Wainfleet Mayor April Jeffs has sent a letter to the Premier of Ontario, saying that municipalities are deeply concerned with the way wind power generation has been implemented in Ontario, and that drastic changes are needed. Jeffs wrote that municipal land use planning powers should be returned for renewable power projects and that other aspects of the approval process need to be addressed. Her letter was appended by a "high-level" analysis of the issues.
RE: Changes to Site Rules for Energy Projects
I have read, with interest, recent statements that you and Minister Chiarelli have made indicating that the government is considering changes to the rules that will give municipalities more control over the siting of energy projects in their communities. I am pleased to hear of these changes, and have requested a meeting with you to discuss the rural municipal perspective on these matters.
Wind turbine projects are a concern to many rural municipalities and I know that you are well aware of the level of frustration and anger in rural Ontario over these projects. When local residents feel that the provincial government is not listening to their concerns, they look to their municipal government to address the problems,even though the Green Energy Act eliminated the normal planning role of local government relative to these projects. Municipal governments are left to deal with citizen concerns without the normal tools used to address other planning issues.Continue reading Mayor April Jeffs' letter to Premier Wynne (.pdf)
Wind Concerns Ontario has responded that it encourages municipalities to review the letter. "We support the need for a return of local land use planning powers," says president Jane Wilson. "We do not believe that large-scale wind power is the answer for Ontario's power generation needs. The process has run roughshod over communities everywhere."
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