The appellants for the Enbridge Ontario Wind Power Project completed their side of the hearing last week and now time will tell how much of an impact their testimony will have on the project.
Their witnesses came from a variety of backgrounds, with a planner, a number of neighbours to similar wind farms and local residents all putting in their two cents.
Daniel d’Entremont was probably the most impactful “˜lay’ witness, as he lived 300-metres from the closest turbine at his home in Nova Scotia. He claims he and his family, were driven from their homes by the turbine noise. He has since been forced to leave the home he built with his own hands and can’t sell it, because who would want to live that close to a giant?
The closest turbine to a home within the Municipality of Kincardine is expected to be 450 metres, so will similar complaints come forward as the 110-turbine project is erected? What it depends on is the sensitivity of the “˜receptor’ and how much noise they’re willing to put up with.
The ambient sound of the countryside is quiet, with the sounds of the wind, crops blowing or trees nearby the only sounds to be heard. Installing turbines in these areas may just add an industrial noise to the mix, kind of like a squeaky hinge, or some may not even notice the noise at all. It all depends on the person and the property.
Will Enbridge be willing to assist residents in relocating if it turns out they can’t stand the sound? Will property values be impacted? How will it impact the community?
These are a few questions that can’t be truly answered until the project is put up.
Half the 110-turbine project has been appealed, while half is already approved, so the real question is what impact the hearing will have, if any, on the finished product.
The Kincardine News
15 may 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/05/15/wind-power-witnesses-make-good-points/