August 3, 2012
Ontario

Turbine protest, meeting

By Catherine Thompson | www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca 3 August 2012

More than a hundred vehicles and as many as three hundred people took part in a wind turbine protest parade and rally in Clearview Township on Thursday.

The day started with a news conference at the Collingwood Regional Airport where the focus was safety concerns to air traffic.

Eight 500 foot wind turbines are planned and four of them would be close to the airport.

Airport officials are concerned they may have to spend 50 thousand dollars to change landing procedures if the wind turbine development goes through.

Following the news conference, protestors gathered at Clearview Nurseries on County Road 91 in Clearview Township, near where the turbines would go.

Organizers say the turnout was pretty much the same as the rally held a year ago.

A parade of farm vehicles, school buses and many other forms of transportation arrived at the WPD Canada information meeting at the Stayner Community Centre after about an hour and a half.

There were effigies of Andrea Horvath representing all NDP MPPs and also one of Dalton McGuinty with a sign under it that read, “Stop the turbines now. Liberal MPPs destroy rural Ontario communities.”

There were speakers outside the meeting, giving the message that everyone concerned should sign a petition and send letters to Dalton McGuinty saying the process for wind turbine developments needs to be changed to give municipalities more control.

During the rally and parade, WPD held a news conference at the Stayner Community Centre.

President Ian McCrae says they commissioned research that he says shows there are aviation rules and processes in place to ensure the wind turbine development and the Collingwood airport can co-exist in a safe manner.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/08/03/turbine-protest-meeting/