Essex County residents came out in record numbers today to let the Ontario Liberal Party know that they do not want wind turbines in Lake Saint Clair or in Lake Erie. South Point Wind Energy, the Mcguinty government partner in charge of imposing massive wind factories on these two fresh water lakes (715 individual turbines), tried to trip up the public consultation process by doing a whirl-wind tour of the county in a single day. Each of several meetings getting only one hour for public inquiry and feedback. As it turned out the Essex County population flooded the meetings and brought with them a single message for the McGuinty government. NO WIND TURBINES IN LAKES ERIE AND SAINT CLAIR!
It all started at 8:30 A.M. this morning in Puce, Ontario. The population must have doubled in that town. There was double parking along both shoulders of the expressway and on Old Tecumseh Road from the opposite direction. The community center parking lots were overflowing and other cars were parked all over the grass medians. Several hundred people crowded the inside and outside of the facility only to find that the consultation amounted to a single page hand out and one stand alone copy of the project details. It was obvious that the intent of the meeting was merely to accomodate the revised energy act's consultation requirement and had nothing to do with providing any kind of assurance or information to the general public. NIMBY was measurable today. Essex County residents told Mr. McGuinty today that they are ready to pass some real wind in his direction about his ill conceived wind factories in Lake Saint Clair and Lake Erie.
No elbow room.
At least six OPP vehicles were counted
Traffic along EC Row and Old Tecumseh Road was rubber necking.
Essex county residents were fully engaged
County residents definately do not want wind factories in Lake Saint Clair or in Lake Erie.
What the hamlet of Puce looked like at 8:30 A.M. as Lakeshore, Tecumseh and Windsor Residents
converged on the town to express their discontent with teh Ontario Liberal government
and their local liberal representatives.
The Windsor Star Covered one of the subsequent hour long meetings here
Photos below by Star Photographer Dan Janisse:
Photos below by Star Photographer Dan Janisse:
http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Kingsville+residents+come+droves+turbines/2735275/story.html
http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Kingsville+residents+blast+turbine+plans/2735275/story.html
Kingsville Residents Swarm Meeting to P{rotest McGuinty Wind Factories
Kingsville Residents Do not Want Wind Factories in Pigeon Bay
Wind Factory Locations in Lakes Saint Clair and Erie. 715 Turbines in Total
http://www.windsorstar.com/news/Kingsville+residents+blast+turbine+plans/2735275/story.html
South Point Wind Rep Not Well Received
If anyone has pictures from any of the other meetings and if you wish to share them please sent them as jpegs to MOMnews@hotmail.com
We'll add them to this post.
Thank You!
8 comments:
Thanks for posting this - the updates and info regarding the proposed wind turbines are very much appreciated.
What a joke these *cough* "information" sessions. Rooms that would fit but a few dozen people and not a microphone in sight so that people could be heard.
Their spin doctor (AMERICAN public relations rep Daniel Cherrin) did a good job of circumventing every questions asked. When asked why hold an information session when they themselves admit they don't have any answers yet... well... the province made them do it now.
Yeah... Right! They sure seemed better prepared back in 2009 with a letter to the Leamington Post...
http://www.southpointwind.com/files/LeaPostArtice08192009.pdf
Being that this is round two in a four year battle that started back in 2006 you would expect a little more. It's not like this is all new. After all they had completed their Environmental Screening Report under the old regulations and submitted their proposal for approval by the MOE just before the anti-democratic Green Energy Act came in and changed the game in their favor. They were waiting for the go-ahead to proceed to construction.
How could they not have answers to our questions? Why would they book such small venues and come unprepared? I guess now that (they believe) it's "in the bag", they need not put any effort into it. These were TOKEN consultations to appease the requirements of the Renewable Energy Approval process.
At least it made the front page of the Windsor Star. :o) The people of this region need to be informed about this project and take a stand. After the fact will be too late.
We must stop this insanity now. Otherwise they'll soon be lining the Detroit River and blowing more of their pollution over here.
I think they're actually a good idea. Everyone wants change, but they don't want to sacrifice anything. Maybe we should just put a Fermi in Essex county? The fact is, there's growing energy demands and our government has to meet it. Here we have relatively clean energy, but it's still not good enough. I hope that people at these meetings are doing more than complaining, and perhaps suggesting alternatives. I couldn't care less if they plopped a bunch of turbines down in some of the dirtiest 'fresh' water lakes in North America. It's a step in the right direction.
Names have to be associated these insane programs. For Example Dwight Duncan's name is all over this thing as he was the Energy Minister when all of this stuff was planned out. Hopefully now that voters in his riding are becoming aware of how stupid this whole thing is and what impacts it will have on their properties and lifestyles he will clue in that it will backfire on him. McGuinty is showing that he has a green side but unfortunately people see him as green around the edges.
All that the Green Party has to do with this is to sinc that wind power is a wonderful thing but that the turbines do not have to be in the lakes. The Liberal Parties "Green Initiative" will collapse right then and there.
Nah! Instead we will just mine coal, burn it and be happy with the status quo.
Much ado about nothing.
Build the turbines!!!
To Anonymous Nah!
Burning coal? Do you know of any local coal burning plants? Did you know that Ontario has already phased them out? Please try to know what you are talking about. Read up. This issue is not about eliminating the wind turbines. It's about installing them on land instead of in the lakes. It's about alternative energy done right.
To EGOgreenguy.
Right. Like caol is going t be phased out entirely. What about the nuke plants being refurbished? Hmmm...nice and green isn't it?
Putting the turbines in the lake will not cause harm. In fact mandate the company to build more fish spawning areas for good will. That way your "fears" can be covered.
To anonymous,
Coal IS being phased out. Here in Windsor we already tore a fairly new one down. What's your beef with nuclear? Did you know that it is also classified as an alternative energy source? With todays technology they are safer and more efficient then they ever have been. Did you also know that everywhere on the planet where they have saturated the landscape with wind turbines they also had to build nuclear reactors to back them up? Wind is at best 20 percent efficient so with wind comes more traditional BUT with the higher energy rates that wind energy brings. Oh...And by the way...Fish habitats will be destroyed by planting these wind turbines in the lakes. It's a known fact that they produce micro eddies that actually uproot the plants and foliage required for spawning and sustinance. You really do have to read up on this stuff.
Post a Comment