March 10, 2012
Ontario

Wind motion voted down

by Peter Jackson, www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca 9 March 2012

The Progressive Conservative MPP for Huron-Bruce and her party say they’re not finished yet in trying to gain a pause in wind turbine developments across our province.

Lisa Thompson’s motion calling for a moratorium on turbine development was defeated in the Legislature on Thursday.

The vote brought a silent demonstration in the House as spectators in the public gallery stood up and turned their backs on MPP’s.

Thompson says it’s something veteran members had never seen before.

She says the PC’s will pursue the wind turbine issue.

Party Leader Tim Hudak plans to use an Opposition Day in the Legislature to introduce a Private Member’s bill to repeat the call for a moratorium.

Thompson says the outcome of her motion is frustrating because many MPP’s who opposed it represent urban ridings whose constituents have little interest in the issue.

She recalls it was a former Tory cabinet minister who initially called for an end to coal-fired electrical generating stations.

Kitchener MPP Elizabeth Witmer called for the plants to be mothballed because of carbon emissions.

Thompson says the McGuinty government has done nothing on that issue except push back deadlines on coal plant closures.

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MPP Bill Walker’s Statement About the Defeat of the PC’s Wind Moratorium Motion

March 8, 2012

I’m troubled that the Liberal and NDP members have again turned their back on rural Ontario by refusing to review the wind energy impacts.

Our province needs a new and improved approach to energy policies, one that will respect our ability to pay the bill, respect local decisions and clear up any health concerns through an independent third-party study. These are critical issues that must be addressed. To continue to ignore these concerns is detrimental to our long-term interests.

Today’s vote on our moratorium motion presented by my colleague Lisa Thompson proves that the McGuinty Liberals’ statement that they listen and want to work together is nothing more than political rhetoric.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/03/10/wind-motion-voted-down/