Dismay for wind farm news
Opponents to a proposed wind farm near Stayner expressed dismay this week at news the province has accepted as complete wpd Fairview Wind Inc.’s application.
In an email sent to members of Preserve Clearview, a community group opposing the wind farm, Chuck Magwood, who owns a property near the site, wrote, “We had hoped that this application would be sent back to the applicant as incomplete and not in compliance with the Regulations of Ontario. It should have been, as it is a grossly flawed application.”
Acceptance of the application means the Ministry of the Environment will now begin its review. The public has 60 days (until Saturday, February 1) to comment on the application.
“History [shows] they will approve it,” stated Magwood. “We’re on the on-ramp for turbine approval.”
However, he and his group are not giving up the fight.
“Clearview is not a willing host for this project,” he said, citing safety concerns about the proposed location of the wind farm near the Collingwood Airport and the project’s adverse effect on property values as two reasons why. “We encourage the public to keep faith. We may have lost a small battle, but we believe we will win. This is one of the most beautiful areas and it will not be tarnished by 500-foot steel wind turbines.”
Michael Wynia, Director of Community Planning and Development for Clearview, also expressed concern about the progress the application has made in spite of the Township’s concerns that it was not complete and that a required municipal consultation had not been performed.
In recent letters to the Ministry, Wynia outlined numerous attempts to contact the Ministry, with no response.
“In my prior correspondence,” he wrote, “I noted that the municipality was not even in a position to complete the mandatory municipal consultation form due to technical errors in that form.”
However, Kristina Rudzki, Senior Project Evaluator on the Renewable Energy Team at the Ministry, defended the Ministry’s decision saying wpd Fairview Wind Inc.’s application was accepted because it met all Ministry requirements.
Kevin Surette, Manager of Communications at wpd, told the Echo that his company has requested meetings with the Township but that this meeting hasn’t happened yet. “We are looking to sit down with them and address their concerns,” he said.
Surette said his company received feedback from the public at the two Ministry-required open houses it held since first announcing the project in spring 2010. “A summary of these issues is in the application to the Ministry of the Environment,” he said. “All the required information has been submitted and [the Ministry] can now move to the technical phase. Municipal consultation is part of that.”
Despite these assurances, Magwood says the outlook for proponents is not good. “Projects like this one are on some kind of treadmill heading to final approval.”
He said that Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne’s recent promise not to build projects in municipalities that don’t want them looks like lip service now. He suspects this promise only applies to new projects and that the Fairview wind farm has been caught in the pipeline since its application was first filed with the Ministry in August 2012.
Magwood claims that like Wynia, his requests for information from the Ministry have not been answered. “We have been frustrated for months to get information from the Ministry and the Ontario Power Association,” Magwood said. “We are worried about our ability to compete in an uneven playing field.”
The Ministry’s Rudzki said, “It’s important to note that when an application is deemed complete, it marks the beginning of the six-month formal review period. Deeming an application complete does not mean the Ministry has approved the proposal.” And Surette points out that citizens can still submit comments to the Ministry.
Still, Magwood is concerned that the Ministry’s request for feedback comes at a time when the public could be too busy to give the issue the proper attention. “We almost lose half of the 60-day period due to Christmas and the time of year,” he said.
But Rudzki said, “The Ministry was aware that the public consultation period would fall over the holiday season, which is why the comment period was extended from the standard 30 days to 60 days.”
The Ministry of the Environment is accepting comments about this project until February 1, 2014. Individuals can send feedback to Kristina Rudzki, Senior Project Evaluator, Ministry of the Environment, Operations Division, Environmental Approvals Branch, 2 St. Clair Avenue West, Floor 12A, Toronto, Ontario M4V 1L5. Or, they can call 1-800-461-6290 (toll-free).
Once the Ministry has considered the comments, it will make a decision to accept or reject the application, or to send it back to wpd for more information.
