Wind Concerns Ontario Five, Sierra Club Zero 

In Mid-February Sierra Club Executive Director John Bennett questioned whether the backlash to industrial wind energy in Ontario was real. He demonstrated his ignorance on the file by suggesting opponents of industrial wind were Progressive Conservative party operatives, not regular folks. The Sierra Club called on its members to flood in the inboxes of Wainfleet Council where Wind Concerns Ontario had been working with local citizens for just over a month, in hopes of stopping yet another call from a rural community for a moratorium.

Last night, the Sierra Club and the 800 campaigners from everywhere but Wainfleet who spammed the township failed, as Council voted unanimously to stand with Wind Concerns Ontario and local residents who want a local moratorium.

“Last night proved democracy is alive and well in rural communities around Ontario even if the Sierra Club doesn’t like it, as Wainfleet Council listened to local residents and shut out paid professional special interests like Sierra Club who haven’t got a clue what’s going on real communities around this province” said John Laforet, President of Wind Concerns Ontario who organized a meeting with local residents in Wainfleet in January and urged Council to pass a motion of moratorium again in a deputation last night.

Wainfleet Council in a recorded vote, passed unanimously a motion calling on the Province of Ontario to put in place a moratorium on all wind development until a proper health study is done, and local planning control is restored, joining seventy six other communities who represent over two million Ontarians who have already moved motions of moratorium.
The Sierra Club demonstrated how little credibility they have and deserve on the issue of industrial wind energy

“The Sierra Club demonstrated how little credibility they have and deserve on the issue of industrial wind energy, a debate they joined two years too late and one where they have shamefully decided to defend industry over citizens. The Sierra Club’s campaign wasn’t based in fact, and damaged their reputation with tens of thousands of rural Ontarians. It showed how out of touch paid professional lobbyists like John Bennett, Sierra Club’s Executive Director, are in communities around Ontario.” John Laforet added. “Last night they couldn’t attract a single vote, and Bennett claims this is one of the biggest campaigns like this they’ve ever done? That’s pathetic. It’s clear the lesson here is, local citizens will always prevail over the abuse, innuendo, smears attacks and bullying tactics employed by the Sierra Club in Wainfleet.”

Wind Concerns Ontario has responded to the unprecedented attacks from groups like the Sierra Club by launching endwindwelfare.ca a tool that allows citizens to write to party leaders in Ontario seeking to cut off taxpayer funds from NGOs engaged in smear campaigns in defense of the Ontario Liberal Party’s failed energy policy. So far hundreds of Ontarians have taken the opportunity to do so.