National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News » Wind power opponents taking message to Ontario Liberal leadership contenders Sunday

Manvers Wind Concerns, a group formed to fight industrial wind turbines in the Bethany-Pontypool areas, will take part in a Sunday protest at the Liberal leadership debate in Ajax.

In an email invitation, organizers said it would be an opportunity to “let the Liberal candidates for leadership of the party failing rural Ontario (to) know how you feel.”

The protest is to begin from noon and go until about 3 p.m. outside the debate at the Ajax Convention Centre.

Organizers said “industrial wind turbines and the governments’ renewable energy programs are scandalous. They have nothing to do with protecting the planet, reducing fossil fuel usage, or producing so called clean energy. They are all about the money, promoted for the money, by the money, and accomplished with your money.”

The Settler’s Landing and Snowy Ridge wind farm projects are each located off Hwy. 35, the former just west of the highway and south of Telecom Rd., near Pontypool, and the latter just east of Hwy. 35, north of Hwy. 7A. Each project consists of five turbines placed over a stretch of 1 1/2 to two kilometres, David Eva, the project manager for Sprott Power Corp., told QMI Agency at the meeting.

“We are here to present the current design of the projects to the community, to elicit feedback and address any concerns or questions the community might have,” Eva said.

City of Kawartha Lakes Ward 16 Coun. Heather Stauble said the municipality has called for a moratorium on projects, a clinical health study, increased setbacks to two kilometres from 550 metres and a full environmental assessment.

“At the end of the day, the reason they have caused such a problem here is that there just isn’t enough room for them,” Stauble said. “You can’t fit them here and even maintain the 550-metre setback to all of the residents. There’s just not enough room for all these turbines.”

As well, she said, residents are concerned about noise and because both projects are partly on the environmentally sensitive Oak Ridges Moraine.

Public meetings are planned for next two weeks in the area.

Following the meetings, proponents Sprott Power Corp., Zero Emission People and M.K. Ince will apply to the Ministry of the Environment for a renewable energy approval. They will submit their reports and a consultation report following this public meeting.

The ministry will then review their application. They may determine that the application is incomplete and send it back for further work or they may post it on the EBR site for comments by the public. If approved by the province, the two wind farms are planned to begin operation in late 2014.

lisa.gervais@sunmedia.ca

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Next steps

Proponents of the Snowy Ridge and Settlers Landing wind projects in the Bethany area have scheduled final meetings for next week. They include:

• Snowy Ridge, Jan. 10, Rolling Hills Public School, Hwy. 7A and 35 from 7 to 10 p.m.

• Snowy Ridge, Jan. 11, Pontypool Community Centre, 254 John St., Pontypool from 3 to 8 p.m.

• Settlers Landing, Jan. 17, Rolling Hills Public School from 7 to 10 p.m.