Wind Concerns Ontario appealing for Global help in Kent Breeze case
This case doesn’t just have local implications, the results of the Kent Breeze Wind Farm challenge could have global implications on the wind farm industry. Global implications is exactly what one online organization is looking for.
Wind Concerns Ontario, a popular anti-wind energy blog and organization is calling for global financial support in contribution for the case against the Kent Breeze project which is already under construction near Thamesville. The Wind Conerns Ontario website decribed their need for and reasoning behind their plea for support as this,
“The litany of half-truths and misinformation from wind lobbyists denying the adverse health effects of wind turbines must come to an end. Financial support is what is needed now to fight this case.”
The case, which was spearheaded by local organization Chatham-Kent Wind Action Inc. and resident Katie Erickson, will get underway February 1st and will split hearings between Chatham and Toronto over the next two months.
Wind Conerns Ontario posted this Letter of Global Appeal on their website for Media Release:
‘David and Goliath’ Legal Challenge Underway Against the Global Wind Industry
The international wind industry will face one of its biggest challenges beginning on February 1, 2011. Canada will be at the centre of a legal battle of global proportions.
In response to a recent approval of an industrial wind development, an appeal has been submitted to a Tribunal (ERT). The appeal is based chiefly on the issue of serious harm to human health from noise and low frequency sound. The appeal raises other issues such as the government’s apparently admitted inability to predict, measure, or assess noise levels.
A compelling and unprecedented witness list has been assembled on all sides. This appears to be the largest single gathering of internationally renowned experts that has taken place on these issues. In all more than 20 experts and specialists in medicine, human health, acoustics and government will be appearing.
The project is owned by Suncor Energy Inc. an “integrated energy company” strategically focused on developing Canada’s oil sands. Suncor’s reported assets at December 31, 2009 were $69,746,000,000.
Suncor’s obvious financial means together with an apparent limitless cash supply for the government of Ontario indicate the resources our opponents have at their disposal.
Therefore, we call upon all concerned citizens around the globe to dig deep into their pockets and contribute to this precedent setting case which will have global repercussions.
What is at stake is nothing less than the future of wind development around the world.
The litany of half-truths and misinformation from wind lobbyists denying the adverse health effects of wind turbines must come to an end. Financial support is what is needed now to fight this case.
We have assembled a staggering amount of evidence and an extraordinary array of international witnesses. The appellants will be calling experts from New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada. They include:
- Dr. Michael Nissenbaum, M.D., USA
- Dr. Robert Thorne, PhD, Health Sciences and Acoustics, Australia
- Richard James, INCE ,Acoustician, USA
- Dr. Christopher Hanning, M.D., FRCA, MRCS, LRCP, Sleep Specialist, United Kingdon
- Dr. Robert McMurtry, M.D., F.R.C.S.(C), F.A.C.S., Canada
- Dr. Arline Bronzaft, PhD, Noise and Health Specialist, USA
- Dr. Jeffery Aramini, PhD, Epidemiologist, Canada
- Dr. Carl V. Phillips, PhD, M.P.P., Epidemiology and Public Policy, USA
- Dr. Daniel Shepherd, PhD, Noise and Health Specialist, New Zealand
The government and proponent are also bringing many experts.
Gather up your wind action groups and get involved in raising funds for this internationally ground-breaking legal challenge! We all win if we win this precedent setting case.
To read more from Wind Concerns Ontario, you can view their selection of articles at http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/.
Continue to follow the CKDP for updates on this landmark case.
Mandy
January 30, 2011 at 9:35 am
Bravo for Wind Concerns Ontario. The truth shall come out one day.
South Kent Voter
January 30, 2011 at 12:21 pm
Yes, the truth will come out — the truth that wind energy is safe & completely harmless…
o This whole charade reeks of petty provincial politics. McGuinty wants wind power in Ontario so of course the opposition parties must automatically oppose it. But they can’t be openly perceived as against Green Energy so they fund grassroots groups to fight McGuinty’s energy policies. These groups don’t know it, but they’re not really fighting wind turbines — they’re fighting Dalton McGuinty’s chances for re-election. At the highest levels, the turbines themselves don’t even matter.
o Some of the strongest opponents to Wind Energy that I’ve ever met, are those who WANTED turbines built on their own property (it’s like a guaranteed lottery win year after year) but instead the developers chose their neighbours instead. So now the neighbours are getting $50,000/year instead of them, and that’s why they stay awake at night, tossing & turning, because that should be MY money!
o I hate to bring “science” into what has become a blind emotional shouting match, however… wind turbines are big fans that work in reverse. In a fan, the motor uses power from the grid to move the air. In a turbine, the air moves the motor which sends power back to the grid. Does the cooling fan in your computer give you Wind Turbine Syndrome? How about the fan in your microwave oven? Or your fridge? Or your furnace? Your humidifier? Your stove vent? Your bathroom vent? Your air conditioner? Your fireplace? Your car’s heater fan? The ceiling fan in your bedroom? Your old Kodak Carousel slide projector that smells funny whenever it heats up? Maybe you even have a floor-standing fan that you use in the summer to keep your room cool; God help you, their blades are rarely balanced and create all sorts of infra-sonic vibrations. And by the way do nearby birds & butterflies give you headaches, because they fly using the same high/low pressure principles as wind turbine blades. And leaves on trees? Not only are their rustling sounds also due to wind pressure differences, but they cast terrible “shadow flicker” if you’re standing under them on sunny days. Don’t open your bathroom door too fast, there are significant air pressure differences and your ears may pop. And for heaven’s sake, don’t ever let your kids go fly a kite — flying a kite incorporates all these unholy principals into one bedevilled wind-altering activity (and once when I was flying a kite as a child, a bird actually flew right into the kite string!)
History has shown that every advance in technology spawned a group dedicated to discrediting it, starting with the Luddites smashing weaving looms in 1812. Later groups opposed electricity, telephones, steam engines, cars, paved roads, freeways, airplanes, computers, nuclear power, and today it’s energy from wind. Your Luddite forbearers would be proud of your efforts, however you should know this is (and always will) be a political battle between the Liberal party who wants them versus the opposition parties (who also want them, but won’t say so because they must “oppose” the Liberals.) And please, don’t ever call this science — because science is not on your side.
Chris Lozon
January 30, 2011 at 4:20 pm
Safe. Harmless. Redundant. Expensive.
Regardless of their potential health impacts, wind power is a complete waste of time, money and discussion when you evaluate its technical and financial merits (or rather lack thereof) as a source of electricity generation. As we speak, wind is only generating 121 MW – only 9.7% of their rated capacity – at a time when 3,300 MW (about 50%) of our own (much cheaper) Hydro capacity sits idle as water flows through.
The concern I have with anti-wind groups is that they’ve managed to distract the public away from the more practical/pervasive arguments against wind power in favour of health claims which will ultimately be ‘proven’ false by our government, resulting in an absolution of extremely flawed energy policy.
Ruffie
January 30, 2011 at 11:01 am
Katie Erickson and Chatham-Kent Wind Action Inc fight for all of us and fully deserve our prayers and support.
Give what you can to help yourself and these brave people.
Turbine Fever
January 30, 2011 at 12:56 pm
I believe what you say here does have some merit South Kent Voter. However, you lost me when you started comparing my computer fan to something standing hundreds of feet high.
And the scientific way to go about things, would have been to conduct thorough studies on health and environmental impacts prior to building.
Again, to compare birds and butterflies to wind turbines is ludacris. If you want to use science, use science, not rhetoric.
Whether the health implications prove to be true or not, the fact of the matter is, this is an arguement we should have had long before our government chose to invest billions in wind, and long before they actually built hundreds of these turbines in citizens backyards.
If they’re healthy, use them, if they’re not, don’t. But saying that we as citizens are wrong for questioning is un-democratic. This should have been done long ago, and I’m glad it is being done now, regardless of the outcome.
Steve
January 30, 2011 at 1:28 pm
“Wind(bag)Concerns Ontario appealing for Global help in Kent Breeze case”
LOL! What? $$$s from the billionaire Koch Brothers are not enough for these {*edit – Rob}. The Koch’s hate wind energy because it competes with their polluting gasoline refineries, coal mines and TAR sands interests. “Wind(bag) Concerns Ontario” is nothing but an AstroTurf organization controlled by American Billionaire polluters who prey on the naive and uninformed to advance their cause which is the complete gutting of all environmental regulation and total destruction of anything that advances the cause of renewable energy. If these locals need more money they should go back and talk to their masters.
Zipper
January 30, 2011 at 1:35 pm
And don’t forget.
The landfill site near Blenheim was fought vigorously by specialists in the field.
It was also suppose to cause deaths and devastation.
Steve
January 30, 2011 at 1:46 pm
Wind(bag) Concerns Ontario appealing for Global help in Kent Breeze case.
What must come to an end are the lies and distortions promulgated by groups such as “Wind(bag) Concerns Ontario” and their media friends. Go here for the truth about wind myths.
http://www.whywind.org/pb/wp_a1b4e1bf/wp_a1b4e1bf.html
Graham Hawkridge
January 30, 2011 at 2:36 pm
I sincerely hope that our judges in this case, listen very carefully to all the independent witness’s and their studies concerning the disastrous outcomes of Industrial Wind Farm technology. If not, thousnads of people will loose their proerty values and many seniors and the less fortunate placed in “fuel poverty” through no fault of their own. Hopefully they can restore our democatic rights to say no! to a systen that is completely unsustainable.
johana
January 30, 2011 at 3:11 pm
South Kent Voter, do you live surrounded by 18 Vestas 1.65 MW IWT’s all jammed in within a 3 km radius of your home?
What is your area of research science?
Which sector of the economy do you work in?
What is your political colour: red, blue, orange, green, —–, xxxxx, *****?
Fidel Kilpatrick
January 30, 2011 at 4:57 pm
Biofuels/Biomass is the way to go and there’s some local interest there that could possibly benefit our community. The provincial government is throwing most of their resources into wind, however. Agreed, Chris.(especially the latter two – redundant. expensive)
Ridgetown?
January 30, 2011 at 5:18 pm
Isn’t Ridgetown doing something with biomass? Seems like we have a pretty good resource in the University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus, that we should be supporting in our Municipality.
If need be, we can even start referring to Ridgetown as Chatham-East if that’s what it takes to get some Municipal support out there.
Common Sense
January 30, 2011 at 10:03 pm
Your refering to the pilot biodiesel project, financed by a partnership with the Municipality! Located next door to the Rudy Brown building, also financed with $600,000 of Muni funding! Looks like Chatham-East does get funded! Some just don’t like to believe it and be negative all thier lives.
Keith
January 30, 2011 at 7:43 pm
Wind Concerns Ontario is not an “anti-wind energy blog and organization”. Wind Concerns Ontario is pro-conservation, pro-health and safety, pro-bird, pro-bat, pro-community and pro-fact and information organization consisting of over 50 different groups all across Ontario.
We do not support paying multi-national, foreign corporations huge subsidies for a form of energy which makes people sick, disturbs our natural environment, divides entire communities and is a lie which the people of Ontario have fell for.
Industrial Wind Turbines are not like the small turbines people have with battery back-ups to get off the grid. The electricity isn’t stored and you can’t control the wind, so it needs to be paired with a form of generation that can be controlled. That’s why Ontario is building more gas plants and will need to continue building more.
Coal is not being phased out by wind. It being replaced by another fossil fuel: natural gas.
The price of natural gas has been kept artificially low by a process called “fracking” which has contaminated wells to the point that you can light up your kitchen tap. The process injects a mix of proprietary protected chemicals and water into the ground to break up the shale underneath. This water cannot be recovered. Quebec, now considering a ban, has reported that over half of the shale gas wells in the province are leaking and an unknown amount of natural gas emissions, most likely methane, is escaping into the atmosphere. Methane is over twenty times worse than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
Mary
January 30, 2011 at 8:11 pm
It’s time to stand united with Katie Erikson and those in Chatham-Kent who realize that Industrial Wind Turbines and homes don’t mix. Hundreds of innocent people worldwide and in our own Province are suffering from the ill effects of wind turbines being placed too close to homes, schools and places of employment. Our Government refuses to even interview these people. Their stories are heartbreaking. No one abandons their beautiful home and resorts to living in a trailer to restore their health that has been taken from them by the low frequency noise emitted by industrial wind turbines. Turbines are a blight on our landscape, and a waste of taxpayer dollars. In addition, Municipalities have been stripped of their rights under The Green Energy Act. Remember David did slay Goliath. Good luck. We’re behind you all the way.
Michael C
January 31, 2011 at 8:46 am
There are those, who despite the evidence, deny evolution.
There are those, who despite the evidence, deny climate change.
There are those, who despite the evidence, deny the economic benefits of wind farms.
There are those, who despite the evidence, deny the health studies on wind power.
http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/econ_project_search.asp
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/publications/synopses/public_statement_wind_turbines_and_health.pdf