Council Chamber filled with anger and frustration

Town Council

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Bill Palmer presents deputation about wind turbines issues to Saugeen Shores Town Coucil

The Council Chamber was filled to capacity Tuesday night as residents gathered to express their frustration over the lack of provincial communication regarding health studies surrounding wind turbines.

Bill Palmer, with a background in nuclear energy, presented the first of two deputations to Town Council.  Palmer expressed his concerns over the lack of set-back distances of wind turbines to residential housing.  "The norm is supposed to be 500 metres and, instead, it is now 50 metres." 

Palmer continued to present his entire deputation, Click here for full deputation after which Councilor Serda asked what it was that he was asking for.  "What is it you would like the government to do?" she asked, "do you want a moratorium, now wind turbines or more public consultation?"

Palmer  said that the issue (health concerns) must, at the least, be investigated.  "The Chief Medical Officer of Health made a blanket statement without  talking to any people concerned," he said. "A large study should be done to ensure we are not hurting people's health with less than adequate set-backs."

What I would like to see," added Palmer, "is an open and frank discussion.  So far, there has been a 'sucking vacuum' that sucks up issues and then then we never see them again."

Councilor Diane Huber, said that she was curious as to what other communities were doing and what stand they were taking. "I am also curious as to what is possible for us to do to control the destiny of our own community."

"We have a noise by-law that can prevent a neighbour from playing loud music but have no control over the wind turbine noise issue.  What about neighbouring properties?  I want to know what our options are," said Huber.  "There are valid concerns ... is there an answer?"

According to Mayor Mike Smith, the municipal level of government has little control [with power being taken away under the planning and environmental process].  "What can we do?" he said.  "We are trying to put pressure on more senior levels of government."

CAO Larry Allison added that, "What we are seeing are more creative attempts to bring legislation back to the local level."

"Perhaps we should get  a few bureaucrats to actually visit the area and see what a wind farm is really about," said Huber.  She said that she had recently attended a meeting at the Bruce Nuclear Site where 'government visitors' expressed their surprise at the number of wind turbines in the area. "These are the people who are making our decisions for us."

"This government (provincial) has come up with a knee-jerk reaction about energy and we have also been put in a position where we now are subsidizing government alternative energy," he added.

John Mann also presented a deputation on a more personal level.  "I recently took my nine year old son to Queen's Park to experience democracy and to be there when the moratorium (on turbines) was presented before the house for a vote.  The gallery was full and many were upset.  A local Kincardine woman burst out in the House, demanding a health study be done first.  They immediately cleared us all out of the gallery but not before our own MPP Mitchell left the chamber.  If we have no voice here (municipal) we have no voice in the Province."

Mann also went on to say that under Section II of the Green Energy Act (GEA) it says that, ' ... shall be administered with community consultation'.  "Therefore," said Mann, "I think this gives you (Council) a lot of power.  Democracy can begin here but everybody has to make a stand."

Aaron Elderslie, recently in the news, stepped up to the wind turbine issue under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and submitted a request for support to Saugeen Shores Town Council.  Council agreed to send a letter of support regarding Aaron Elderslie's stand regarding wind turbines.

Vice Deputy Mayor, Doug Gowanlock, also pointed out that he "..expects trouble down the road with costs.  The province has encouraged head-hunters to go out and sign up neighbours, pitting one against another.  The government has put new rules in the G.E.A. and I am angered by it."

Barbara Ashbee also spoke about her own personal health issues experienced after living in close proximity to wind turbines.  "People express the same symptoms that can include sleep deprivatio and cognitive disfunction," she said.  Ashbee, who said she was forced to abandon her home because of wind-turbine related illness, also accused governments at every level of  denying and ignoring health problems.

"People are afraid to speak in public," she said, "and this is the only level of government we have left to stop this.  For the Chief Medical Officer of Health to ut out a report without even speaking to any of those who have health problems is simply atrocious."

Councilor Taun Frosst agreed that the "health issues are real "  He went on to say that he looked at things from an economic viewpoint.  "As a businesss people, we have to stand on our own two feet," he said, "but the wind turbines don't.  We support them and I don't think we should.  The nuclear plant employed thousands of people that bring millions of dollars into the communikty but wind turbines don't bring anything in once they are constructed."