Toolbox

Powerful Handout: Myth vs Reality by Barbara Ashbee Lormand

Get the Message Out

Buttons

• Artwork for buttons and postcards Here

Important Background Information

• Summary of Renewable Energy Approval Process in Ontario
• Ontario GEA Regulations ,  One Page Summary
• Beginners Guide to Commonly Used Wind Industry Acronyms and Words
• Building Permits Advisory
• GEA Guidance for Consultation Process

Public Consultation Meetings:

• Public consultation meetings are held under the guise of public consultation and should not be accepted as valid consultation. 
• Frequently, wind industry representatives refuse to answer questions on setbacks, noise and electrical pollution and adverse health effects. 
• To date, the MOE representatives have been unable to adequately answer questions on health, setbacks and noise and electrical pollution during the MOE information sessions. 
• It is important that all these sessions be attended and questions asked.
• Attendance and the asking of questions should be done as a group rather than as individuals if possible.
• Sample questions are available through WCO group email.
• Keep a record of the questions and answers.
• Respectfully protest outside the public consultation meeting with signs, information handouts, answering of questions.
• Hand out information.  Templates with information are available from Lorrie Gillis. lpcgillis@bmts.com
• After the meeting, write up what happened at the meeting.  This could be distributed to the membership of WCO.
• Send a letter of protest that the meeting was not a valid public consultation.  This draft can be adjusted according to what happened during your meeting.    

Your Local Municipal Council

• Although the Green Energy Act stripped away the rights of local government, your local municipal Council still has a duty to represent your community and citizens.  It is not acceptable for them to simply wash their hands of this.
• Request that your municipal Council protest the inadequacies of the Green Energy Act.
• Request your municipal Council join the 65 other Councils in Ontario who object to the way the provincial government is handling wind development in Ontario.

Form a Neighbourhood Group

• Are industrial wind turbines pending? If you would like some help in forming an action group or educating the community and/or council in your area, please email Lorrie at lpcgillis@bmts.com or call (519)922-3072

As a Community:

• Start your own Wind Action group. It may start with as small a number as 2. Don’t feel overwhelmed. It WILL grow over a matter of weeks and months. A group will allow you to share the workload, organize action plans, notices, meetings, collect and manage donations, etc.  
• Keep a group emailing list for support and help.
• Hold a public information meeting for your area.  
• You and as many neighbours as you can engage can post signs: STOP the WIND TURBINES, message also very applicable to any areas with existing turbines, as the sign then means ’shut the turbines down, you are hurting us!’.
• Engage media early if possible, ie letters to editor, articles.
• If you have someone with the expertise to do so, start a webpage for your local area to keep people informed of latest developments.
• Send health information to local council and MPP and MP
• Meet with Council, MP, MPP, keep them informed of latest information so they can make decisions from knowledge.
• Participate in WCO (if in Ontario) email campaigns to MPs, MPPs
• Information notices in neighbour’s mailboxes re turbines, health, leases, etc.
• Go to all wind company ‘open house’ meetings and try to ask questions as a group so that all can hear questions and answers or so that all can hear the wind company refuse to answer.
• Get a copy of the Environmental Screening Report that went to your township office. 
• To publicly protest turbines always remain peaceful and do not impede any traffic or person. Park vehicles 30′ – 40′ apart or so, well off to the side of the road , put protest signs on vehicles, each person picketing in between vehicles to maximize your ‘visual impact’.
• Buy a share from a wind company, turn up at the annual shareholder’s meeting and say: “The evidence is growing linking the adverse health effects with industrial wind installations. Premier McGuinty recently acknowledged that these issues should be studied. What steps has our Board taken to assess the contingent liabilities which we will face from the (name of wind project) we have established in (place of wind project.) “. It sends the message directly to the people investing in this company.

As an Individual:

• Keep a journal to notice sleeping, noise, general well being before turbines are operating and continue after turbines are operating.
• Physical checkup of all family members before turbines so there is a record of your health pre turbines operating.
• Baseline measurement for noise at your home (document day, time, repeat if possible)- take recordings of noise before turbines. If one can afford it, get an engineer to take decibel and low frequency noise readings.
• Get a baseline measurement of electrical pollution in your home
• Get a property value assessment.
• Take pictures of your view and home; it’s your pre- turbine visual record.

Flyers, Factsheets and Informational Brochures:

• Turbine Operation Pending Flyer
• Generic Brochure
• Health Studies Before Wind Turbines Brochure
• What does it harm
• Wind_Turbines_The_Issues
• Notice to Neighbours
• Meeting Notice
• Meeting Notice to Your Council
• How Can I Help Flyer Handout
• Information Links for Flyers Handouts

If you are a Landowner

• Please Read Our Leases Page

Do you Live Near an Existing Facility and Experiencing Problems?

• Victim Support
• File a Complaint

Newspaper Ads

• A Message to Wind Developers
• Ad – Lease holders
• Ad – Neighbour
• Ad -Sham
• Ad – False Claims
• Buyer Beware
• Is Wind Power Really Green?
• Let’s Get it Right
• McGuinty
• McGuinty II
• Need to Know.Health
• Questions In Search of Answers