Monthly Archives: August 2016

Adverse Health Effects, Direct Effects, Green Energy, Health

The Great Noise Debate

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towers of turbinesAudiologist’s are among allied health care providers that are seeing increasing numbers of patients seeking assessment for a range of symptoms that can include migraines, vertigo, tinnitus,and sleep deprivation in response to exposure of wind turbine sound.   The following article while slanted in favour of wind energy also demonstrates the widening cracks in the veneer of the wind industry’s posturing that all is well for the health of those who live near the turbines.

Articles about Visceral Vibratory Vestibular Disturbance (WVD), Vibroacoustic Disease, and Wind Turbine Syndrome are appearing in books, newspapers, and on websites with increasing frequency. While the effects of intense noise in the range that we can hear are becoming more widely recognized and publicized, physicians and researchers are now concerned that infrasound – sounds that are in the frequency range too low for the human ear to hear – are the cause of these symptoms. They theorize that the low-frequency sounds and vibrations emitted by wind turbines may interfere with the ear’s vestibular system, which controls our sense of balance, or may affect heart and lung tissues.

By Andrea Graham
Audiologist, M.Sc. (C) Reg. CASLPO
Heritage Hearing Care

READ ARTICLE: http://www.lifestylehearing.ca/2013/02/great-windmill/

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Therrien’s Abandoned Home becomes centre for Wind Turbine Noise Studies

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therriens

The Therrien family were forced to abandon their home after the wind turbines went up and now the property is set to become a test centre for noise monitoring by Energize Vermont.

Media has picked up the tragic tale  of the family who have had to flee at great cost to their health and resulting financial hardship.  The former home will now be a laboratory and classroom of the impacts of wind turbine sound on human health.

READ AT:   http://www.caledonianrecord.com/news/local/sheffield-family-s-property-to-be-center-for-turbine-impact/article_f69ec28e-b35b-5c5f-81ea-55f6af057913.html

 

 

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Request for Environmental Assessment

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owl APAIThe Association to Protect Amherst Island has requested the federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change, the Honourable Catherine McKenna to require an environmental assessment of the cumulative impact of wind turbine projects on the northeast part of Lake Ontario on the Atlantic migratory flyway and to ensure compliance with the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

http://www.protectamherstisland.ca/minister-requested-require-environmental-assessment/

 

 

Green Energy, Lack of municipal power in planning, Willing Hosts

Don’t Shove Wind Turbines Down Our Throats!

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prince edward county farmThe Mayor of Prince Edward County is going to this week’s conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario with a focus that won’t be surprising to those who follow the goings on in The County.

Robert Quaiff says a group of communities, including Prince Edward County, will again be telling the
provincial government that regulations must change with regards to big industrial wind turbines.

READ AT: http://www.quintenews.com/2016/08/dont-shove-turbines-throats/123657/

Direct Effects, Fighting the NRWC Wind Project, Property Rights

Wind Turbines are not Good Neighbours

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Not what you want in your backyard. Niagara Wind’s  3MW turbines and its cluster of 8 of 77 turbines now crowd the cottages and homes located in the picturesque community of Lowbank in southern Ontario. Lake Erie’s shoreline and its horizon are dominated by towering turbines of multiple wind projects visible from all views. Continued impacts to residents and migrating butterflies, birds and bats await the turning blades with the project’s anticipated start up date of fall 2016.

Direct Effects, Fighting the NRWC Wind Project, Property Rights

What side of the fence do you live on?

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The discord of wind facilities hits home and personal for those who have had the projects forced onto their  communities.  In southern Ontario the construction frenzy of the Niagara Wind project consisting of 77  3MW wind turbines continues to defy logic and common decency.

The latest in your face example being the installation of the guard rails that were installed along the narrow rural road edges needed to protect the massive transmission poles for the project.

It has been well over a week since the heritage site of the West Lincoln cemetery was trespassed by the installation of the infrastructure associated with the Niagara Wind project which blocks access. No word as to when this will be fixed.  Utter disrespect for those who have loved ones buried there.

No thought has been given to the impacts to the home owners whose front yards are now visually reminiscence of the QEW highway . The guardrails are also creating direct barriers of access for agricultural operations with farm lane entrances narrowed.  Moving large slow moving farm equipment onto the public roads will become even more difficult as the option of moving over to allow oncoming traffic to pass has been removed.

Snow removal in the winter months will also be directly impacted by the endless miles of hydro pole bases and the guardrails.

Industrialization of our rural homes.

(Photos courtesy of  Smithville Turbine Opposition Party)https://www.facebook.com/Smithville.Turbine.Oppositon.Party/

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Health Investigation moves a step forward

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Jane WilsonConversations surrounding the Huron County Board of Health’s investigation into industrial wind turbines (IWT) are ongoing. Most recently Jane Wilson, President of advocacy group Wind Concerns Ontario, gave a presentation to the board on August 4.

In March, the board had posted an announcement on their website about a study they planned to carryout regarding the health impacts of IWTs, and people began to sign up. However several months later, they paused the study. They said they were unsure of the costs of the endeavor and were concerned they didn’t have the resources to ensure the study was done effectively and is actionable. Not long after, the staff member who was to carry out the study was let go.

This caused ripples through the community and was particularly upsetting for individuals who were strongly advocating for this study to happen.

During the board’s June meeting, the board discussed a potential opportunity to partner with the University of Waterloo (UW) for a study. This was again a strong theme at the meeting on August 4, and two professors from UW were present at the meeting.

Wilson explained that Wind Concerns Ontario is a coalition that is concerned about IWTs’ effects on the economy, natural environment and human health. She gave a ten-minute presentation covering a variety of areas including conclusions of other studies and gaps in other studies and various kinds of noise, both audible and inaudible, and how they affect people.

READ ARTICLE:  http://www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com/2016/08/08/president-of-wind-concerns-ontario-appeals-to-huron-county

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Investigate wind turbine health effects

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“WHO publications are frequently relied upon by the global community. Despite the research challenges and variables associated with IWT, there is sufficient evidence that IWTs have negatively affected the health of some members of the rural population globally. This merits taking a precautionary approach until research has clarified the research challenges and knowledge gaps which have yet to be resolved. “

Carmen Krogh BScPharm (retired)

Aviation, Direct Effects

Aviation and Wind Turbines Don’t Mix

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Safety should be paramount no matter what your views are for wind power.  Ontario needs to hear from you about the lives being put at risk with the approval of wind turbines being situated near aviation. It isn’t a matter of “if” lives will be lost it is a matter of when.

copa tilting at wind turbines

COPA (Canadian Owners & Pilot’s Association) spell out their concerns and are urging letters be sent to Ottawa to bring some common sense to this issue, for safety sake.

SAMPLE LETTER:  for wind project proposed next to the Collingwood Regional Airport:

Click to access LetterCOPAmembersCollingwoodStayner.pdf

Make your voice heard! Contact your Parliamentarian and show your support for COPA and general aviation issues locally and nationally.

Dear COPA member,

Your association is asking you to contact your Federal Member of Parliament to request their support against the proliferation of Wind Turbine tower in the vicinity of airports and aerodromes across Ontario and Canada. This is an issue of SAFETY to pilots and the Minister has the authority to intervene.

Go to this link for background, sample letter and your MP contact information:

http://www.copanational.org/files/LetterCOPAmembersCollingwoodStayner.pdf

Cher(ère) membre COPA,

Votre association vous demande de prendre contact avec votre député(e) fédéral(e) afin d’obtenir son appui pour stopper la prolifération des éoliennes autour des aérodromes en Ontario et au Canada. C’est un enjeu de sécurité auprès des pilotes et du public en général, et le ministre possède l’autorité d’intervenir et d’y mettre fin.

Vous trouverez au lien suivant une lettre-type, les instructions pour contacter votre Membre du Parlement et de l’information supplémentaire.

COPA:  http://copanational.org/FeedFeds.cfm

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Cemetery Blocked by Guardrails

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One of the stated considerations for the Niagara Wind facility’s renewable energy approval (REA) was to take into consideration the negative alterations and visual impacts to heritage sites. The project was to take measures to minimize adverse effects to the view, such as to the local cemetery  located on Port Davidson Road in West Lincoln, Ontario.

“In order to avoid direct impacts on views of the West Lincoln McCaffrey Cemetery (CHR-14), it is recommended that any overhead transmission infrastructure installed along Port Davidson Road in the vicinity of the cemetery be installed along the eastern side of the road”

Click to access Heritage_01_Main-Report.pdf

But someone clearly forgot to consider the impacts of blocking access to the cemetery with newly installed guardrails, now required because of the Niagara wind project’s transmission lines.  This oversight is just one of many and disrespects the community and those who have family members buried in the cemetery.