Keep protesting, it really does work
Chris Fell | Nov. 02, 2012 | www.simcoe.com
“What can we do?”
That was the question from one local resident at the end of a meeting that opponents of industrial wind turbines invading our rural landscape held in Maxwell last week.
The person who asked the question wanted to know what everyday people could do to continue to protest against industrial turbines destroying rural areas. They wanted to know how they could defeat the McGuinty government’s draconian Green Energy Act. They wanted to know how to protect their homes, their investments and the homes and investments of their neighbours and friends.
What can they do?
My answer: exactly what they are currently doing. It’s working!
My advice to all those people who don’t want to see the rural countryside destroyed by an invasion of wind turbines that we don’t need is this: keep doing what you’re doing now.
Dalton McGuinty’s resignation as Premier of Ontario is a direct result of wind turbine protests (among other things).
The publicity this issue has generated has been staggering. Before the provincial election last October there was a significant turbine protest at a campaign event at Meaford Hall hosted by the local Liberal candidate. Covering that protest was a columnist for the Toronto Star who told me that it was possible that the loss of a few rural seats would deny McGuinty a majority government.
This turned out to be completely true. Liberal MPPs John Wilkinson and Carol Mitchell both lost their rural seats – largely due the anger about the government’s energy policies. At the end of the election the Liberals fell one seat short of a majority. Those two seats would have made the difference.
The collapse of the Liberal rural vote during the election caused panic in the party and they worried this was the kind of sentiment that could spread to other more urban ridings. It was that thinking that led to the sudden cancellation of two new gas plants in Liberal ridings (estimated cost $300 to $700 million).
The minority legislature gave the opposition parties the numbers to fully investigate the gas plant decision, which in turn directly led McGuinty to resign and shutter the legislature.
Essentially, Dalton McGuinty is soon going to step down because he lost two seats in rural Ontario.
My point is simple: make yourself heard. You voice is important and it can be effective.
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/11/03/keep-protesting-it-really-does-work/