September 11, 2010
Ontario

Opposition is growing to proposals to permit wind farms in Lake Huron

By Jonathan Sher, The London Free Press, www.lfpress.com 10 September 2010

Wind farms shouldn’t be allowed offshore in Lake Huron until there is peer-reviewed research to assess risks to the lake and its shoreline, an advocacy group says.

The Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation was formed in 1998 by former conservation officials after environmental cuts by the Mike Harris-led Tory government.

But now the centre has set its sights on the push by Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals to create wind farms across the province – there have been 12 applications to build them offshore in Lake Huron.

“We felt there wasn’t enough research to understand what the implications are,” said Geoff Peach, who spent 10 years co-ordinating shoreline management for the Saugeen Valley and Maitland Valley conservation authorities.