June 6, 2013
Ontario

Middlesex woman named in Nextera lawsuit

by Fadi Didi | Bayshore Broadcasting Corporation | June 5, 2013 | www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca

After tucking in her children at 9 o’clock, Strathroy-area resident Esther Wrightman received a knock at the door and the delivery of a summons.

The Kerwood mother of two was served a court notice initiated by Nextera Energy Canada claiming she – among many things – used the company’s logo to mislead the public.

The allegation refers to videos posted on Wrightman’s website altering the Nextera logo to read “NexTerror” and “NextError.”

Bayshore Broadcasting News contacted Nextera for comment, but received no response.

It was five years ago she learned about the issues surrounding wind turbines when Nextera began planning a wind farm nearby.

It wasn’t long after Wrightman tells us she began making videos, which she describes as honest because of their lack of scripting or editing.

She says the first video featuring the altered Nextera logo was posted about a year ago, but claims she is not the originator of the terms “NextError” or “NextTerror.”

Wrightman tells Bayshore Broadcasting News the community commonly referred to Nextera using the two augmented names because of their reputation for rescheduling meetings, much to the community’s dismay.

Another video depicts the destruction of a bald eagle’s nest during the construction of an area wind project – to which Nextera received permission from the Ministry of the Environment to proceed.

When she first received the subpoena, Wrightman admits she was nerve-wracked but knew she would have to ultimately defend her stance against the wind giant.

Although Canadians are still awaiting the results of a Health Canada study into the effects of turbines, she believes the testimony of those claiming to be affected is enough proof.

She argues no one would willingly leave a home they’ve spent generations establishing because of a false perception of the effects of wind projects.

She says she needs to face this lawsuit head-on so others won’t have to in the future.

Wrightman jokes her kids – ages 7 and 10 – have adjusted well to the trouble their mother gets herself into.