August 23, 2021
Letters, Ontario

Investigate wind turbine health complaints

LETTER: Investigate wind turbine health complaints | Farmers Forum | August 23, 2021 | farmersforum.com

As Canadians and residents of Ontario we are fortunate that all levels of government are required to protect the health of the people: the question is how the laws are applied to industrial scale wind turbines.

As a country, Canada recognizes the World Health Organization’s definition of health which is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

Since before the implementation of the Green Energy Act of 2009, noise and adverse health incident reports have been filed with the ministries of environment and local health units. People met with Premier McGuinty and pleaded with him to place a moratorium on such projects until the health issues could be reviewed and a solution found.

In 2011, in Ontario’s Legislature, MPP John O’Toole (father of Erin O’Toole) asked for a “moratorium on wind development be declared until an independent, epidemiological study is completed into the health and environmental impacts of industrial wind turbines.”

Many similar requests were asked by other provincial Conservative members. None were approved. And no moratorium has been implemented following their huge majority win in 2018. Why not?

Ontario’s Health Protection and Promotion Act imposes a duty on a local medical officer of health to investigate complaints related to occupational or environmental health hazards, “to determine whether the health hazard exists or does not exist.” The Act defines a health hazard as an exposure “that has or that is likely to have an adverse effect on the health of any person.”

It is shocking to realize that this duty has not been carried out, as there is no definitive statement from medical officers of health declaring wind turbines are or are not a “health hazard”.

Across this great nation it is considered unacceptable to in ict a health hazard on people.

Is the reason the Health Protection and Promotion Act section 11 duty has not been carried out, because it is known that an investigation would determine that wind turbines are a “health hazard,” and that the government of Ontario does not want to admit that a “health hazard” is being inflicted on its citizens?

Shouldn’t we expect our legislators to ensure that laws are followed, instead of putting off doing the right thing because it may be politically inconvenient?