Ontario Farmer, May 5, 2015

by Garth Manning and Jane Wilson

It came as a surprise to many in Ontario when it was revealed that the multi-national power developers behind the K2 wind power generation project near Goderich had secured $1 B in financing, and that this arrangement is now registered on title for the 100 farm properties involved as lessors.

The arrangement is between K2 Wind Ontario Inc. and Mizuho Bank Ltd. Canada Branch. It secures a revolving credit facility of up to $1 billion at 25% on a number of items, including the contracts between landowners and K2 for land and road agreements with municipalities.

Another, smaller example has also come to light: a wind power project south of Ottawa in Eastern Ontario, where the five landowners leasing land for a 30-megawatt, 10-turbine project now have charges on their properties for $70 million.

Immediately, questions arise as to what would happen if the power developers were to default on their loans: would the lender then own the farm properties? How would that affect road use agreements with municipalities?

Continue reading Farm owners’ property as security for wind farm financing: what owners need to know →

“The Council of Canadian Academies continues to rehash selected studies to further wind turbine development–and set aside wind turbine complaints as only a nuisance for public-health officials. Dismissing white papers as ‘grey’ and neighbors’ documentation of harm just adds to the number of wind-turbine victims…. Public health studies should not appear to be performed with blind eyes and deaf ears.”

This question was posed by the Council of Canadian Academies (CAA):Is there evidence to support a causal association between exposure to wind turbine noise and the development of adverse health effects? The answer given was that only personal attitude and annoyance resulted for those in direct proximity to wind turbines.

However, real people and real studies have been ignored to reach this conclusion.

The CCA supports the status quo for wind turbines by failing to recognize that wind turbines operating in quiet rural communities produce the most significant adverse health effects.  This study should not have been hobbled by competing government responsibilities: wind-turbine development incentives, site permitting, and protecting public health. Academic participation does not foster credibility when commissioned to perform consensus building.

Wind-turbine health research is critical, which requires health professionals to make contributions to original research as witnesses. There are many adversely affected communities where they could live as wind turbine neighbors. Two acousticians concerned about why there were so many neighbors’ complaints, went to Falmouth, Massachusetts, to investigate wind turbine noise levels during strong winds. They were invited by strangers already adversely impacted to use their home—a custom, well-built, insulated house, about 1700-ft from an operating 1.65 MW turbine. (Wind turbine acoustic investigation: Infrasound and low frequency noise—A case study). These owners experienced significant health problems forcing the abandonment of their “dream” house.

Master Resource, By Stephen Ambrose — May 5, 2015

This is my submission in regard to the senate enquiry to wind farms.
My name is Peter Jelbart, I am 31 years old and grew up at our home property, where mum and dad farm to this day. It was a great place to grow up and my upbringing, although it was not perfect, was very good. I remember as a young child dad working away shearing 5 days a week and farming on weekends, to hold onto the dream of farming grandpa’s block. I remember them having to sell land up the road, and only just holding onto the home block. I remember as a primary school age kid feeding hay and grain to sheep after school, while dad was away for, at times, weeks. I remember sheep being pitted and being told to play while the crack of 22 bullets rang out and truck load after truck load of sheep got dumped in a pit. This was in the early 90’s, wool was bad, land was worth nothing and interest rates were running into the 20% region. However as bad as things were at home mum and dad did everything they could for us. Obviously education was a priority, as was being involved with local football and cricket. The farm and home means everything to us. It is my parent’s life’s work, superannuation and life savings, all in one neat block of Western Victorian dirt.

Continue reading Select Comittee Submission # 270 Peter Jelbart →

VOW (Victims of Wind) – OPEN LETTER 04.2015
Statement on Government Funded Reviews of IWT Impacts on Health

VOW is a confidential support network for people who have been adversely affected by loud, cyclical noise, low frequency vibration, infrasound and dirty electricity emissions coming from industrial wind turbine facilities.

Victims of Wind are tired of tolerating years of literature reviews that are being used as a benchmark by the government to allow harm-imposing wind turbine facilities to operate.

Ongoing, time-consuming desk top reviews, reviews of earlier reviews and delays waiting for results are forcing more and more families to fall victim to the despair caused by new projects being sited too close to their homes. Continue reading Statement on Government Funded Reviews of IWT Impacts on Health →

Harm to  Health & Wind Turbines.  Deputations to HN Board of Health:

Please consider attending to support Norfolk Victims of Industrial Wind Turbines as Stephana Johnston (and other adversely impacted residents) give their deputations to the HN Board of Health on Tuesday, April 28 at the Norfolk County Council chambers.

Start time for the HN Board of Health meeting is 5:30 pm, for more information please call 519 – 586 – 9437:

“This is to confirm that you are scheduled on the Agenda for the Board of Health meeting on Tuesday, April 28,2015, as a deputation to speak regarding Health Hazards.

Please be advised that the Board of Health meeting will commence at 4:30 p.m. changed to 5:30 pm in the Council Chambers, County Administration Building, 50 Colborne Street South, Simcoe.  Please use the Talbot Street entrance and proceed upstairs.

A direct link to the Agenda will be posted on the front page of Norfolk County’s website, www.norfolkcounty.caunder Public Notices on the Friday afternoon prior to the meeting if you would like to see where you are scheduled on the Agenda.

The Procedural By-Law of Norfolk County allows deputations to address Committee for ten minutes in total per person or group. Following your deputation, Committee will have an opportunity to ask questions regarding your deputation.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Andy Grozelle, Clerk, at 519-426-5870, Extension 1228 or andy.grozelle@norfolkcounty.ca. or Stephanie Godby, Deputy Clerk/Licensing Coordinator at 519-426-5870, Extension 1237 or stephanie.godby@norfolkcounty.ca..

If you require the use of the laptop and projector for a PowerPoint presentation, please contact Janet Woynarski in the Clerk’s office at janet.woynarski@norfolkcounty.ca or by telephone 519-426-5870 Extension 1222 to make arrangements to have your presentation loaded onto the laptop in advance of the meeting to ensure that it works properly.

We are committed to providing services as set out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.  If you have any accessibility needs, please contact us as soon as possible.

Please note that all Norfolk County Buildings have been designated as Scent Free and we encourage visitors to refrain from using scented products when meeting in Norfolk County Buildings.”

Turbines put species at risk says appeals court

A small turtle has local wind turbine opponents smiling — for the moment.

The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled this week in favour of an Environmental Review Tribunal decision from 2013 that a nine-turbine project in Prince Edward County puts the threatened Blanding’s turtle at even more risk. This decision has local residents fighting the onslaught of 77 industrial wind turbines celebrating, at least momentarily.

“We’re concerned for the Blanding’s turtle habitat in the same way the field naturalists group in Ostrander is,” said Loretta Shields, noting 20 of the proposed Niagara Region Wind Corp. turbines are in known Blanding’s habitats. “There is public concern.”

The Blanding’s turtle is medium in size and easily identified by its bright yellow throat and chin and smile-like expression. The most significant threat to this reptile are loss or fragmenting of habitat, motor vehicles, racoons and foxes. Another threat is poaching for the illegal pet trade.

The Prince Edward County Field Naturalists Club successfully challenged the approval of a 324-hectare, nine-turbine wind farm in Ostrander Point, south of Belleville, Ont. in an environmental review tribunal last year. That decision was challenged by project proponents Ostrander Point Wind Energy at divisional court and the original decision was upheld, which prompted the field naturalists to take their fight to the next level  the Ontario Court of Appeal.

read more: http://www.niagarathisweek.com/news-story/5573486-endangered-turtle-halts-ontario-wind-farm/

Please consider attending to support Norfolk Victims of Industrial Wind Turbines as Stephana Johnston (and other adversely impacted residents) give their deputations to the HN Board of Health on Tuesday, April 28 at the Norfolk County Council chambers.

Start time for the HN Board of Health meeting is 5:30 pm, for more information please call 519 – 586 – 9437:

“This is to confirm that you are scheduled on the Agenda for the Board of Health meeting on Tuesday, April 28,2015, as a deputation to speak regarding Health Hazards.

Please be advised that the Board of Health meeting will commence at 4:30 p.m. changed to 5:30 pm in the Council Chambers, County Administration Building, 50 Colborne Street South, Simcoe.  Please use the Talbot Street entrance and proceed upstairs.

A direct link to the Agenda will be posted on the front page of Norfolk County’s website, www.norfolkcounty.caunder Public Notices on the Friday afternoon prior to the meeting if you would like to see where you are scheduled on the Agenda.

The Procedural By-Law of Norfolk County allows deputations to address Committee for ten minutes in total per person or group. Following your deputation, Committee will have an opportunity to ask questions regarding your deputation.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact Andy Grozelle, Clerk, at 519-426-5870, Extension 1228 or andy.grozelle@norfolkcounty.ca. or Stephanie Godby, Deputy Clerk/Licensing Coordinator at 519-426-5870, Extension 1237 or stephanie.godby@norfolkcounty.ca..

If you require the use of the laptop and projector for a PowerPoint presentation, please contact Janet Woynarski in the Clerk’s office at janet.woynarski@norfolkcounty.ca or by telephone 519-426-5870 Extension 1222 to make arrangements to have your presentation loaded onto the laptop in advance of the meeting to ensure that it works properly.

We are committed to providing services as set out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.  If you have any accessibility needs, please contact us as soon as possible.

Please note that all Norfolk County Buildings have been designated as Scent Free and we encourage visitors to refrain from using scented products when meeting in Norfolk County Buildings.”

Toronto – April 20, 2015

The Ontario Court of Appeal has reversed a lower court ruling regarding a Renewal Energy Approval of the 9 turbine Ostrander Point industrial wind project. The decision reinstates the key initial finding of the Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) that serious and irreversible harm to threatened Blanding’s Turtles will occur if the project operates as approved. “We’re very pleased. The court has ruled in favour of protecting the environment, which is what we’ve asked for throughout“ said Myrna Wood of the successful appellant Prince Edward County Field Naturalists. “The decision is undoubtedly important” said Eric Gillespie, its legal counsel. “This is the first renewable energy case to reach the Court of Appeal. The Court has supported our client’s fundamental concerns and affirmed a number of legal principles that clearly will be relevant to other appeals.” The question of remedy has been directed back to the ERT.

For further information contact Myrna Wood 613-476-1506 myrna@kos.com or Eric Gillespie 416-436-7473(voice/text) egillespie@gillespielaw.ca

The Prince Edward County Field Naturalists have finally won their appeal against an industrial wind turbine project at Ostrander Point.  The Decision by the Appeal Court of Ontario found that the project will cause serious and irreversible harm to the Blanding’s turtle and its habitat.

It also found that Gilead Power and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment did not get a hearing of their proposal for a different remedy and that the Environmental Review Tribunal should hear that proposal.  The ‘remedy’ proposed was to put gates on the access roads to stop public traffic. PECFN is more than willing to show the Tribunal how putting gates on the very access roads, which will cause the irreversible harm, is no remedy at all.

This decision shows that with careful thought the Court of Appeal has recognized the serious consequences that would result in the development of Ostrander Point Crown Land Block.  The court has referred back to the Environmental Review Tribunal the matter of gates on the turbine access roads, which is described as a remedy to the serious and irreversible harm to the Blanding’s Turtle.  The consideration of this matter was not allowed by the Divisional Court.

The decision also shows that even though the structure of the Green Energy Act imposes almost impossible odds against environmental protection, determined people can succeed in making their case heard.

Cheryl Anderson

28 Low St., Picton ON K0K 2T0

613-471-1096

613-849-7743 (cell)

@saveostranderpt

http://www.saveostranderpoint.

Grace L. Howell, University of Western Ontario
Debbie Shubat
Carmen Krogh

fulltext

Autism and the effect of introducing a new noise source into quiet rural communities: risk factor from industrial wind power generation (with Debbie Shubat and Carmen Krogh) (2015)

Abstract

Some individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) may react negatively to noise including low-frequency noise, infrasound, vibration and other environmental emissions. There are specific concerns in the Province of Ontario, Canada, related to the exposure of people with autism to the environmental noise and infrasound produced by an additional noise source, in this case from the introduction of industrial-scale wind turbines into quiet rural communities. The objective of this report is to explore the potential for effects of exposure to a new noise source on this specific and vulnerable population. There is a significant research gap regarding the impact of the introduction of industrial-scale power generation from wind into rural communities and on children with ASD. The additional noise and low-frequency sound produced by the wind turbines may add to the burden of environmental noise that the ASD population is already coping with, including exposures at home and at school. Front-line professionals such as educators and health care workers need to be aware of this possibility.