October 23, 2013
Ontario

Rally boosts wind opponents’ determination

Hwy. 402 protest organizer says public support is strong | By Paul Morden, Sarnia Observer | Wednesday, October 23, 2013 | www.theobserver.ca

An organizer of last Saturday’s anti-wind turbine protest on Highway 402 said she expects that any future large-scale protests by wind energy opponents will be organized provincially.

Marcelle Brooks and Muriel Blair, with the Middlesex-Lambton Wind Action Group, put together the protest involving about 150 vehicles that shut down a section of the highway as they travelled from the Forest Road intersection to a rally in Strathroy.

Their aim was to draw Premier Kathleen Wynne’s attention to the opposition to wind farm developments in rural Ontario.

“Our rally, if nothing else, brought us together and just refueled our determination,” Brooks said.

But, Brooks added that she doesn’t expect the Middlesex-Lambton Wind Action Group will be taking the lead planning duties on large protest events in the future.

“It was an exciting event to be a part of,” Brooks said, but also stressful.

Brooks said she arrived at the starting point 40 minutes ahead of time Saturday and several vehicles were already waiting to joint the rally.

“People just kept coming for over an hour,” she said.

“We had no clue how many people to expect. We just put the call out and hoped for the best.”

Brooks said she believes public support for the position of wind turbine opponents is stronger today than it was when she became involved in the issue five years ago, but added that getting the message out, without alienating the public, is always a concern.

“Sometimes people are unwilling to acknowledge issues that don’t concern them,” Brooks said.

“And there’s nothing you can do for folks like that, but it doesn’t stop you from doing what you need to do.”

Brooks lives in a rural area of Lambton Shores where wind projects by Nextera Energy and Suncor are proposed.

Nextera is holding a new round of public meetings this week into its 92-turbine Jericho Wind Energy Centre planned for Lambton Shores and Warwick Township.

Following Saturday’s rally, Dave Griffiths, a leader with Wind Concerns Ontario, told QMI Agency the next step could be a similar protest along Highway 401, ending at Queen’s Park.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/10/23/rally-boosts-wind-opponents-determination/