Wind turbine opposition reaches legislature
Wind company says it will answer all questions
Posted 8 months ago
Opposition to wind turbines in Pigeon Bay has even reached the Ontario legislature.
Last week MPP Bruce Crozier presented a petition signed by "thousands" of area residents opposed to any wind generating projects in the bay.
And despite the mounting pressure on the government, the company behind the proposal says it will be answering all the questions its detractors have raised.
SouthPoint Wind recently issued a statement saying it is following all the guidelines of government agencies for the offshore project.
In 2008 SouthPoint refiled its proposal with the province to build wind turbines in three specific sites in Pigeon Bay, basically in areas offshore from Leamington, Union and Kingsville.
In January, 2006, the province announced a moratorium on wind turbines in Lake Erie and then lifted it in January 2008.
"To date, no information sessions have been held or endorsed by SouthPoint Wind, as we are currently still working through our Environmental Assessment process," says the statement from SouthPoint, issued by Stacey Murtag, its Director of Operations.
"Public safety and consultation are paramount in the Environmental Assessment process, which will also explore subjects including health and safety, noise, lake ecosystem processes, bathymetric properties, water turbidity, electromagnetic interference, impacts to wildlife, shadow flicker, turbine lighting, spills and contaminants, transportation, navigable waters use, and impacts to fisheries. These topics and more will be explicitly addressed in our Environmental Screening Report, which will be available for public review upon publication," says SouthPoint.
On May 31 at the Leamington Marina the group "citizens Against Lake Erie Wind Turbines" (CALEWT) held another open house where its opposition points were again highlighted.
At that session members of the Leamington Yacht Club said the Pigeon Bay sites represent a hazard to navigation for almost every type of craft from lake freighters, pleasure boats, fishing tugs and the ferries between the mainland and Pelee Island.
On May 25 several members of CALEWT met with Ontario minister of the environment, John Gerretsen.
"The meeting lasted longer than the time allotted," said Leamington Deputy Mayor Rob Schmidt, who attended.
He said the citizens group gave a presentation that was "very well done".
Schmidt, who was speaking at last week's town council meeting, said that new environmental assessment regulations" are being developed.
"We will get those very shortly."
"They will be very stringent for the proponent," Said Schmidt.
Schmidt also said the delegation meeting with Gerretsen was told those new rules "will apply" to SouthPoint's proposed wind turbines in Pigeon Bay.
SouthPoint says it encourages the public to go through its screening report once it has been completed although there was no timeline on when that would happen.
