August 28, 2010
Ontario

Opinion split on wind farms, mayor says

Dale Carruthers, The Observer, 28 August 2010

Brooke-Alvinston Township is one step closer to becoming the home to a new wind farm.

Green Breeze Energy has moved forward with its provincial environment approvals process by holding a second and final public information meeting at the Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood Community Centre in Alvinston this week.

The only step remaining before Green Breeze can move ahead with plans to build the four-turbine project on Zephyr Farms, located southwest of Watford between Ebenezer and Old Walnut roads, just south of Churchill Line, is to submit a report to the Ministry of the Environment.

“Unless they find something really wrong, they will likely approve it,” said Brooke-Alvinston Mayor Don McGugan.

Green Breeze, a Canadian wind division for Oneworld Energy, and Stantec Consulting, the engineering firm for the proposed project, set up several information booths at last night’s meeting to answer questions from the public and provide information on everything from why green energy is good to the effect turbines will have on wildlife.

“It’s strictly an information meeting tonight,” McGugan said.

If approved, Zephyr would start construction in the summer of 2011, bringing the number of turbines in Lambton County to 15.

“The community is split on the pros and cons of wind turbines,” McGugan said, adding council can’t stop the project from moving forward.

“The township can’t turn it down … we don’t have that right.”

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/08/28/opinion-split-on-wind-farms-mayor-says/