The provincial Ministry of Energy will launch an investigation into reports that an 18-inch chunk of a wind turbine blade came loose and flew some 400 feet before landing in a field in the former Howard Twp.

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Chatham-Kent-Essex MPP Rick Nicholls raised the matter during question period Wednesday at Queen’s Park, calling it a significant safety issue that must be addressed immediately.

“Will your government do the do the right thing and put a moratorium on turbine developments until there is a thorough review of safety standards pertaining to industrial wind turbines,” he asked Premier Kathleen Wynne.

Energy Minister Bob Chiarellli said he was unaware of the problem but will raise the issue with his staff as well as those at the ministries of environment and climate change.

Nicholls said called the detached section “flying shrapnel” since the 400-foot tall turbines with blade lengths of 135 feet rotate at nearly 200 miles per hour at the blade tip. Continue reading Flying turbine debris has local MPP concerned →

On Behalf of SWEAR, here is an attached Letter to the Editor which was sent out to various media contacts for publication. Please feel free to bump it along to your local papers or any other contacts you may have. We recognize that it is a fairly lengthy letter but we asked for the media’s indulgence as we believe the letter in its entirety will be of interest to their readerships.

Dear Editor:

The long awaited Divisional Court Charter Challenge of three industrial wind turbine projects wrapped up on Thursday, November 20th. The Appeal went before Justices F.N. Marocco, D.M. Brown and J.R. Henderson at the Courthouse in London. Arguments were made by Julian Falconer and team, counsel for the four families (Drennan, Dixon, Ryan & Kroeplin) objecting to the proximity of industrial wind turbines to their homes in the 140 turbine K2 (Drennan) and 15 turbine St. Columban (Dixon & Ryan) wind projects currently under construction in Huron County, and the 92 turbine Armow Wind Project being constructed in Bruce County. Counsel for the Ministry of the Continue reading On Behalf of SWEAR →

A judicial fight over the future of wind turbines in Ontario wrapped up Thursday with the fate of the province’s green energy law in the hands of judges.

On one side is big money, wind energy giants like Samsung and a Liberal government intent on becoming a world leader in creating green energy.

On the other are four families in Huron and Bruce counties whose homes are close to dozens of proposed turbines.

But while it seems a David and Goliath affair, the underdogs have enlisted a legal pugilist who Thursday seemed to dance circles around the arguments of his adversaries, wrapping up a four-day hearing in London with an emotionally-loaded challenge to three Superior Court justices.

“The system has utterly broken down,” said Julian Falconer. “You have been tasked with keeping these people safe.”

Falconer was the most dynamic of lawyers representing four families in Southwestern Ontario battling the building of wind farms.

It’s not the first time lawyers have challenged the Green Energy Act in court. Three years ago, wind opponents lost in court fighting a decision by an environmental review tribunal to allow a wind farm. But the 2011 effort had a handicap this one does not — it was a judicial review, in which judges must give deference to the tribunal.

This time, Falconer wants the three-judge panel to:

• Halt, by issuing what’s called a stay, wind farms that are expected to be tested in January.

• Rule the environmental tribunal violated the constitutional rights of wind opponents when it refused to allow new evidence from a Health Canada study.

• Allow wind opponents to stop wind farms by showing they might be seriously harmed rather than proving they had been harmed.

The judges expect to issue a decision on the stay soon, and while they didn’t specify a date, it’s likely they’ll act by January.

Environmental review tribunals shield their eyes to contrary evidence, Falconer said.

“They keep the blinders on. They’re not interested in new information. They’re interested in getting the turbines up,” he said.

But lawyers for the government and wind companies disagreed, one arguing the Health Canada study only showed a link between turbines and annoyance and the early results hadn’t yet been peer-reviewed.

“It’s a work in progress,” said Darryl Cruz, who represents St. Columban Energy.

The decision by the environmental tribunal was correct and wind companies should be allowed to complete their wind farms, he said.

That’s a position one Niagara wind opponent has been fighting for about four years, moving from her Welland home to keep away from planned turbines.

“It’s just wrong,” Catherine Mitchell said.

Wind opponents say turbines cause dizziness, headaches, heart palpitations and other illness.

The government says that’s wrong and that neighbours are protected because turbines are placed at least 550 metres from homes.

Ontario has more than 6,000 wind turbines built, planned or proposed, mostly in the southwest. Turbines account for about 4% of Ontario’s power.

Jonathan Sher, The London Free Press Thursday, November 20, 2014

Families failed to prove wind turbines harmful, government lawyer argues

Families opposed to the erection of large-scale wind farms near their homes failed to prove the projects would cause any serious harm to their health, an Ontario government lawyer said Tuesday.

In his opening comments, Matthew Horner told a Divisional Court panel that a review tribunal was correct to reject objections to the turbines based on health concerns.

“There’s no indication that the tribunal made a palpable and overriding error,” Horner said late on Day 2 of the hearing.

He also said the tribunal was right to reject the residents’ “novel argument” that the approvals process violates the constitution.

Four families are asking the appellate court to throw out decisions by the Environment Review Tribunal that upheld approvals of three large-scale wind-energy projects. Continue reading “I understand it’s not much of a test if you first have to get sick in order to prove it,” Associate Chief Justice Frank Marrocco observed. →

Lawyers for four families battling wind projects in Southwestern Ontario continued their legal arguments this morning in a divisional court in London.

Lawyer Julian Falconer presented evidence from a Health Canada study into the effects of wind turbines before three Superior Court trial judges who are listening to an appeal of a decision of the Environmental Review Tribunal.

But while courts and judges and tribunal and appeals courts hear arguments, families aren’t getting any relief from their health concerns, Falconer said.

“There’s a whole process that takes a year to two years . . . health takes a back seat while the (wind) company goes and remodels. It’s business as usual while the company gets more reports,” he said.

Appeals and approvals of wind turbine projects have so far placed the onus on families to prove the turbines will have a negative effect on their health and the ERT grants turbine approvals even as it says the effects are unclear, Falconer said.

Falconer said there is new evidence that should be considered – a Health Canada study which looked at both self-reported health concerns and measurable health problems like blood pressure and stress-hormone levels in hair, in people who live close to projects in Ontario and Quebec.

“There is far more data than has been available to date,” Falconer said. “We submit that the ERT hearing wasn’t fair in the first place . . . and now we have a reason to hear it again.”

Lawyers for four families will also argue that the ERT decision had serious errors in law.

Also represented at the proceedings are the Ontario environment ministry, which is responsible for regulating Green Energy projects, including wind turbine applications, as well as three companies building or planning to build turbines projects near Goderich, Seaforth and Kincardine.

It’s unlikely the three-judge panel will get to the four defendants’ evidence today

Follow Tweets: Kate Dubinski, The London Free Press Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Take Poll: Poll Do you believe wind turbines affect human health?

MEDIA RELEASE – Nov 14, 2014
COALITION AGAINST INDUSTRIAL WIND TURBINES (CAIWT)
DIVISIONAL COURT CASE IN LONDON ONTARIO – November 17, 18, 19th

Fourteen concerned citizens groups from across Ontario have formed a “Coalition” that will ask to intervene on a
potentially precedent setting divisional court case involving industrial wind turbines. The group will seek to
intervene on the morning of November 17th in London, Ontario.

Start time on Monday morning is 10:00 a.m.

The Coalition is comprised of the following groups:
1. WAIT-PW (Plympton-Wyoming)
2. Central Bruce Grey Wind Concerns (HARM) Health Affected Residents Meetings – Municipality of Kincardine
3. Grey Highlands Wind Concerns (GHWC)
4. Casualties of Plateau Wind – Grey Highlands
5. Haldimand Wind Concerns
6. West Lincoln Glenbrook Wind Action (WLWAG)
7. Oppose Bellwood Wind Farm – County of Wellington, County of Dufferin
8. Bluewater Lakeshore Residents Association
9. Middlesex & Lambton Residents Group
10. Mothers Against Wind Turbines Inc – Niagara, West Lincoln, Haldimand
11. Central Huron Against Turbines Inc. (CHAT) – Central Huron
12. Manitoulin Coalition for Safe Energy Alternatives Inc – (MCSEA Inc) Manitoulin Island
13. Ripley Group – Huron Kinloss
14. V.O.W. Victims of Wind – Coordinated by an Ontario volunteer

The members of these groups represent communities throughout the province of Ontario, including the Niagara Region,
the Counties of Haldimand, Middlesex, Lambton, Norfolk, Wellington, Dufferin, the Municipalities of Kincardine,
Saugeen Shores, Grey Highlands, Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands, Central Huron and the Township of West
Lincoln.

In regards to Industrial Wind Turbine Renewable Energy Approvals, the Environmental Review Tribunal appeals
involving the Drennans, Dixons and Ryans and the Kroeplins were all dismissed. The appellants in this divisional court
appeal will be represented by

Falconers LLP and will be heard over 3 days – November 17, 18, 19 at the court house at 80 Dundas Street, London Ontario. (parking and entrance off Queens Ave.)
CAIWT is represented by: Mr. Richard Macklin
Stevensons LLP
Barristers
15 Toronto Street
Toronto, ON
M5C 2E3
Lambton County will also be seeking intervener status with their own legal counsel.
For information on the divisional court case, please visit:
http://www.falconers.ca Coalition contact;
Falconers LLP Raymond Beaudry
10 Alcorn Avenue, Suite 204 Little Current, On
Toronto, ON 705-368-3328
M4V 3A9 MCSEA Inc
(416) 964-0495 mcsea.c

Dr. Robert McMurtry, the founding director of Wind Concerns Ontario, comments on the Health Canada Study of industrial wind turbines.

“Annoyance” IS “Adverse Health Effect” – “Adverse Health Effect” IS “Annoynace”

It has been said on W.H.O (World Health Organization and on the “Health Canada” Web site”

“Health Canada has failed totally and publicly with this report”

follow link to listen to the entire interview: GFB Podcast: Dr. Robert McMurtry – November 12th

One of the key experts backing opposition to a wind energy development on Amherst Island said a recent Health Canada study is more politics than science.

John Harrison, a Queen’s University professor emeritus in physics and a member of the Association to Protect Amherst Island, located near Kingston, Ont., said the report contradicts itself and was not peer reviewed.

In a report released last week, Health Canada said there is no link between noise from wind turbines and adverse health effects.

Health Canada scientists looked at communities that host wind farms. Two dozen government, academic and industry experts contributed to the study.

Researchers examined 1,200 participants living within 2 km of wind turbines in Ontario and P.E.I. Continue reading Queen’s University professor disputes wind turbine report →

Green light for west Niagara wind turbine project

The company planning to build one of Canada’s largest industrial wind turbine farms in Niagara has been given the approval to move forward.