Nextera wind project meets opposition in West Grey

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Residents cite concerns about land values and health if turbines are erected

update: Correction and clarification Mon. Feb. 8, 12:49 PM

Comments

West Grey, Ontario residents should have some comfort by relaizing that many areas of the world have been living with wind. Canada is late to the development of wind as a power resource.

If property values were going down and health problems going up because of wind turbines, don't you think other countries with up to 20 years more experience than ourselves would have stopped it by now? There is a wind turbine on the Exhibition grounds in downtown Toronto operating since 2002

We are the ones using more power every day. We are the ones who now have a choice of using power from a variety of sources, most with the coast of fuel going up annually (wood, coal, nuclear, gas) and having established negative health effects. The alternatives power sources are certainly improvments and there is no cost to the fuel. A step in the right direction.

Attending the advertised " INFORMATION" Meeting in West Grey to get information on the plans and details of Green Energy project planned for the area was a complete waste of time and an insult for any one with positive experience and knowledge on wind turbines and the extensive studies that have to be completed and approved before a project is in operation
The term "Protest Meeting" would have been more appropriate as the same group of people with no proven negative health effects from turbines worked very hard to hijack the meeting and insult and disgrace the the guest presenter rather the getting information and respecting the people in attendance who where there to listen and learn the positive things to get away from carbon pollution.
As a person living near turbines everyday and seeing the benefits I believe these protesters will never accept any study on health effects no matter who does it unless it says turbines make you sick.What a shame Municipalities waste taxpayers time and money instead of looking at the positive experiences

Maybe the person who left this should follow their own advice. One has only to undertake real research into the issues carried out by arms-length organizations to discover that countries who have been at it longer have indeed identified problems, not least of which is wind power does almost nothing to reduce co2 emissions and in fact has not resulted in the shut-down of any traditional energy producing plants (in fact a study of the situation in Denmark done in 1998 contained this sentence "In 1998, Norway commissioned a study of wind power in Denmark and concluded that it has "serious environmental effects, insufficient production, and high production costs." Read more here: http://www.wvmcre.org/neg_imapcts/ineffeciency.htm )

As well there are a growing number of studies identifying both health problems and loss of property values (see http://www.epaw.org/victims.php?lang=en&article=t1 , and http://www.epaw.org/victims.php?lang=en&article=t3 , and follow the links on these pages: http://www.wvmcre.org/neg_imapcts/neg_impacts.htm , http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/us-japan-france-aust... , http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/category/health/.

There are many many more studies with real data, however the fact that a growing number of European countries are putting the brakes on allowing more wind turbines to go up should raise a very BIG red flag (see a list here: http://www.wolfeislandresidents.ca/windturbines.html )

And by the way, maybe the reason Ontario got a deal with a Japanese company is because Japanese Utilities have severely limited the wind power they will buy—effectively shutting down many wind energy factories. So, did we really get a good deal - or did we pay to take on their problem?

The wind turbine in Toronto isn't hooked up. It doesn't produce electricity.

If one actually does research this issue, one can not help but find ample reason, from countries who have tried to use industrial wind power as a source of "green energy", to reject wind power projects as currently being proposed for Ontario. And much of the data has been around for some time.

Read http://www.cdhowe.org/pdf/Verbatim_%28trebilcock%29.pdf to see a nice summary of much of the materiel.

As they say, 'there is none so blind as those who do not wish to see'

I agree with the commenter - there are a core group of people who oppose wind no matter what and who will never accept the mountain of evidence that Wind energy is safe.
Instead these people go to public information meetings to berate representatives and supporters. It is clearly bullying and a mockery of the democratic process where everyone's views are respected.
Worse yet are elected officials who are using this as an opportunity to earn political currency instead of making choices that protect our future.
Interestingly, the lack of uproar over some wind energy installations in Europe appears to be the fact that they are community projects. I would be curious to see if wind detractors would support wind energy projects owned by their communities.

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