While Premier Kathleen Wynne insists she represents “one Ontario,” opposition leaders say her stand on wind power has made her few friends outside of urban centres.

Wynne acknowledged that not all the people lining the parade route at the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo on Tuesday were cheering for her as the Ontario Liberal float passed by spectators.

But the premier rejected the idea that she’s unwelcome in rural parts of the province after gaining a majority government largely on urban and suburban votes.

“I can choose any street in Ontario and there will be people who love us and people who don’t love us,” Wynne said.

Interim PC Leader Jim Wilson accused Wynne of being “disingenuous when she fails to acknowledge that Liberals are at odds with rural residents.

“They place their wind turbines in communities where they’re not wanted at prices Ontario families can’t afford,” he said, noting the government will allow eight, 150-metre turbines at Collingwood Airport despite local concerns.

The Liberals calculated that there were more votes in urban centres, and wrote off these communities more than a decade ago, Wilson said.

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said she has heard complaints from rural residents about the Green Energy Act and the handling of the horse-racing industry.

“The folks in rural Ontario feel that often times their voices are not being heard at Queen’s Park,” she added.

Wynne countered her government realizes that the agri-food industry is worth $34 billion and employs 700,000 people, and is challenging the sector to create 100,000 more jobs by 2020.

As for wind turbines, Wynne said that a source of clean renewable energy is essential.

“We also recognize that there are communities that are not happy with the placement of wind turbines,” she said. “We understand that there needs to be more community input.”

All three political leaders had a chance to show off their skills on a tractor in a plowing contest that was judged to be a three-way tie.

Toronto Sun, BY ANTONELLA ARTUSO, QUEEN’S PARK BUREAU CHIEF FIRST POSTED:

Ontarians are to trust that the government is doing what’s best them, but how can we trust the government when it fails to protect us?

That is the question Anne Meinen has been asking since industrial wind turbines were erected next to lands she has farmed for four decades. Her issue isn’t with the turbines themselves, but with the fact that one was located closer to her property line than government regulations stipulate. And last week she heard the reason was that the government trusted the proponent. Because the proponent said the turbines met the regulations, no-one bothered to take a look.

“The MOE believed the turbines were 95 metres or greater from the property line,” Vic Schroeter told an environmental review tribunal last week. “First and foremost we trust the information submitted to us by the applicant.”

First and foremost the government trusts the applicant? What about, first and foremost the government ensures the applicant meets the regulations to protect citizens?

The provincial government cannot deny that wind turbines are not always welcomed with open arms by host communities. Those who oppose these developments have brought their issues to Ontario’s doorstep. They have rallied and protested at Queen’s Park, they have written their MPPs and countless ministers as well as Premier Kathleen Wynne.

It is not just the residents banging those pans, either. Dozens of municipal councils have passed resolution after resolution to try to find some way to stop the threat of wind turbines, whether by way of passing a setback bylaw or declaring the community “not a willing host.”

Given the knowledge that many Ontarians aren’t happy with the wind agenda, the government should be going over these applications with a fine tooth comb. They shouldn’t be taking the wind company’s word that the project meets all requirements. They should actually look at it. Someone should at least be checking that all the T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted.

In its application for a renewable energy approval to operate a nine-megawatt wind farm, Vineland Power Inc. stated that all five turbines met the required setbacks of the Green Energy Act. Once the turbines were up, it took a quick measurement from a resident to determine that wasn’t the case at all. Four of the turbines are closer to property lines than regulations allow.

Under the act, turbines must be located a minimum of the turbine’s hub height — in this case, 95 metres — from neighbouring properties. This is to ensure that should the turbine fall, it will not damage neighbouring property.

How this was missed on the applicant’s side is not the purpose of this column. But how a government, that is voted in my the people, to protect the people, missed it, is.

In her testimony, Meinen said her trust in government is ruined.

“What other mistakes have been made? This worries me a great deal,” she told the tribunal.

Meinen is right to be worried and Ontarians as a whole should be as well. It appears our government puts trust ahead of responsibility, first and foremost.

What would happen if all levels of government did that?

Your neighbour puts up a pool and a quarter of it is on your property. You go to town hall to complain and the response is “we trusted your neighbour’s measurements.” Is that an adequate response? Likely not.

Health Canada approves a new drug and thousands of people get sick. “But the drug company told us there were no side effects” is likely not going to cut it in this case, either.

First and foremost a government should ensure that projects at the very least meet their own regulations. Why have regulations if they aren’t going to be upheld?

The world is flat after all. Trust me, you should take my word for it.

Grimsby Lincoln News By Amanda Moore, Sept 16 2014

Ms. Garcia-Wright, Ms. Sarah Raetsen, Mr. Glen Murray, Mr. Eric Boysen:

 I have many concerns about the role of the MOE and the MNR in the renewable energy process.

At the ERT (Fairfield vs MOE) in Smithville on September 9 Vic Schroter stated: “We trust the proponent to give correct information.”  If this is the case, what is the purpose of regulations?  What is the purpose of the REA review team at the MOE? This is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.  There is definitely a conflict of interest if the proponent is allowed to carry out the project as they see fit.   How can the public have any assurance that the MOE is even looking at the documents for the renewable energy process?

The NRWC project has many errors in it –errors such as receptors being located where a transport truck is parked.  This is just one of many errors.

 For the NRWC project, has the MNR verified the existence or absence of natural features?  If not, then the project needs to be rejected.

The tribunal chair at the recent ERT identified training gaps with the environmental assessor that authored the Natural Heritage Assessment report for the HAF Wind Energy project.  The MOE and the MNR must ensure that there are no gaps in the NRWC project.  Many gaps have been provided to you in the past.  Evidence must be provided to the public ensuring that there are no gaps in the NRWC project.  The public now has little or no confidence in the renewable energy process.

 For the NRWC project, the public has never seen a guaranteed sound power level.  This is another mistake.  The public needs to see the guaranteed sound power level provided by the manufacturer.

There was a lot of evidence given at the Fairfield vs MOE Environment Review Tribunal – evidence indicating that the MOE and MNR are not doing a proper job of protecting the public and the environment. This is not how the government should serve the people in our community.  All REA projects need to be rejected or at the very least put on hold until all the gaps have been cleared up.

Can you please reply to this e-mail?

Yours truly,

Lois Johnson

Ms. Garcia-Wright, Mr. Boysen,

After sitting through several days of the Fairfield vs. MOE Environmental Review Tribunal, I thought it prudent to respond to your last letter regarding the mistakes made by the Niagara Region Wind Corporation in identifying properties.  Your response provides no assurances that the MOE intends to verify these errors and that gives me cause for concern since there may very well be other errors of an even more critical nature in the application.  

And again, “Further research is warranted” …

Conclusions

We have demonstrated in our review the presence of reasonable
evidence (Levels Four and Five) supporting the existence of an
association between wind turbines and distress in humans. The
existence of a dose-response relationship between distance from
wind turbines and distress as well as the consistency of association
across studies found in the scientific literature argues for the
credibility of this association. Future research in this area is
warranted.

Read the entire report here: Arra-LynnStudyMay2014

Hi everyone,

As many of you may know, the Environmental Review Tribunal for the HAF Wind Energy Project – Vineland Power was heard this week at the West Lincoln Council Chambers. Thank-you to all that came out for your support!!

For those of you that were not able to make it, Ministry officials from Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change and also the Ministry of Natural Resources were questioned and cross examined during the last two days. A representative with the Environmental Assessment firm was also cross examined today

. Here is the damning testimony that we learned:

1. The Ministry of Environment does not verify set back distances of the wind turbines. They trust the wind proponent (but the turbines did not meet the required set back distances!)

2. The Ministry of Natural Resources does not verify either the presence or absence of natural features. For example, the size of woodlands were inaccurate in the Natural Heritage assessment report and no one at the MNR verified this. They are not careful to review the relevant documents and corresponding versions of those documents.

3. The Tribunal Chair identified training gaps with the environmental assessor that authored the Natural Heritage Assessment report.

So we have a problem with training, verification, process control with both Ministries and the environmental assessment firm.

Please email the ministries and show your concern.

If you have property within 120 meters of either a proposed industrial wind turbine, collector line or transmission line, please let them know that we learned that there are verification issues, training issues and process control issues.

Demand that they review the NRWC project in relation to your property to determine whether significant natural features exist and require mitigation measures.

If you live within the HAF project location, demand that they review the project in its entirety.

The HAF Renewable Energy Approval documents now lack the required integrity to provide the people in our Community with assurances that other components of the project were investigated in accordance with the REA Regulation.

If you don’t live within 120 meters, please write to voice your concerns. Because once this is approved, it is a tougher battle, and time is running out!

I have spent tireless hours researching this.

What compels me to keep going is that this is so NOT right.

This is NOT how civil servants serve the people in our Community.

This is NOT how a Ministry protects our natural features.

Please help with this fight.

If you could write/email in the next day or two, it would be so much appreciated.

1. Eric Boysen, Renewable Energy Director, Ministry of Natural Resources eric.boysen@ontario.ca

2. Agatha Garcia-Wright, Director, Renewable Energy Approvals, agatha.garcia-wright@ontario.ca

3. Copy: Andre Marin, Ombudsman for Ontario info@ombudsman.on.ca

4. Copy: Gord Miller, Environmental Commissioner for Ontario commissioner@eco.on.ca

Mailing Addresses:

1. Eric Boysen, Renewable Energy Director, 5th Flr N, 300 Water St, Peterborough, ON K9J 8M5

2 Agatha Garcia-Wright, Approvals Program Environmental Assessment and Approvals Branch, Ministry of the Environment,

Floor 12A, 2 St. Clair Avenue West, Toronto, ON M4V 1L5

3. Mr Gord Miller, Commissioner for Ontario, 1075 Bay Street, Suite 605, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2B1

4. Mr. Andre Marin, Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario,Bell Trinity Square, 483 Bay Street, 10th Floor, South Tower

Toronto, ON M5G 2C9

Thanks everyone!!

Loretta Shields