By Wes Kellar, Orangeville Citizen
Dufferin County council is expected to change the date of its February meeting to the first Thursday from the normal second Thursday to approve comments to the Ministry of Environment on a rail corridor transmission line in time for a Feb. 10 deadline for submissions. Dufferin Wind Power’s REA application to the MOE to build a 230 kV partly underground line on the corridor to the Orangeville transformer substation in preference to a dual 69 kV overhead one through Mono to a new transformer substation there came as good news to Mono residents who had objected to the transformer and to the proposed addition of towering poles to carry the power lines.
But it came as a bit of a shock to residents near the corridor who voiced their concerns about visual impact of the aboveground portion and the effects of that on property values. Their objections were, perhaps, more pointed on the possible health effects of whatever electromagnetic field would be generated. One or more of the residents had accessed a UK study based on a 230 kV overhead line there. In a report to be considered by the council tonight, CAO Sonya Pritchard outlines the background for the rail corridor proposal.
She says the council engaged the MMM Group as consultants “after a lengthy process. Identifying a consultant that did not have a conflict with respect to the wind project was difficult and took considerable time. In addition, MMM has been extremely busy and there have been repeated delays in receiving information. “A report from MMM is expected during the second or third week of January. This report will be used to identify concerns and local impacts that will affect the agreement to grant an easement,” she says in her report. Read article
People are making things more difficult in order to delay the projects, and the snakes are speeding up to try their best to ram them through. One look at the events list will tell of the panic ensuing right now over the growing opposition, the health effects cover-up exposed, the destruction of the eagles nest becoming public, and the upcoming election. The wind industry feels the winds of change blowing, and does not like it one little bit!
Council had a very difficult time finding a consultant who wasn’t already in the pocket of the wind industry.