Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson.
QUEEN’S PARK – Four private members’ motions to put a halt on wind energy development across the province were tabled in the Ontario Legislature by Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson recently.
The move re-introduces motions that were wiped off the slate of business when the Ontario Legislature was prorogued in October after the resignation of then-premier Dalton McGuinty.
The motions call upon the government to suspend all industrial wind turbine development in the province of Ontario until the federal health study is complete and the results are published, an economic viability study, an environmental impact study, and social health study has been completed.
“So much has happened since I tabled my motions last fall,” said Thompson. “We have found out through [Freedom of Information] documents from the Ministry of Environment that this Liberal government has known for years that there are significant health impacts from industrial wind turbines, but turned a blind eye and told the environmental officers who discovered these impacts to stand down,” she said, in a press release issued last week.
She said the documents showed that the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Arlene King, was directed to use the term “direct” when referring to the health effects of wind turbines, because there are “indirect” links. In May 2010, King delivered a review http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/common/ministry/publications/reports/wind_turbine/wind_turbine.pdf of existing scientific evidence on the health impacts of wind turbines and concluded there was no direct causal link between wind turbine noise and adverse health effects.
“The evidence is on the side of a moratorium,” Thompson said. “ Let’s pause, take a sober second look at the Green Energy Act, and see how we can do better for the people of rural Ontario—because they deserve it.”
17 Comments on "MPP resumes call for moratorium on wind energy development"
International data regarding the potential impacts on wind farms to human health has been going on for well over 25 years and yet still there is no credible evidence to prove adverse impacts on human health. Issues like headaches or insomnia could be sleep apnea, stress, too much coffee or simply too much computer time. Meanwhile, cigarettes are still selling on store shelves in Ontario and those are a proven cause of cancer but MPPs seem to overlook that issue entirely. They allow kids to access products like Red Bull and they allow sugary drinks in schools in spite of the fact childhood obesity is creating serious health risks to kids. Personally I am fed up with politicians chasing windmills like the mighty Don Quixote. If they honestly care about our health why not prioritize fighting the actual proven causes of diseases like smog. Smog illnesses include asthma, heart disease, stroke etc. and it costs taxpayers way more dollars dealing with smog ailments than it does for us to deal with the fact someone has a headache.
After thousands of wind turbines being built all over the world, their performance has been pretty measly. It’s time to cut our losses and get out of the wind energy business.
As seen on numerous web sites and news channels, wind overtakes nuclear power in China, wind farms generated 2% more electricity than nuclear power plants in 2012. See what can be done when you commit to something?
Sorry Don, but the performance is still measly. BTW is that installed capacity or actual generation? There is a big difference.
China’s installed capacity for nuclear is 11.3 GW. Their installed capacity for wind is 62 GW and wind bested nuclear by 2%?
Once again this shows the pathetic performance of wind as well as consuming so many more resources such as land and materials on a per kw basis.
A significant number of the Chinese wind turbines are not even hooked up as they don’t have the back up generation available.
What do you think the Liberals and the NDP are trying to do? They want to clean up the air by using wind power to get rid of coal fired plants and the smog. It is the likes of Lisa Thompson and Hudak that are against the GREEN POWER.They would rather bury NUCLEAR WASTE in Central Huron. Real smart.
Unfortunately Paul, due to its intermittent nature, wind turbines are not closing the coal plants. The small amount of coal that we use is being replaced by natural gas. In fact, the more wind energy you install, the more fossil fuel we will have to burn. That is why Germany is building 26 coal plants.
There’s a HUGE difference that you’re overlooking, Louisette. People make the choice to smoke or drink Red Bull.
Wind turbine neighbours have absolutely no choice whatsoever in having these 500-foot industrial machines rammed down their throats. Through the greed of the wind industry and landowners, innocent people are getting sick and they often have no recourse other than to abandon their homes and properties. There are 24 families up near Kincardine alone who have walked away from their homes because no one wants to buy these properties.
I have to disagree, Louisette. There are plenty of credible studies if you really care to look. I recommend you look at the 18 studies used by the clinical epidemiologist Dr. Arra in the report done for Dr. Lynn in Owen Sound. All the studies were peer-reviewed and published.
17 reviews world-wide of hundreds of pieces of peer-reviewed evidence as well as anecdotal health claims by independent, professional and expert panels found exactly what Dr. King has found: no connection between wind farms and health impacts. They all agreed that a small percentage of people very close to wind farms find the noise annoying, however several studies of noise annoyance prior to wind farm growth and since specific to wind farms find that annoyance is connected to the attitudes of the annoyed, not the noise from the wind farms. For complete references and analysis, please see this material:
http://barnardonwind.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/wind-farms-dont-make-people-sick-so-why-the-complaints/
Louisette, Don and Paul are simply trying to shout down people who are demanding that Dr. Arlene King answer for her failure to include in her report the large body of evidence of indirect harm to health from industrial wind turbines.
Well, it would seem most the above comments are pro wind, so here goes the opposite viewpoint. Germany just announced it has increased its C02 levels this year due to the coal plants they needed to build in order to support intermittent wind so that puts a bit of a dent in the theory that we are going to save the planet by having wind turbines. I would also venture to guess that none of the pro wind supporters have 511 ft. monstrosities erected less than 550 metres from their homes. So they really don’t have to worry about any negative health impacts occurring to them or their loved ones. Make no mistake, there are negative impacts – check out Ill wind reporting’s website for further information. You might want to review what the Bruce County Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Hazel Lynn, recently found in her peer reviewed literature study as well. Calling this information not ‘credible’ shows signficant lack of research. None of the studies she reviewed showed no impact, in fact quite the opposite. The closer you live to a turbine, the more distress you will experience. Further studies are needed. If you have lived long enough, you might remember everyone used to say that tobacco didn’t cause ill health either. You might want to consider calling it GREED power because if you did your homework, you might find out that all the rare earth minerals mined in China required for the turbine generators, isn’t quite as green as you might think. Again the only thing truly green about this is the money that is being made while people’s concerns are being ignored. Check out the number of health complaints uncovered by the Freedom of Information Act. Don’t ignore the amount of new evidence coming to light worldwide. People do not abandon their homes and farms because they want to. There are 28 reported abandoned homes in Ontario and those are the ones that are talking. Wind companies have gag clauses that prevent others from speaking out. Ask yourself the easy questions such as if it is so green, why are there clauses preventing lease holders from speaking out about ill health, shadow flicker, stray voltage, etc???? Just saying……
Louisette, Don and Paul…please contact the people of Kincardine that have walked away from their homes. I’m sure they would gladly rent it out for the summer and you can ‘live their nightmare.’ It WAS a lovely area for summer vacations. So is China.
I’d be willing to bet that most, if not all, of those people that are posting pro wind comments here are either urban, or do not have to look at these eyesores, and put up with the indirect health effects that so many people suffer from…My reply to them would be for them to take up residence near these things, and then, after a period of time, let’s see what your thinking is then…Have you ever talked to any of these people that are suffering the ill effects of these things??.. Didn’t think so…..’Nuff said….
There will not be an earthworm around the turbines. The destruction of bats and other birds were not mentioned. The loss of wildlife and the tourists attraction areas on superior north would be destroyed. property values? No one cares. Money talks. FN claim this and yell about that but pay them and they be quiet. Pathetic.
These massive turbine are destroying the natural envoirment but killing the hawks owls that keep the rodent populations down, the turkey vultures that clean up the dead carcasses and the bats that keep the mosquitos down.