Thursday 15 April 2010

Wind Turbines in North Gower

Wind turbine health worries in North Gower [Ontario]
Wolfe Isl.

Hundreds of people packed a meeting organized by opponents of a proposed wind farm in Ottawa's southern outskirts. more »

This is an interesting article.
You would think there would be adequate studies from Europe: 

European Wind Energy Association - EWEA: Offshore Wind


There are currently 830 wind turbines now installed and grid connected, totalling 2063 MW in 39 wind farms in nine European countries

They make a good point.

Anecdotal evidence, by people unwilling to accept the wind turbines, do not make reliable witnesses. North Gower, a small bedroom town south of Ottawa (I used to live there!), is having meeting to protest the wind farm.

They did not allow Prowind to speak, which causes some doubt in my mind. "Bart Geleynse, who is in charge of land acquisition for Prowind Canada, said opponents of wind turbines can't back up their health claims with scientific studies." 

How can one have a dialogue if all stakeholders are not allowed air time?

The Green Party has passed a motion calling for scientific studies, as highlighted by Sudbury Steve:

Green Party Voting: Greens Question Commitment to Wind Energy

And the Green Party remains committed to have scientific, not anecdotal studies, as clarified by Jean-Luc Cooke, the Nepean Carleton Green Party candidate.. 
  Wind turbines near Shelburne | Green Party of Ontario
On the other hand, if residents do not like the turbines, or feel they are adversely affected, perhaps they should be compensated to move. As a person that moved several times for several reasons, to find a job, to assist failing parents, I wonder how attached we become to 'home'. Expecting society to stay the same, despite change around us, and not the reverse.

The article quotes one woman,
"Stephana Johnston has lived beside a wind farm near Lake Erie for a year and a half. She told North Gower residents that from inside her home, the neighbouring wind turbines sound like a Boeing 747 jumbo jet flying overhead."


Wolfe Isl.
Now, we live across a lake from a train track and you get used to the hourly trains. It all depends upon your attitude, does it not? I find comfort in the train. There are many towns where residents live steps from a train track.

It is the same in Bala, with opponents of the Bala Falls Hydro Dam, who protest using rhetoric and unfounded claims. In a democracy, we have elected leaders who have stated publicly their purpose in reducing our dependence upon coal-fired, polluting generators.

When we look at the earth, and the demands humans make of it, can we not adapts as flora and fauna have, also? Wolfe Island, for example, was impacted a great deal by their wind turbines. The jury seems out on this one. Until they prove an impact...and prove or disprove it they jolly well should.

~~~~~~~~~~
Sept. 09, 2008
A new project, Bala Falls Hydro Dam, has spawned much excitement in our quiet town.

Dambusters (post #2) | Bala Hydro Project -part 3  |  Misinformation -part 4  |  Trouble in Dodge City/ AKA Bala Falls Hydro Project pt. 5

2 comments:

SandyCarlson said...

People struggle with change. Their unwillingness to listen to scientists undermines their credibility, but they may have a point. I see these turbines in Pennsylvania, and they are just downright strange and overwhelming....

http://northgowerwindactiongroup.wordpress.com said...

I'm sorry that I just saw this, but I don't know where you got the idea that at the meeting in North Gower, scientists were not allowed to speak. Of the 5 presenters,TWO were scientists, one was a Realtor and another a laywer.The last was a lady from south-western Ontario whose home is now surrounded by 18 industrial-scale wind turbines. We had planned for Dr Robert McMurtry to attend but at the last minute he had to cancel. With all due respect, when you talk about people's resistance to "change" it is you who are not doing due diligence here by lapping up the corporate wind industry's Pablum and NOT reading about the health effects. If nothing else, you need to look at what is happening to power generation in Ontario and realize that YOU are paying for wind energy, an inefficient,unreliable and very expensive form of power generation. I suggest you follow Parker Gallant's series in The Financial Post, check out the news stories at http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com and read the piece on power generation and costs at canada.com http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/Hydro+prices+going+like+rocket/3428382/story.html