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Glen Murray MPP, Global News, MOECC, Shirlee Engel, Wind Concerns Ontario, wind farm, wind farm noise, wind turbines
Turbines surround a home in Huron County, Ontario. Complaints get no response. [Photo by Gary Moon]
The Global News investigative team took on the task of finding out what happens when people in rural Ontario report excessive noise and other effects from industrial-scale wind turbines in nearby wind power projects?
The answer, said Global National reporter Shirlee Engel is, “Not much.”
Here are Parts 1 and 2 of the Global News investigative report. The investigation took four months, and was based on documents and analysis provided to Global by Wind Concerns Ontario. It took two years for Wind Concerns to get the documents from the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) under Freedom of Information legislation.
In over half the cases in the documents, the MOECC made no response; in others there was limited response. The Ministry relied upon wind power companies “predicted modeling” to determine whether noise exceedance was possible. When actual measurements of noise were done, they were limited to a narrow range of audible noise and did not include low frequency or tonal noise.
Minister Glen Murray told the Legislature yesterday after a barrage of questions from Opposition MPPs that the Ministry will now be including “tonal” noise in its measurement; the Minister still insists there is no problem, and told Global News that he has no complaints on his desk at present — Wind Concerns Ontario documents show almost 3,200 complaints filed between 2006 and 2014.
Ottawa Wind Concerns 
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June 27th and still no action taken by the MOECC to protect the residents whose homes had noise and tonal noise test results showing turbines near their homes were out of compliance.
And this is after these residents reported the noise for two years! These residents were absolutely tenacious with the MOECC and their case was brought to the attention of everyone in Ontario by our MPP at Queen’s Park on the last day of the session during Question Period. Despite all of this, Minister Glen Murray has still not protected them.
No wonder so many people have lost faith in the MOECC complaint process. No wonder so many people are disgusted with this government and Premier Wynne’s neglect of duty to protect.
What must these residents do now?
This must be why so many people have abandoned their homes.
Forced relocation is absolutely unacceptable!
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