SENATOR BOB RUNICMAN WANTS TO SEE A JUDICIAL ENQUIRY INTO ONTARIO’S GREEN ENERGY ACT.
THE CONSERVATIVE SENATOR WAS ONE OF FOUR SPEAKERS AT A PUBLIC ROUNDTABLE TO DISCUSS THE IMPACT OF CONTROVERSIAL WIND TURBINE PROJECTS IN PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY. AS NEWSWATCH’S MORGANNE CAMPBELL REPORTS, THE SENATOR SAYS IT’S TIME PEOPLE STOP THE GREEN ENERGY MADNESS.
Whether you like them or not, wind and solar panel farms are going up in an area near you. The Liberal government is approving wind and solar farms across the province, most recently here on Amherst Island.

“They continue to approve these wind turbines, they’re doing it in Prince Edward County, they’re doing it on Amherst Island, they’re doing it in Addington Highlands, they’re doing it all across South Western Ontario, it’s not providing a reliable source of electricity and an affordable source.”

The Green Energy Act and the province’s Hydro policy were slammed during a public meeting hosted by MPP Todd Smith in Prince Edward County. About fifty concerned residents from across the region attended the roundtable discussion where Senator Bob Runicman talked about the steps anti-wind turbine groups could take to quash the act …like challenging it in a court of law and calling for a judicial inquiry.

“I think we’ve got to find ways to raise funds to be able to do this and at the very least try and delay it until the next provincial election and hopefully we’ll have a change in government with a different approach.”

read more:  http://www.ckwstv.com/2015/09/03/turbine-protests-green-energy-act-under-fire/

September 3, 2015

ERT second day

With great relief all around, we saw Dr. Beaudry off on his way home about 10 am today.  Ms. Davis finished off her cross examination and after brief counter by Mr. Gillespie, he was released.

For most of the day it was Kari Gunson’s turn to be grilled and barbequed.  From the beginning it was evident that the Gilead and MOECC lawyers were intent on discrediting Ms Gunson’s qualifications and her credibility.  It started off with an attempt to have her accreditation as an expert witness de-valued. When that was unsuccessful both Ms. Davis and Mr. Rogers, acting for Gilead, objected to several of her statements in her Power point presentation.  There was a lot of argument about whether or not Ms Gunson was qualified to speak about hydrology.  She had to explain again and again that ecology includes effect on land, air, water, vegetation and animals.   A crucial moment arrived when one of Ms. Gunson’s slides showed a map of the compensation property.  Apparently, the ERT had agreed that this information was confidential to keep potential poachers away from the area.   Eventually it was agreed that only the Tribunal would be able to view the slides with the offending map and they would be marked “confidential” (everybody had already seen them!).   This was all before the cross examination of Ms. Gunson by Ms. Davis and Sam Rogers started.

Cross examination by Ms. Davis proceeded in the same way as for Dr. Beaudry. She went through all the reports that Kari had cited in her testimony and asked questions about how they fit into Kari’s opinion of the mitigation plan for Ostrander Point.  Mr Roger’s questions were even more esoteric.  What do you think would be the effect of a particular mitigation after 5 years or after 10 years?  He asked time and again – parsing through Ms Gunson’s witness statement.

Throughout Kari maintained her composure – and answered the questions directly.  It was an amazing exhibit of professionalism.  Ms. Gunson’s cross examination, and the day finished at 5:30 pm. The ERT will resume tomorrow at9:45 am.  It is expected that a fourth day will be required to hear all the witnesses.  The date for the extra day will be decided shortly.

Cheryl Anderson

@saveostranderpt

www.saveostranderpoint.org

At 6:30 pm Dr Fred Beaudry stepped away from the microphone for the first time since about 10:30 am.  The Demorestville Town Hall was steamy and wasps and deer flies floated through the room – as lawyers and tribunal members removed their jackets to try to stay comfortable in the late summer heat.  The day began with a standing room only crowd filling the hall – all supporters of PECFN many with their turtle shirts proudly displayed.

After some initial housekeeping issues, Dr Beaudry took the stand and made his presentation dealing with the new evidence presented by Gilead under the headings Fragmentation (of habitat), Risk of Poaching, Nest Predation and Protection Buffers.  He then continued to assess the cumulative risk and finally his conclusions about the serious and irreversible harm posed to the indigenous Blanding’s Turtles at Ostrander Point by the Gilead Power proposal.

At about 11:30 Doug Hamilton, representing Gilead, began his cross examination of Dr. Beaudry.  Mr. Hamilton parsed every section of Dr. Beaudry’s presentation – asking again and again how he assessed the risks associated with each aspect of predation, poaching and habitat fragmentation related to the mitigation measures proposed by Gilead.  Dr Beaudry emphasized that adult mortality is an extremely worrisome problem and of particular concern was the issue of over-wintering ponds and whether the turtles always use deep pools or sometimes may use wetland areas considered “seasonal” in which case it would be impossible to determine whether an area should be avoided by heavy equipment – and even whether an adult hibernating turtle had been killed by the equipment.  In addition, Dr. Beaudry continued to insist that many issues are unable to be quantified because the research is limited or non-existent.   Finally Mr. Hamilton finished his aggressive and punishing questions about 5 pm.  Mr Wright of the tribunal panel insisted that all the time available at the town hall be used to press on through the questioning of Dr Beaudry.  Sylvia Davis lawyer for the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change then took over the attack.  Her strategy was to go through all the scientific papers that Dr Beaudry had cited in his presentation to detail how he had arrived at the conclusions he reached from examining each research study.

Throughout all of this hot and steamy day, Dr. Beaudry politely and clearly answered all the lawyers’ questions.  The ERT resumes tomorrow at 9 am.
Cheryl Anderson

@saveostranderpt

www.saveostranderpoint.org

Ontario Canada’s push to wind power is under fire as controversial, environment-damaging projects are approved.

TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, September 2, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ — Ontario’s stance as an environmental activist province in Canada and would-be leader in climate change action is taking a beating after the government approved two controversial wind power projects, and continues to fight environmental groups and citizens on a third.
Last week, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change approved a 75-megawatt power project on tiny Amherst Island in Lake Ontario. The island is home to several species of wildlife declared endangered or at-risk by the same government, and is also a resting place for migrating birds. The birds attract eco-tourists from all over the world.
The threat of the wind power project to the heritage environment is so great that Heritage Canada’s National Trust named the island one of Canada’s Top Ten Endangered Places.
“There are some places where wind power projects shouldn’t go,” says Michele LeLay, spokesperson for the community group the Association to Protect Amherst Island. “This is one of them.”
Also on Lake Ontario, is Prince Edward County where the province recently approved another large wind power generation project for the South Shore. The environmental danger is undeniable, says Cheryl Anderson, of the Prince Edward County Field Naturalists: “Data gathered over 20 years confirms the South Shore is a major migratory pathway for an astonishing diversity and abundance of birds. This unique blend of ecosystems supports numerous varieties of rare plants, eight species of at-risk turtles, Monarch butterflies and many amphibian species. Because of its unique biodiversity, the value of Prince Edward County’s South Shore is unparalleled as an ecotourism venue.”

read more: http://www.einpresswire.com/article/284306858/is-ontario-s-rush-to-wind-power-killing-the-green-energy-movement

News from Prince Edward County:

Dear APPEC Supporters:

The Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) will reconvene this week.  The Tribunal, which revoked Gilead Power’s renewable energy approval in 2013 after finding that the project will cause serious and irreversible harm to the Blanding’s turtle, will once again have to listen to Gilead’s specious claims that it’s wind project at Ostrander Point will not cause serious harm to the turtles and their habitat.

We expect many of our members and supporters will want to attend.  A strong showing will demonstrate to the Tribunal,  the Ministry of the Environment and Gilead Power our continued commitment and determination to oppose industrial wind turbine projects on PEC’s south shore.

The hearing is on September 2, 3 and 4 at the Demorestville Town Hall in Sophiasburgh at 10 am.

Regards,

APPEC Board Continue reading Reminder: Riverwalk event in South Marysburgh to benefit PECFN and Ostrander Point ERT appeal hearing →

Grimsby Lincoln News

This article raises some serious public concerns, specifically in the responses from Ministry of Environment personnel.

Kate Jordon, MOE spokesperson, claims that the Niagara Region Wind Corporation (NRWC) must undertake both pre and post construction monitoring of residential wells.

What she fails to mention is that according to the NRWC’s Renewable Energy Approval reports (www.nrwc.ca), only wells within 500 meters of a wind turbine and wells within 120 meters of a transmission line will be tested.

The specific testing criteria are not prescribed. In addition, Jordon claims that the NRWC application met minimum setbacks. Please note that most turbines do not meet the 124-meter (hub height) setback distances from non-participating property lines, hence the need for the NRWC to submit a Property Line Setback report. Noise calculations were also not conducted as per Ministerial Guidelines.

It is unfortunate that this wind energy project takes precedence to public safety. The Ministry can only “anticipate” no impacts on the containment of the PCB contaminants. Our community expects reassurances, not mere unproven predictions where they relate to the health and safety of the people in our community.

Loretta Shields,

Smithville, Ontario

The time has come.

It is time to stop the empty rhetoric, to stop the talk, to stop the torture by the tens of thousands of blades of Industrial Wind Turbines [IWTs].

Dear Minister Rona Ambrose

, Re: Please acknowledge receipt of this letter

Thank you very much for your June 24, 2015 response to my letter regarding my grave concern about wind turbine noise emissions, health effects and the authorities outlined in the Radiation Emitting Devices Act (REDA).

I am aware that provinces make decisions about the siting of industrial wind installations. In my opinion the decisions they have made in Ontario have created unlivable conditions for those chronically exposed to these projects.

I am also aware that the Health Canada website states the following:

Health Canada is the Federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, while respecting individual choices and circumstances.

As a Canadian who has been suffering – not by choice – as a result of the operation of wind turbine projects near my home I was surprised and disturbed to hear that principal investigator David Michaud PhD testified under oath at an Environmental Review tribunal in Ontario, that the Health Canada Wind Turbine Noise and Health Study was administered under the authority of the REDA – a federal law

continue reading the letter here.  reply_Ginny_to_Rona_Ambrose_July_7_2015_DRAFT_v3

Dear Ms. Stewart Love

I am pleased to respond to your e-mail of April 12, 2015, regarding wind turbine noise and the authorities outlined in the Radiation Emitting Devices Act, which was forwarded to me on May 1, 2015, by your member of Parliament, Mr. Larry Miller.
Health Canada’s role with respect to wind power includes providing advice, upon request, to the federal departments involved in wind turbine projects, as well as to the provinces and territories, on the health impacts of noise from proposed wind turbine projects. The provinces and territories, through the legislation they have enacted, make decisions in relation to installation, placement, sound levels and mitigation measures for wind turbines.

As you are aware, Health Canada, in collaboration with Statistics Canada and other external experts, launched a research study in July 2012 to explore the relationship between exposure to sound levels produced from wind turbines and the extent of health effects reported by, and objectively measured in, those living near wind turbines. Continue reading Health Minister Challenged over Wind Turbine Noise and compliance with REDA →

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