January 6, 2012
Ontario

Wind opponents rally at Fort George event

www.niagarathisweek.com 5 January 2012

Members of a concerned citizens group took David Onley’s Christmas message to heart.
The lieutenant governor stressed the importance of being a good neighbour in his Christmas message to Ontarians, a notion that the West Lincoln Wind Action Group is taking to heart. On New Year’s Day, a contingency of wind turbine opponents headed to the honourable David C. Onley’s New Year’s Levee, taking place at Fort George, with a message. Just outside the gates of the fort in Niagara-on-the-Lake, members of the West Lincoln Wing Action Group staged a small protest. Members were seen carrying placards. Those placards were not allowed inside the fort, but chairman Neil Switzer made it in to hand deliver a message to the lieutenant governor.
“We note your Christmas message where you stressed the importance of being a good neighbour and undoubtedly the current application of the Green Energy Act is the source of the greatest conflict between neighbours in decades and hence we beseech your support of the proposed moratorium to assist in promoting a fair, balanced and just form of government within the Province of Ontario,” read the letter from Switzer on behalf of the citizen’s group. The letter requested Onley’s support in the group’s appeal to the Ontario government to enact a moratorium on all industrial wind turbines until a comprehensive, independent and peer-reviewed scientific study can confirm turbines pose no risk to the community, the health of its citizens, property values and the environment.
Similar resolution have been passed by several Ontario municipalities, including West Lincoln, where two turbine projects are to go. Niagara Region Wind Corporation has been given initial approval under the act to build a 230-megawatt wind farm in the West Lincoln area. IPC Energy has also been given initial approval for a smaller, 1.8-megawatt turbine farm in Caistor Centre.
“It was a last minute idea that we had that morning,” said Cam Pritchard, spokesperson for the wind group. “We went there with our buttons and our sings and our letter.”
The group staged a peaceful protest outside the tent where Onley received guests. Police asked that they leave their placards outside when they make their way to greet the lieutenant governor, said Pritchard.
The reason the group directed their message to Onley was because of recent remarks made by Prince Philip regarding wind turbines. The Queen’s husband reportedly said that turbines were a disgrace and that they would never work. He also accused supporters of believing in fairy tales. Following on those remarks, WLWAG took their concerns to the Queen’s Ontario representative, Onley, in hopes that he would forward them on. The group also plan to send to the prince.
“As part of the British Commonwealth, he needs to send back to his representatives what is happening in Canada,” Pritchard said. “They need to be aware that we are unhappy, the people of rural Ontario are unhappy.”
Onley’s staff received the letter and a second one from Pritchard regarding concerns of how the storeys-high turbines will interfere with airport radar.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/01/06/wind-opponents-rally-at-fort-george-event/