those who have signed up for turbines are victimized, with the noise, flicker and resultant health problems.

Third, you as our Council should demand hazard pay for affected residents, or alternatively help people create a class action lawsuit for all “Noise Pollution”- affected residents. Perhaps this will help with all the annoyance they have had to live with, and help pay their medical bills.

Despite the new setback regulations from the MOE, their suffering is being “grandfathered”, so they are basically being abandoned. The noise results are flawed because of improper testing techniques. The noise tests are supposed to be done for one hour, but if after 10 minutes of testing the turbines record 60 dBA, the tests are stopped, and resumed later. Technically, the noise tests don’t fail, but in reality if conducted for the entire hour they would fail.

In Barbara Ashbee’s case, 11 turbines surrounded her home. She was a small property owner, surrounded by three large farms. The day the testing was done at her home, half the turbines were shut down prior to noise testing, and the blades were angled in a way to reduce the noise.

Perhaps she too has received a deal for her silence. The truth is not being released to the media, because people sign non-disclosure documentation, prior to making a deal to sell their homes and move.

Developers are quickly buying up those homeowners who are negatively affected, and in some cases are demolishing their homes.

Also, many of these homes are being bought below property value, as revealed by Angela Jara and Michael Treblicock.

Many residents living in wind farms want to move due to medical complications due to improper setbacks.

The fourth thing Council should do is demand funds for a LEAR study, and support a specialty crop designation. We need to protect our source water and agricultural farmland.

This means you don’t accept the Draft Official Plan that Jerry Jorden has prepared. This Draft plan looks almost identical to the aggregate map. Therefore, I believe this is not good planning, because it does not protect our cropland under specialty crop.

It does not protect our open space conservation areas. It does not protect our source water. It does not document the major river systems, and those areas it feeds downstream.

It does not document the migration routes, or ecosystems or breeding areas that must be protected. It does not document endangered or threatened species or where they are located.

It does not detail the specifics of our soil. For example, it does not detail that it is on average 25 feet deep. It does not detail the climatic conditions.

These studies have not all been done, so how can they be included in the Draft map?

The LEAR study will identify class 1, 2, and 3 soils and recommend specialty crop designation areas within Dufferin County.

In North Dufferin, NDACT has already received support from the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) that we should have a Specialty Crop designation for our soils which produce half of Ontario’s potatoes, and are on average 25 feet deep, with cool climatic conditions, neutral PH, and adequate water quantity and flow.

Melancthon Council and Dufferin County Council, why are you not focused on protecting this land? The last thing we need is an open pit mine below the water table to pollute our source water, have wells go dry, and destroy our heritage of farming.

The fifth thing that Council must do is hire some “experts”.

At the OMB, they only rely on the testimony of “experts”, and this is where everything is heading. These experts must do their own independent studies, which will eventually be compared at the OMB hearings.

Also, reports must be released to the people, for input. For example, environmental reports dealing with bat populations are lacking. Bats are mammals, and have air sacks that inflate and deflate for breathing.

When bats are in the low pressure areas next to wind turbines their air sacks burst and they suffocate.

What mitigation does Melancthon have for bat deaths? Some studies have shown that the death rate can be reduced by 50% using various techniques.

The environmental matters are far-reaching, and the industrialization of our limited natural resources is insanity.

Wind turbines are not green. The 40 ready mix truck loads of concrete per base; the vibrational compaction of our croplands leading to less fertile soil; the bird and bat kill; the 2.6 barrels of synthetic turbine oil used in the gearboxes that is changed twice per year per turbine, that is hazardous to water; the displacement of animal populations, including man.

Go to wind concerns, www.windconcerns.com to gain knowledge on the aftermath of wind turbine torture, and the bat report.

The sixth thing Council must do is to inform Mr. Michael Daniher (Highland Company lawyer representing Mr. Lowndes), that he must not threaten citizens who come to Council meetings.

Not once has John Lowndes had the nerve to show his face. Highlands Company wants your signature and support, so they are being “nice” to you now.

Just wait and see how you and Melancthon residents are treated after you have signed everything. Lawyer Osyany wants you to sign. I suspect that Melancthon Council is not this oblivious. There must be another explanation.

The seventh thing Council must do is support their ratepayers, by listening to concerns and not giving up. Otherwise, are you really representing your constituents?

Why am I paying taxes? If all the development is approved and signed off, my water may be contaminated, my well may go dry, my property value may go down the toilet, the biodiversity of our region may be destroyed, and our productive farmland will look like the Caledon pit. We may be forced to sell for a fraction of what our home is really worth.

Melancthon Council, why are the wishes of five Councillors, one lawyer and one planner all that is needed to destroy the future of our community? Why is North Dufferin abandoned by Dufferin County, and left to fend for itself? Our forefathers will be revolving in their graves!

How do you sleep at night?

In conclusion, I want to know if and when you our Melancthon Council will implement my seven suggestions?

If not, you might as well pack your bags.

Sincerely, Joan Lever.

citizen.on.ca

July 16, 2009

Tags: Wind power, Wind energy

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