By Paul Schliesmann, Kingston Whig-Standard
KINGSTON – An estimated 12 million migratory birds will be put at risk if two large offshore wind turbine projects are built in Lake Ontario, according to a report released this week by the Kingston Field Naturalists. Three members of the volunteer organization who conducted a year-long, unpaid study are particularly concerned about two offshore projects that would see the a total of 268 turbines planted to the north and south of Main Duck Island, a natural stopping off point for hundreds of species.
“We think 12 million is low because it’s based on birds being studied at Prince Edward Point. The ones which don’t stop at Prince Edward Point aren’t being included yet,” said Chris Hargreaves, who worked on the report with Erwin Batalla and Barrie Gilbert.
The section of Lake Ontario from Prince Edward County to Wolfe Island is an acknowledged migratory flyway for 300 species of birds heading to U.S. wintering grounds and returning to Canada in the spring to nest.
The naturalists are especially concerned about the array of existing and proposed turbine projects that, if all completed, would create a deadly obstacle course of more than 1,000 turbines stretching from New York state to eastern Ontario. They want to see more in-depth studies completed before further work goes ahead.
“Why would we go ahead with the industrialization of the Great Lakes without studies?” said Gilbert, a retired biology professor and lead researcher who has returned to Kingston after years of teaching in the U.S. “These are not windmills. This is not a wind farm. They’re industrial wind turbines.” read more
County Planning @ a glance:
‘Directions for our future’ (their words)
Freak out!
Open Houses
Sharbot Lake: Thursday, August 16, 6:30pm – 8:00pm at the Soldiers Memorial Hall
Ompah: Saturday, August 18, 9:30am – noon at the Community Centre
Sydenham: Thursday, August 23, 6:30pm – 8:00pm at the Library
Wolfe Island: Wednesday, September 5, 6:30pm – 8:00pm at Town Hall
Howe Island: Thursday, September 6, 6:30pm – 8:00pm at Howe Island Office
Frontenac County is embarking on a new Official Plan with the goal of having the plan approved by County Council in 2014. This will be the first Official Plan for the Frontenacs at the regional level, and it will join other Counties in Eastern Ontario that already have these plans, including Peterborough, Haliburton, Stormont Dundas & Glengarry, Renfrew, Hastings, and Prescott and Russell.
An Official Plan is a legal document that provides land use policies regarding growth and development while taking into consideration important social, economic, and environmental issues. Section 16 of the Ontario Planning Act provides local governments the authority to prepare these plans.
There will be lots of public consultation throughout 2012 and 2013 as the Plan is put together. The information on this web page is to help all citizens understand what the plan is all about, the expectations of County Council, and the plan’s important connection to the County’s sustainability documents.
http://www.frontenaccounty.ca/node/278
Freak out!
Public consultation – ‘the message’ – allowed
Tone down the language!!!!
As an example:
Peterborough
‘[excerpt] More than 2,200 members of the community have been involved at various stages of the drafting of the plan.
Sustainable Peterborough Plan: A road map for where we want to be in 2037
http://www.mykawartha.com/community/article/1417812–sustainable-peterborough-plan-a-road-map-for-where-we-want-to-be-in-2037
It appears ‘consensus’ formed –
lots of community involvement [you know the rest]
Ontario: A thrill – every minute!
For Immediate Release
Aug. 24, 2012, 3:38 p.m.
Local Municipal Official Elected To AMO
At the Annual Conference of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), Mark Gerretsen, Mayor, City of Kingston, was elected to the AMO Board of Directors, Large Urban Caucus. As a member of the Board, Mark will help set policy for the Association and serve as a key municipal leader in the Province.
“AMO’s Board of Directors benefits from membership from across the Province, reflecting the diversity of Ontario’s municipal governments. To that end, I am pleased to have Mark on the 2012-2014 Board team,” said AMO President, Russ Powers.
AMO’s key advocacy priorities are focused on achieving fiscal sustainability for municipal governments, advancing federal, provincial partnerships for infrastructure and strengthening municipal legislative authority to advance local economic prosperity and environmental sustainability.
AMO is a non-profit organization representing almost all of Ontario’s 444 municipal governments. AMO supports strong and effective municipal government in Ontario and promotes the value of municipal government as a vital and essential component of Ontario and Canada’s political system.
http://www.cityofkingston.ca/cityhall/press/release.asp?mode=show&id=3585
OPINIONS SOUGHT
ON CITY PROJECTS
Frequently, citizens are asked to comment online to help guide City projects.
Currently:
http://www.cityofkingston.ca/index.asp
New law: Eat your bowl of peas!……….coming soon!
“More studies needed…more studies needed…”
Personally I’m getting tired of hearing this pathetic line over and over again.
We don’t need any studies, and by claiming we do, it only suggests condonation of the scam.
People need to stop being so passive. This is serious! The industry is hell bent on destroying our wealth, health, economies, way of life, waters, wildlife, communities and land; and how do we respond?
The only study needed at this point is to get our collective heads examined.
I’m sorry if this sounds insulting, but come on people!
The ‘common’ Myth!
Bird and Wildlife Charity to Erect Massive Wind Turbine (The Message: Wind Turbines Better for Birds than Fossil Fuels)
There’s a common myth that wind turbines are much worse for birds that conventional, fossil-fuel power plants. As an indication that they certainly aren’t, a leading bird protection charity in the UK is actually going to have a huge wind turbine for its headquarters!
http://cleantechnica.com/2012/07/17/bird-and-wildlife-charity-to-erect-massive-wind-turbine-the-message-wind-turbines-better-for-birds-than-fossil-fuels/
Pathetic!
What a pack of lies! This 100 meter IWT can’t be used for a headquarters and be operational. Non-operating IWTs don’t kill birds and bats unless run into by accident.
Shame on the RSPB.