The winds of change stall
When Toronto Hydro announced on Oct. 23 it had approved building a wind research platform on Lake Ontario, it was supposed to be a vital step toward the development of sustainable energy in the province.
But since then, opposition and uncertainty have left these accomplishments up in the air.
The gang-up on Deputy Premier George Smitherman by Ontario cabinet ministers in a meeting last Wednesday prevented a bid by Samsung to build wind turbines in Ontario. This has not only disrupted building progress, which was slated to begin last week a few kilometres off the Scarborough Bluffs, but it has also exposed the lack of legitimate planning in the entire project.
But the most glaring example of this underestimation of the process is most apparent in the media coverage, which has translated into a lack of general knowledge about wind energy altogether.
Of course the role of a newspaper shouldn’t be to provide every single detail, but it should give a clear-cut understanding of all the processes involved. This means not just stating that wind turbines may cause whatever health problems, but actually saying what those negative effects are.
After speaking to concerned residents of Guildwood and local politicians, the most obvious problem is the lack of understanding about the process the government is seemingly jamming down their throats.
However, this doesn’t exclude individuals from doing their own research.
Though debate will always reverberate in the issue of wind energy’s benefits, it shouldn’t omit those affected from pulling their own weight in how they relate to the matter.
Anyone who cares about how their energy will be handled in the future should take the initiative to educate themselves about the factors affecting wind energy.
Unlike energy normally wasted on everyday activities, time spent understanding what will affect our future is no different than the resources necessary to make a grand operation such as this work out.
Tevy Pilc
The Toronto Observer
9 November 2009
Tags: Wind power, Wind energy
Some possibly related stories:
- Wind anemometer meeting a three-ring circus
- Bill halting wind farms stalled by MPPs
- Health fears blown off: MPP’s turbine moratorium stalls
- Update on the Green Energy Act, Toronto Hydro's antics and the great work happening on the ground in Guildwood
- Green energy bill angers Guildwood residents
- Smitherman has to go
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