National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News » Wind turbine objections not just hot air, say critics

If Dunnville residents don’t fight wind turbine development in Haldimand, the community will face serious health and economic repercussions.

That was the message shared Thursday night with about 100 residents at the Dunnville Optimist Hall, the latest stop on Wind Concerns Ontario’s Truth about Turbines tour.

John Laforet, president of Wind Concerns Ontario, has been touring the province for the past six weeks, spreading the message of why communities should be concerned about wind energy development.

He explained there are three massive wind farm projects being planned in Haldimand County that combined represent hundreds of turbines.

“I think Dunnville residents have to be concerned about all projects, and the reason is it’s an invasion of Haldimand County,” said Laforet.

“If (wind farm developers) start devaluing property in Haldimand County, they’re going to devalue the tax base. If people start getting sick in Haldimand County, homes are going to be worth less because the real estate market becomes radioactive.”

Dunnville, he said, faces having its community and economy “gutted” with the installation of wind turbines “anywhere in the area.”

Laforet was joined on the local leg of the Truth about Turbines tour by researcher Carmen Krogh, who said citizens must press government to take a closer look at the health implications of wind turbines.

“We’ve got a real problem here,” said Krogh. “We’ve caught up with the science. Symptoms are real, and they’re happening.”

She said the low-frequency sound and flickering shadows created by wind turbines have been linked to health problems ranging from ear pain and headaches to vertigo and heart palpitations.

Tim Grech, owner and operator of the Niagara Skydive Centre which operates out of the Dunnville Airport, said the whirl of turbines will be the death knell for aviation in Dunnville.

“Last October the owner of the airport came to me and told me that he had entered into an agreement with Samsung to erect six wind turbines on the airport property,” said Grech.

“He also told me that he was going to decertify the property as an airport, and that his expectation was that wind turbines would generate more money than airports would.

“Quite frankly, if wind turbines go up, all aviation will stop at the Dunnville airport,” he said.

Visit www.dunnvillechronicle.com next week for a full report on the Dunnville stop of the Truth about Turbines tour.