Category Archives: Protest

Wind Turbine Bird & Bat Mortality Reports, with Summary – Ontario, Canada

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Below is a summary Maureen kindly assembled from all of the reports retrieved through the FOI. Have a good hard look at the numbers per project. Individually, these projects have got off scot free – they have never been challenged, never been questioned, never been charged, or even slapped on the wrist for these astounding kills. Dan tallied the actual raptor deaths on the right hand side, as many raptor deaths were ignored as “incidental” – not killed at the right time/place…more on that later. There is much more to glean from these reports – please share what you gather. This is a draft that will be added to and amended as we go.

Click here to download and view in full screen

Bird-and-Bat-Mortality-v012417-Sheet2

 

Full list of Bird and Bat Mortality Reports

Say NO to Double Standard on Species at Risk Penalties!

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In the last few days these three stories came out. Please read them, and then respond to those who are failing to protect these Species at Risk below. 

1. Penalty for Canaport songbird deaths

…The deaths of thousands of songbirds at the Canaport LNG terminal more than three years ago resulted in a $750,000 penalty against the company… In September 2013, thousands of birds were drawn to a 10-to-15-metre gas flare during a period of fog and low cloud. Twenty-six species of migratory birds died, including four Canada warblers, a threatened species…

2. Former Liberal Pres. Crawley built worst ‘bat killing wind farm’ in Canada: 85 bats killed/turbine/yr

…This was an AIM PowerGen/International Power Corporation project – whose president is none other than the past Federal and Ontario Federal Liberal Party President Mike Crawley. It was approved  in 2009, and pretty much nothing more was said about it since. Which is so wrong. Let me explain. The “five” reports stuck out because usually (if the project is not killing over the ‘limits’ set by the government) there are only three reports. That means some ‘mitigation reporting’ was happening, for some reason. Well that reason became pretty obvious within seconds of looking at the 2011 report. How does 85.42 bats killed per wind turbine strike you? Or how about 53.1% of them being the Endangered Little Brown Bat?…

3. Minister says thanks but no thanks, to wind energy review pleas

…McKenna wrote that current research shows wind turbines kill relatively few birds when compared to cats, windows on buildings, vehicles and transmission lines.”Monitoring studies of existing wind farms in Ontario have shown that while some birds are incidentally killed, mortality rates as well as cumulative mortality of species that have been found incidentally killed to date are not likely to have a biologically significant impact on provincial population levels of those species,” McKenna wrote. “However, it is possible that turbine sites in areas with important populations of some species at risk could have impacts on those populations.”…

***Send a message to the key decision makers by filling out the form below with your own comments or copy and paste the following message into the comment section below:

The other day I read that LNG was fined $750,000 for killing 4 Species at Risk (SAR) in New Brunswick. Fair enough.

But I also read the 2011 Bird and Bat Mortality Report for the Mohawk Point Wind project in Haldimand County. It appears that this wind company killed around 270 SAR, in just one season. To be more specific – it was the Endangered Little Brown Bat that was all but wiped out by this project’s 6 wind turbines.

And I’m left wondering why this wind company wasn’t fined. In fact, I’m wondering why they were allowed to continue to operate year after year ever since. Even with mitigation measures, they were only able to bring the kill rate of the bats down to 24.27 bats/turbine/year by 2013 – over double the allowed limit in Ontario. Several years later now, it appears no government agency is even counting the deaths there anymore – they are just happening, and those who know, turn a blind eye.

This project continues to operate, and kill SAR, with impunity. Please explain to me the reason for the double standard. Or if it isn’t a double standard, and somehow the government just missed this violation, I might as will give you this link (below) to all the other wind turbine Bird/Bat mortality reports in Ontario, because there are hundreds of SAR that have been killed in these reports, and none of the operators have ever been penalized at all. So of course they continue their operations as usual.

Canadian Wind Turbine Bird and Bat Mortality Reports https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B24A4SH_cewXV0VhTENxTGp3LVk

I’m frankly sick and tired of watching wind developers get off scot free for this kind of slaughter that’s happening before our very eyes. If it’s wrong for LNG to kill endangered species, it’s wrong for all the wind companies in Canada to kill them as well. Apply the law consistently!

Awaiting your reply,

Subject: No Double Standard on Species at Risk Penalties! 


Form will be sent to:

  • Fed. Min. of Environment: Catherine McKenna
  • Fed. Min. of Natural Resources: Jim Carr
  • Fed. Conservative Environment critic: Ed Fast
  • Fed. Conservative Natural Resources critic: Candice Bergen
  • Ontario Min. Natural Resources: Kathryn McGarry
  • Ontario Min. of Environment: Glenn Murray
  • Ontario PC Natural Resources critic: Todd Smith
  • Ontario PC Environment critic: Lisa Thompson
  • Ontario PC Leader: Patrick Brown
  • Ontario PC Energy critic: John Yakabuski, Energy Critic,
  • Ontario NDP Natural Resources critic: Gilles Bisson

Former Liberal Pres. Crawley built worst ‘bat killing wind farm’ in Canada: 85 bats killed /turbine/yr

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Yesterday the CD arrived with loads of Bird and Bat Mortality Reports that I had filed an FOI from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for last year, and you good people had funded. I’m slowly organizing and will get them all posted shortly.

But for starters I came across five reports for Mohawk Point Wind Project, a 6 turbine project in Haldimand County. I didn’t know much about this one – it was never in the news… sort of flew under the radar. It came on around the time of the Clear Creek turbines in Norfolk County.

This was an AIM PowerGen/International Power Corporation project – whose president is none other than the past Federal and Ontario Federal Liberal Party President Mike Crawley. It was approved  in 2009, and pretty much nothing more was said about it since.

Which is so wrong. Let me explain. The “five” reports stuck out because usually (if the project is not killing over the ‘limits’ set by the government) there are only three reports. That means some ‘mitigation reporting’ was happening, for some reason.

Well that reason became pretty obvious within seconds of looking at the 2011 report.

How does 85.42 bats killed per wind turbine strike you?

Or how about 53.1% of them being the Endangered Little Brown Bat?

Perhaps I’m too soft, but my thinking is 25 bats per turbine is atrocious (I mean, 10 is the MNRF’s limit). And as for Little Browns, they usually only make up a percent or two – not HALF of the kill! It’s an endangered species for crying out loud!

Okay, based on these insane numbers, why didn’t they SHUT DOWN the project? Oh they mitigated instead, and they believe they brought it down to a more reasonably atrocious number of 24.27 bats killed per wind turbine/year by 2013. That puts you all at ease, doesn’t it? I mean shouldn’t we be happy for the success of this ‘mitigation’ even though it is still double the legal limit?

Not so fast. Think about this – female Little Browns have just one offspring a year. After 5 years of 6 turbines decimating 85 bats each (give or take), how many do you really think are left in those local colonies? Pretty damn sure that number is dropping rapidly by the oh-so-natural process of “wind turbine selection”.

And as for you, dear Crawely, at least you have the current claim of creating the biggest bat killing “farm” in the country. Now that should make the green Liberals proud.

Esther Wrightman

[With only an initial look at some reports I hope this is as bad as it gets for bat kills in this country. As the bird and bat mortality reports are slowly uncovered, the numbers just seem to get worse and worse. I never imagined it could get this low, but then again nobody was releasing this info to the public, so how were we to know? Maybe some company will outdo Crawley on this one yet…heck, maybe even some of Crawley’s other projects could claim this title too…]

Drennans bring Notice of Constitutional Question before Superior Court tomorrow

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shawn triciaSupport Shawn and Tricia Drennan Tomorrow!

On Wednesday, October 26, 2016 Shawn and Tricia Drennan will bring a Notice of Constitutional Question before the Superior Court at 1 Courthouse Square, Goderich Ontario. Start time is 10:00 a.m. This motion is in regards to the current commercial operation of the K2 Wind Ontario Inc. project and the harm it is inflicting.

Shawn and Tricia will be utilizing the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982, along with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The Covenants, described above are expressed in Canada under Section 26 of the Constitution Act, 1982, which states:

26. ” The guarantee in this Charter of certain rights and freedoms
shall not be construed as denying the existence of any other
rights or freedoms that exist in Canada. “

We are requesting your attendance at the hearing as a show of support. Any and all support will be greatly appreciated.

Yours Sincerely,
Shawn & Trish Drennan

Help Fund FOI Request: Release Wind Turbine Bird & Bat Mortality Data!

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UPDATE: Wow! Rural Ontario pitched in the whole $625 and more in less than a day!! Thank you so much! ~  Esther

The bill came in. I haven’t decided if this is good or bad news yet, but at least it is ‘progress.’ The Freedom of Information office sent an ‘estimate’ for the retrieval of all the wind turbine bird and bat mortality reports in Ontario to date. I had forwarded the MNRF a list of over 110 wind projects in Ontario ’cause the government doesn’t have a list of all these energy plants (do they have a list of all the nuclear plants, I wonder?). There is certainly no guarantee they have mortality reports for some of them, but whatever they have, we want to see.

The bill is roughed in at $625. Yeah, really it should be $0 and the government should just be posting these reports on their website, but we can’t wait for pigs to fly when raptors, and endangered bat and birds are being knocked to the ground daily by these machines.foi-estimate

I’ve asked for this in specific:

“All final, annual post-construction mortality monitoring reports for birds and bats (or last available draft, if there is no final) for the wind power projects in Ontario.”

 

“Records related to the MNRF permit granted to destroy a bald eagle’s nest within the NextEra Summerhaven Wind Project.”

They say it will come roughly to 28,000 pages released, if they can find them.

gofundmeCould you please help by sending what you can to cover these costs, and share the page with those who would like to see these reports made public? When the documents eventually arrive (it will take a few months) I will parse them and post them on the Google Drive here so everyone can easily access, review and use them. Have a look through the reports we have listed there already – they are eye opening, and rage inducing.

Visit the GoFundMe page to read more about the issue of hidden bird and bat mortality data in this province. We can’t let this go on any longer – if we don’t get the numbers out there, nobody will.

Oh yeah, and I’ve asked the MPP’s to pitch in too, since they are all about “open government”… see below.

————

Dear Ontario MPP’s,

We have to talk.

It is no longer a matter of guessing what wind turbines ‘might do’ to Ontario’s birds and bats – you know what’s happening. Or, you should know. Wind developers have been filing bird and bat mortality reports with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry for many years now. So, what do those numbers look like? Oh. Right… nobody really knows because they get filed away – far far away – from public scrutiny.

trade secretsI left Ontario two years ago when wind turbines destroyed our land, and the habitat for all animals, including us. But I did not forget about the destruction that was taking place in my absence. I suppose I was hoping (as I usually do, hope is healthy, but rarely rewarded in Ontario politics) that the MNRF, or the media, or the researchers, or the nature organizations – somebody! – would keep a close eye on the bird and bat kill rates from these machines. I expected this, because I know that when LNG killed 7500 birds in New Brunswick in 2013, the world knew, as they should, and the company was fined $750,000 under the Migratory Birds Convention Act. Other industries have been held accountable for bird kills too – especially if Species at Risk are involved.

Not so for the wind industry in Ontario. Nope, wind developers obliterate an area’s raptor population in several months. If it relates to wind turbines – those deaths don’t even “happen,” it’s all in your imagination.

adelaide-raptor-2015-kill

Frankly I’ve had enough of this. I’ve filed a Freedom of Information request for all the bird and bat mortality reports in Ontario wind projects. Hey, quick question: Do you know how many wind projects are in Ontario? I’ll give you a second to Google it, or look it up in your government files, but I don’t think you’ll find the answer because there doesn’t seem to be a comprehensive list of them anywhere. I tallied over 110 wind projects in Ontario. What are the chances someone is actually overseeing all the dead birds and bats found around the bases at all these wind projects. The MNRF didn’t even know of many of the wind projects I listed for them.  Continue reading →

Tiny the Turbine helps fight back the wind industry propaganda allowed into our schools

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Tiny the Turbine is a moral tale that tells the truth about the impacts of industrial wind development in a way children can understand. It has been written by a Highland anti wind campaigner, illustrated by a supporting Cartoonist and published online today.

Tiny the turbineSome time ago it was discovered that not only were multinational wind developers welcomed into our schools, they come bearing gifts and speak to pupils regarding only the ‘benefits’ of wind development.

Children are asked to name turbines and design logos. They are taken to visit wind farms. The message is clear. Build wind farms – or else the planet will suffer and the polar bears and penguins will die!

The other side of the story has never been told as far as we are aware.

There is no hard evidence that building wind farms will do anything to combat climate change. Many things like grid connection (no matter how many miles), foreign parts and workers, pollution caused in China mining and processing necessary rare earth minerals and decommissioning are not included in any CO2 savings calculations, making emission claims a farce.

Not only do wind developers go into schools, they produce child friendly stories about turbines. Tommy the Turbine, Timmy the Turbine, Lofty etc. All designed to put a positive spin on a controversial industry and keep profits flowing from the next generation.

Lyndsey Ward wrote Subsidy Sam, illustrated by Josh, in retaliation to this shameless indoctrination earlier in the year. It was a satirical story and really meant for adults.

Subsidy Sam went global and following requests to write a real children’s story Lyndsey came up with Tiny the Turbine and Josh agreed to illustrate it.

Children should never be exposed to indoctrination by multinational companies with a product to sell with no access to the opposing argument. It is happening again and again. Fast food and fizzy drink giants were allowed into schools years ago – we now have a child obesity epidemic. Continue reading →

The Right to Know: Releasing Wind Turbine Bird & Bat Death Data

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red-tailed-hawk1Yesterday I expected to hear of an “Appeal” (we all detest that word now, don’t we) of the Freedom of Information (FOI) request I filed for the Bird and Bat Mortality Reports for three of NextEra Energy’s wind projects several months ago. NextEra had asked the FOI office for extra time to file this appeal, and it had been granted, the deadline being yesterday. But instead, and to my great surprise, a letter came from the FOI office and I could distinctly feel a CD case in it – Oh ya! If it was a “mid-summer-everyones-on-vacation” mistake to send these to me, I don’t want to know about it.

Google Drive Bird Bat Mortality ReportsHere they are: Bird Bat Mortality Reports for NextEra’s Bornish, Adelaide and Summerhaven (more on what they contain in upcoming posts).

I’ve uploaded these documents (and 45 more!) to a public Google Drive folder that anyone can access, view and download. This was the whole point – to make these documents public because our government and the wind companies won’t! Bring some transparency to the bird and bat deaths in Canada! Hold these bloody wind companies accountable for the wildlife slaughter they getting away with! [Keep in mind that this is only partial transparency because the collections and reports are NOT conducted by a third party and are designed to miss a very large portion of the actual deaths. It’s a start, but it’s not the full story by a long shot]

Bird Bat Mortality Monitoring

Google Drive Bird Bat Mortality Reports icons

Recently we filed FOI’s for the rest of the wind turbine Bird/Bat Mortality Reports in Ontario, and Nova Scotia. Some companies in Nova Scotia actually post their reports on their company websites, but those tend to be the smaller co-ops, never the Big Wind companies. New Brunswick, by the way, just sent them to us without us needing to do an FOI. I like that process much better.

Get your reading glasses out and start ripping through these reports. If you are a lawyer, or a reporter, or a biologist, or a birder – we all need your insight and expertise. And if anyone comes across more reports, send them along and I’ll post them.

The other day a helpful contact wrote this to me:

“These are public trust resources being killed. And the public has a right to know.”

I’ll add that it is also our duty to protect them from our own destructive kind in whatever way we can.

~Esther Wrightman

‘Water Wells First!’ Public Protest Wind Turbine Adverse Effects

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Ontario Ground Water Association
Strathroy, Ontario – June 27, 2016 – “On Wednesday, June 29, 2016, residents of the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario, embark on their Water Wells First! campaign to protest and advocate for protection of their water wells, says the Ontario Ground Water Association.” These residents understand that renewable energy is important to the future of Ontario and in the battle that is climate change but the safety and security of their water is their priority. The Ontario Ground Water Association (OGWA) became aware of increased water quality issues in the region when inquiries intensified from Chatham-Kent and Lambton County residents for well water testing through the OGWA’s ‘Well Wise’ water testing program. The OGWA is fully supportive of the Chatham-Kent residents in this endeavour.

Existing Wind Farm developments in this area are disregarding known science on vibration and seismic coupling, causing adverse effects on local ground water and drinking water wells.

The pile driving of foundations began the onset of water quality deterioration during the construction phase. After the wind mills are in service, the vibrations transfer into the concrete foundations and continue to vibrate the rock and soil formations of the surrounding areas. This activity directly affects the sources of the residents’ water wells. The result is dirty, turbid water. These residents are also rightly concerned about what effects this vibration has in an area known to have elevated levels of Radon gas. Continue reading →

Subsidy Sam – A Tale About Money, Greed… And Wind Turbines

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SubsidySambook_sm-211x300Lyndsey Ward and Josh

“Subsidy Sam was written in response to the wind industry’s own book for children, Tommy the Turbine. Following requests from people fighting wind turbines around the world a children’s story, Timmy the Tiny Turbine, has now been written and will be published online in August 2016 with illustrations by Josh.”

Subsidy Sam – A Tale About Money, Greed… and Wind Turbines

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Lyndsey Ward and Josh
“Subsidy Sam was written in response to the wind industry’s own book for children, Tommy the Turbine. Following requests from people fighting wind turbines around the world a children’s story, Timmy the Tiny Turbine, has now been written and will be published online in August 2016 with illustrations by Josh.”

Wind developers don’t have to make their Bird & Bat kills public – Let’s change that.

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turbines-birdsIt’s springtime – birds singing…

Or at least we hope so. Is anybody checking? I mean is the wind company busy collecting carcasses, or listening to bird song? Is the government monitoring the cumulative impacts from the massive wind developments that have been deployed all over Ontario in the last few years?

In short, no. But here’s a test you can all try (and I hope you do): try looking for a Bird/Bat
Mortality Report of any wind project of your choosing in Ontario. It’s like an easter egg hunt, or an eagle egg hunt. Not a very fruitful one though – I’ve only found two – both from before 2012. One is the infamous Wolfe Island bird carnage (all reports are fully listed on the company’s site), and the other is for the Harrow project, but it’s posted here on OWR… so that doesn’t really count as a brownie point for the wind company.

That’s all I can find but if anyone else can point out some more – please share. You’d think the wind developers would have these reports on their websites, especially after all those reassurances at the meetings that the kills would be ‘monitored’ and ‘mitigated’ and of course the people would be kept in the loop.

Copy of IMG_0380In my old backyard of Middlesex County there was an active eagle nest smack in the NextEra Bornish Wind Project – 400m from the massive substation, and surrounded by hundreds of wind turbines now. It’s hard not to think about those eagles and wonder how they are doing, how their offspring fared. Same with the eagles in Haldimand that were evicted from their nest – what happened to them? And the swallows too, flocks of them at this time of year skimming the pond.

In reading the Adelaide Community Liaison Report NextEra said they would  submit these mortality reports at the beginning of March this year. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Yeah, well – too good to be true. March comes and I’m checking all over their website – no documents.

I start looking for other Bird and Bat Mortality Reports for other recent projects and find myself coming up empty handed. What the hell?? By now there should be tonnes of them considering all the projects in operation!

So I contact the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, where the reports were submitted to. They tell me to go ask NexTerror first. (Kidding, they said NextEra, but they were probably thinking it!).

I breathe in, and write them. (By now I’m losing my cool with this company for multiple reasons, this is as nice as I could be.)

NextEra,

I’m looking for the Bird and Bat Monitoring Report for the Adelaide and Bornish Wind Projects.

From the Community Liaison Committee meeting notes, they should be available by March 1, 2016. “Annual report provided to MNRF by March 1 following each year of monitoring“.

This was my home for 33 years and I still give a damn about the eagle nest, and the multitude of barn swallows and bat colonies. It appears if nobody asks for this report, then nobody knows.

Please direct me to where the public can access these reports, or alternatively send me them both on to me.

Thank you,

Esther Wrightman

The reply comes a couple days later, from someone named “Steve”.

Nextera Bird Bat kill report Steve

 

A quick letter back to Steve (that didn’t get any answers):

Dear Steve (last name?),

A ‘summary’, in ’90 days’, ‘maybe’?

Could you not just send me the same full bird/bat death report you sent the MNRF right now, since you already have it?

Or does it have to be manipulated first, for public consumption.

Esther

 

can5The MNR reassures me that they have these documents but haven’t reviewed them and then I’m told the only other way to retrieve them is to file a Freedom of Information request to see them. I throw my $5 into an envelope and send  it in to the Information and Privacy Commissioner, and wait. Continue reading →

Wind Company Deal is ‘Bribery with blood money’: Mayor

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free-money-imageQuinte News
The mayor of Prince Edward County is pleading with members of council to vote against an upcoming motion that would initiate a road users’ agreement between WPD White Pines and the municipality.

Mayor Quaiff’s email to council
My Fellow Colleagues, I send you this message as my feelings and opinion on the agenda item we will deal with this Thursday about wpd, the following excerpt are my thoughts.

The motions we are asked to consider on Thursday represent by far the worst situation that we have had to confront for the good of our constituents for as far back as I can remember.

What we decide will be analyzed and picked over by the local and national media and indeed by all Ontarian’s suffering under industrial wind turbines like the ones proposed to be inflicted on us for greed, not to “save the planet,” that old cliche,’ and by other people literally across the Country.

I urge you to agree with me that we don’t have a choice but to turn this motion down. I have fought for years to keep turbines out of the County, recognizing early on how badly they would affect everything we hold dear, not to mention our economy, our tourist industry and our property and business values. The contrary spin of the wind industry is professionally and effectively done but – please don’t for a moment believe their avaricious approach and intentions. We are now the “go to” destination in Ontario by those in the know. To approve these motions will eventually drive these well motivated and well – paying visitors away; it would also reduce property assessments and thus tax revenue. It would turn our paradise into a grubby factory, the end of a heartless string of turbines stretching from Wolfe Island through Ernestown and Amherst Island to our south shore. An indiscriminately as it spins and devastating to some of the most beautiful vistas and country side in Canada.
Continue reading →

Give us a voice and choice!! Bill 150, Energy Referendum Act

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remedies_download-0Download Petition to support Bill 150, Energy Referendum Act

If the result on a referendum described in subsection (2) is that the local municipality is not willing to permit large-scale renewable energy projects to be located in the local municipality, then any such project that is subsequently proposed shall not be accepted by the local municipality and the local municipality shall not permit any work or development on any such project to take place in the local municipality.


Ontario Legislative Assembly
Bill 150, 2015: An Act to amend the Electricity Act, 1998
Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:
1.  The Electricity Act, 1998 is amended by adding the following section:
Referendum for large-scale renewable energy projects

402 protestDefinitions
25.35.1  (1)  In this section,
“large-scale renewable energy project” means a renewable energy project permitted under the feed-in tariff program developed by the IESO under section 25.35, other than a project permitted under the microFIT Program; (“projet d’énergie renouvelable à grande échelle”)

“local municipality” has the same meaning as in the Municipal Act, 2001. (“municipalité locale”)

Referendum
(2)  The council of a local municipality may hold a referendum at any time on the question of whether the local municipality is willing to permit large-scale renewable energy projects to be located in the local municipality.

Same
(3)  If a person or entity proposes that a large-scale renewable energy project be located in a local municipality and a referendum described in subsection (2) has not been held in that local municipality, the council of the local municipality shall hold such a referendum before considering whether to accept the project and before permitting any work or development on it to begin in the local municipality.

Municipality willing to host
(4)  If the result on a referendum described in subsection (2) is that the local municipality is willing to permit large-scale renewable energy projects to be located in the local municipality, then any such project that is subsequently proposed may proceed in the usual course.

Municipality not willing to host
(5)  If the result on a referendum described in subsection (2) is that the local municipality is not willing to permit large-scale renewable energy projects to be located in the local municipality, then any such project that is subsequently proposed shall not be accepted by the local municipality and the local municipality shall not permit any work or development on any such project to take place in the local municipality. Continue reading →

Wind turbines protested in song during Addington Highlands council meeting!

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Kudos to those who raised their voices in song and Out of Order (that’s the only way to do it)! Keep them coming – loud and clear!

[PS: you’re protected by anti-SLAPP legislation as of yesterday, so carry that Right with you confidently, Nexterror should leave you alone]

“Local residents gather at a Township Council meeting in Denbigh where they sing a protest song about the Council’s decision to vote in favour of accepting ‘windmills’ in the Township.”

North Bay town hall meeting on Wind Turbines

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11043134_982369441807622_5064336802506666872_n

Turbine company hears opposition loud, clear

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GO AWAY1North Bay Nipissing News, Rob Learn
MATTAWA – It was a message loud enough and clear enough that the proponent of a controversial wind energy project couldn’t ignore or deny on Friday night at a community meeting in Mattawa.

François Morin, senior development manager with Innergex, said the company needs to re-examine its proposal to install 50 to 60 wind turbines north of the Mattawa River and address community concerns the $350 million investment is raising.

“If we can’t gather enough support that will be the end of the project,” said Morin. “But I am going to continue to speak with the people here and listen and hopefully work with them.” Read article

First Nations Information Rally Against Nodinosi Wind Turbine Proposal

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Say NO and ProtestTHE MATTAWA/NORTH BAY ALGONQUIN FIRST NATION  and  THE ANTOINE FIRST NATION NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

When: Friday, March 6, 2015
 Time: 7:00 p.m.
 Where: 2nd Floor Meeting Room of the Mike Rodden Arena  & Community Centre,  450 Hurdman Street,  Mattawa, ON

Who: The Members of both First Nations will be in attendance, as well  as Members of the Lake Talon Conservation Association, our MPP,  Local Municipal Government Mayors and Reeves and Citizens of the  area.

Why: The Innergex-­‐sponsored meeting of February 23rd regarding  the Nodinosi 150 Megawatt Wind Farm did not allow a full and proper  participation by our First Nations Representatives and Members,  and other parties such as the Lake Talon Conservation Association

The Mattawa/North Bay and Antoine First Nations Chiefs will speak  in opposition to this project and set out the reasons why and what we  intend to do to oppose the project and ensure the Province of Ontario  and Innergex are listening.

The floor will be open to other groups and individuals opposing the  project, including the Lake Talon Conservation Association. Local  Municipal Government Representatives are also invited to speak.
Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli has accepted our invitation to speak.

Contacts:
Chief Clifford Bastien Jr. 705-­‐744-­‐3360  Chief Davie Joannise 705-­‐744-­‐5695

Suncor wants much of Plympton-Wyoming’s noise bylaw axed

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turbine-noiseThe Independant
A Suncor Energy representative calls Plympton-Wyoming’s noise bylaw “a novel approach” but wants much of the bylaw changed. Suncor Energy is planning a 43-industrial turbine project around Camlachie. It’s the subject of an Environmental Review Tribunal Hearing. But the town has written and passed a noise bylaw to make sure residents aren’t bothered but low-level sound – called infrasound. While the bylaw was passed, under the Municipal Act, people can ask for changes for up to a year.

Chris Scott was at Plympton-Wyoming Council recently to outline the company’s concerns with the bylaw which Suncor says “are concepts that are not well defined and not accepted by the general consensus of (acoustical) industry standards.” While the noise bylaw wouldn’t stop Suncor from building the project, Scott says operating it would be another thing. The bylaw, he says, amounts to an “outright ban on infrasound” and “the testing methods are vague and inadequately defined.”

Scott says everything, including people, emit infrasound, making it impossible to turn on the turbines. And he suggested it would be difficult to measure low-level noise. Scott says there are instruments to measure the lower limits of infrasound as Plympton-Wyoming’s bylaw suggests, but “they are not typically available…and should be struck from the bylaw.” Read article

Ontario MPP e-mail addresses

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ontarioBelow are the Ontario MPP e-mail addresses as of February 22, 2015.
(feel free to copy and paste and write them a note)

lalbanese.mpp@liberal.ola.org
ganderson.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
tarmstrong-qp@ndp.on.ca
ted.arnott@pc.ola.org
bob.baileyco@pc.ola.org
ybaker.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
bbalkissoon.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
cballard.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
toby.barrettco@pc.ola.org Continue reading →

Calgary student turns to crowdfunding to finish bat research because wind companies & government won’t fund it

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CNSPhoto-Munro-Batsipick Canada’s Front Page
A student at the University of Calgary has turned to crowd funding to be able to finish her PhD. Erin Baerwald’s doctoral research involves gathering genetic information to determine the migratory routes of bats. The goal is to help reduce the number of bats killed during migration as a result of collisions with wind turbines.

“We think closer to two million bats have been killed in the last ten years,” she said. Baerwald says genetic research is expensive and unexpected costs have outstripped her existing funding. She says she hopes to complete her research by the summer.

Baerwald and her supporters have launched a campaign on the web site Indiegogo. The goal is to raise $15,000. “I’ve had some donations from Germany and Slovakia and from across the U.K.,” she said. “A lot of the bat community is getting behind me as well; they’re re-tweeting and sharing on Facebook and donating,” she added. Read article

Click here to help out.

2014: Ontario’s turbine fight in pictures

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Support the SWEAR – Drennan Charter Challenge

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Paypal_IconSWEAR Ontario
“SWEAR is a non profit organization dedicated to holding government accountable for the production of safe wind energy. SWEAR believes the government of Ontario did not exercise due diligence when crafting the Green Energy and Economy Act.  A very heavy handed approach was used.  Rural Ontario does not take kindly to this type of governance. The Drennan’s, members of SWEAR stepped forward in 2012 to be the named persons on the lawsuit.

SWEARAlthough the Drennans’ name is widely known in this case, there is a broader public interest being served. “It has taken time to educate the public to the fact that this case  is not personal to the Drennans, but the understanding is now clearly there. This case is for the people of Ontario who want safe wind energy in their communities and beyond. The government says that massive industrial wind turbines are safe. We, the people, are holding them accountable.””

Read more on Falconers LLP

Down Wind showing in Shelburne Nov 15

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DownWind-DVD_largeDate: Sat. November 15
Time: 1:00pm
Place: Grace Tupling Hall, Shelburne (Hwy.89 and Victoria St, just east of Hwy.10 in downtown Shelburne)

Down Wind Documentary with intro by Rebecca Thompson; Question and answers following documentary.

Any who travel from a distance can contact Lorrie (lpcgillis@bmts.com) if they want a short tour of the area’s turbines after the documentary showing. If you haven’t been right beside a turbine yet, now’s the time. There will be information in the lobby and tickets for a draw on a Christmas basket – only $1.00 a ticket to win ready-to-give basket jammed with goodies and home preserves!

Entrance by donation with funds going to the Falconer Charter Challenge and professional filming documenting health impacts. Please put this Saturday aside and help!

Protesting Suncor’s Cedar Point Project

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WEB-suncor04rb1_1271915cl-8Blackburn News
A retired Plympton-Wyoming resident was staging a second protest of Suncor’s Cedar Point wind project at the Sarnia refinery Monday afternoon.

Ed Vanderaa conducted a similar demonstration last Thursday offering staff a flyer outlining his concerns and asked that the company not start construction until an upcoming environmental review tribunal is complete and subsequent legal appeals are exhausted. Vanderaa says Suncor is doing a disservice to its own employees and their families. Read article

Protesters oppose plans for more wind turbines in Lambton County
By Paul Morden, Sarnia Observer
Opponents of Suncor Energy’s plan to build 46 wind turbines in Lambton County held signs outside gates of the company’s Sarnia refinery Monday afternoon, and offered flyers to workers as they finished their shifts. Suncor recently received provincial environmental approval to build its Cedar Point wind energy project in Plympton-Wyoming, Lambton Shores and Warwick Township.

“We were here last Thursday, doing the exact same thing,” said Ed Vanderaa, a Plympton-Wyoming resident who organized the protest. Read article

Provincial Minister of Health confronted on wind turbine health damage

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GinnyStewart.EricHoskins2September 24th, 2014
Last week Dr. Eric Hoskins, provincial Minister of Health for Ontario left the plowing match in Ivy where he and Wynne and other cabinet ministers were heckled about wind turbines, and travelled to Markdale to announce that funding would be provided for a new hospital in Markdale.

I’m very glad to tell you that he had to drive past the nice, big, clear WIND TURBINES-WE ALL LOSE billboard to get to Markdale. We have received donations for about 4 months more time to keep it up on display. Thank you to all who have contributed because the sign is most certainly seen by many who live well beyond the Markdale area. Any more contributions will be gratefully accepted so we can keep it up for another YEAR!

After Dr. Hoskins made his speech and before the photo op under the sign for a new hospital, Ginny Stewart gave him a package of information and asked for his help. Ginny is one of a number of Grey Highlands residents who have suffered health issues since the start up of industrial wind turbines in our municipality. At least one of our residents has simply walked away from a home that became unfit to live in after turbine start-up. One of the documents hand-delivered to Hoskins is attached along with a photo of Ginny and Dr. Hoskins. Continue reading →

Galerie Q Art Contest: How wind turbines affect our Health, Environment and Communities

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Gallerie Q (details here)

galerieq

Request for Support for Stay Proceeding- London on Sep 22 & 23

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supremecourt_gavelThe SWEAR/HEAT Stay Court Proceeding with Julian Falconer and team has been scheduled for Monday, September 22nd and Tuesday, September 23rd in London. The proceeding starts at 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning. We are hoping that lots of people will come out and show their support by peacefully protesting outside the courthouse and respectfully attending inside the court room. Your attendance would be so greatly appreciated. The location for the Stay Hearing is as follows:

London Courthouse
80 Dundas Street
London, ON  N6A 6B3

The full Divisional Court Hearing will be held November 17-18-19. The location for this Hearing has not been set as of this date. We will let you know when the location has been confirmed. Please circulate to your fellow supporters. For more information on the court proceedings please contact Dave Hemingway at davehemingway@gmail.com. Thank you. See you on the 22nd!

Anita Frayne
Secretary/Treasurer, SWEAR

Mother of All Yard Sales

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Mother Against Wind Turbines Inc.
Summer is yard sale season in Canada.  This past Saturday was no different and a large and well attended yard sale was held.  Many groups will spend countless volunteer hours working hard as a collective in a variety of fundraising activities to support their interests and communities.  The recent sale in West Lincoln,  Ontario was put on by a determined and dedicated group and was a resounding success by any measure.  Mothers Against Wind Turbines Inc.  is a group of mothers, fathers, grandparents  who have come together to face off against the imposition of power generation plants powered by the wind in their communities against their consent.    Wind power has branded itself as green energy and anyone who points out it failings, is called out as selfish and  uninformed to its touted higher purposes of saving the world.   The wind industry tries hard to uphold the facade of being superior to other forms of electrical power generation.  It  has no faults or failings  because its fuel is harvested from the wind that blows across the land. The wind industry in Ontario still drives the political favour of the current elected government.   In communities who haven’t actually had to live with the wind projects, it is a wonderful feel- good thing to impose on someone else. Continue reading →

Wind Sale – Priceville (Yard and Silent Auction)

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wind-sale-invitation

Grand Bend Protest of Environment Minister Jim Bradley

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There was a… *ahem*… “scheduling conflict” for Jim Bradley, so he didn’t show up!

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Wind opponents continue fight in Lambton Shores
Paul Morden, Sarnia Observer
Ontario Environment Minister Jim Bradley didn’t make it to a Lake Huron conference he was scheduled to speak at Friday in Grand Bend, but wind turbine protesters were there. Marcelle Brooks, a member of the Middlesex-Lambton Wind Action Group, said it was “unfortunate” Bradley cancelled his appearance at the event the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation held at the Oakwood Conference Centre.

A dozen or more people held signs and banners at the conference centre’s main entrance road. “I’m sure he’ll get the message, either way,” Brooks said. “We want to make darn sure they know we’re not going away. This issue is not a dead issue.” Read article