National Wind Watch: Wind Energy News » Council appeals to county over West Road

South Bruce Peninsula council is appealing to Bruce County to have the west road turned back to the municipality as a local road.

The decision comes after hearing a recommendation to widen the now designated collector road to 100 feet, from its current 66 feet.

Mayor Jackson says the municipal takeover of the road would mean lessened anxiety over a potential 275 strong wind turbine farm slated for the Bruce Peninsula.

Both South Bruce Peninsula and the municipality of Northern Bruce have went on record stating they are unwilling hosts for the turbine project.

“Council decided to appeal to Bruce County to have an official plan amendment to turn the west road back to a local road… It will go to Bruce county, and I imagine it will be brought forward to county council,” said Jackson.

Deputy Mayor Kirkland says he’s concerned with Bruce turning the road back over to the municipality and then having South Bruce Peninsula taxpayers held accountable for a road that needs to be brought up to standard.

“It’s in definite need of repair. I don’t disagree with county repairing the road – bringing it back up to a passable standard, hoping staying within the 66 feet to do so,” said Kirkland.

Kirkland says that the province of Ontario is in favour of building the turbine farm, but Bruce county has said in their mandate that they will “abide by their municipalities wishes,” meaning in theory the county is also an unwilling host for a provincially favoured wind turbine farm on the Peninsula.

Kirkland says maybe there’s talk of a widened collector road being used as a hydro corridor, but he can’t see anything in the county’s writings that it’s the case.

“The concerns about a hydro corridor – I believe a hydro corridor can go anywhere. Across private lands, down municipal roads, down provincial roads. So I don’t believe that argument is the one that I’m concerned about.”