April 4, 2014
Ontario
Ontario
Samsung wind project dead; Southgate Council votes against the wind project with unwilling host status
April 3, 2014 | www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca
April 3, 2014 | www.bayshorebroadcasting.ca
The large wind turbine project in Southgate has apparently died on the Council floor.
Mayor Brian Milne says the Samsung Pattern Energy project needed willing host status from the Township to move ahead.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Milne says Council voted unanimously to stop the wind project by declaring itself “an unwilling host.”
Milne tells Bayshore Broadcasting News there was no way the township could resolve a number of issues it had with the project, without more control.
He says it was apparent the project would tear the community apart.
Samsung needed willing host status to move ahead with its 50 turbine, 120-megawatt wind farm proposal.
Milne applauds the province for giving them that out clause, and the ability to say no – but Milne wishes the province would give them site plan control.
Instead, Milne says Council had to say yes, with no conditions.
He notes just three weeks ago, Southgate was in the process of considering being a willing host.
But Milne says that was only if they could come to terms on a agreement on a number of issues – which included a good neighbour policy and issues around health and property values.
But Milne says they couldn’t come to those terms, and they had no choice but to stop the project.
The decision comes even after Samsung offered Southgate a total of 5.1 million dollars over 20 years, provided Council supported the project.
Milne says he talked to a number of ratepayers, both for and against the project, but he says the majority were against wind turbines in Southgate.
Milne brought the resolution to council Wednesday night.
The move has nothing to do with the current solar panel project in Southgate.