March 2, 2011
Ontario, Press releases

Wind Concerns Ontario calls on leaders to ‘come clean’ on continuing taxpayer ‘wind welfare’ payments to industrial wind lobbyists

Wind Concerns Ontario

In response to a campaign launched by The Ontario Sustainable Energy Association, Environmental Defence, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Pembina Foundation and other Government of Ontario taxpayer funded ‘wind welfare’ recipients, Wind Concerns Ontario is calling on all candidates for Premier, and the Trillium Foundation to commit to end funding to these pro-industrial wind lobbying syndicates.

Since Dalton McGuinty became Premier, his government has funnelled $3,297,900 to these and other wind-campaigners through the Trillium Foundation. [Details at Wind Concerns Ontario]

The stated mission of the Trillium Foundation is “Building healthy and vibrant communities throughout Ontario by strengthening the capacity of the voluntary sector, through investments in community-based initiatives.”

“These professional, paid, and well-funded pro-wind campaigners are not volunteers, nor are they community based. They represent special interests and are parasites dependent on the government they praise and defend for the resources that enable their lobbying efforts. We want to see the government, end all funding to these organizations and for the Trillium Foundation to stick to its mission and stop funnelling millions of dollars to special interests that support the Liberal Party’s political efforts.” stated John Laforet, President of Wind Concerns Ontario, an independent, individual donor funded, grassroots coalition representing fifty-seven community groups around Ontario opposed to industrial wind development. “Wind Concerns Ontario will work to ensure the ‘wind welfare’ tap enabling professional campaigners to smear and mislead are turned off by a future government, because taxpayers shouldn’t be paying for this multi-million dollar pro-industry shenanigan.” He added.

Many of the groups behind ‘comeclean.ca’ were also behind the pro-industry, anti-science, anti-democracy Green Energy Act which has polarized Ontario’s politics, divided communities, and set about a massive organizing and voter mobilization effort to defeat Liberal MPPs in communities with industrial wind proposals and development by Wind Concerns Ontario.

Wind Concerns Ontario has launched http://endwindwelfare.ca, a campaign to allow the public to do their part to end this abuse of taxpayer funds for the Liberals partisan benefit between now and the October 6th 2011 provincial election.

For More Information Contact
John Laforet – President, Wind Concerns Ontario – 647 724 0600


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2011/03/02/wind-concerns-ontario-calls-on-leaders-to-come-clean-on-continuing-taxpayer-wind-welfare-payments-to-industrial-wind-lobbyists/