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Tag Archives: Justin Trudeau

Trudeau government silent on wind farm noise and health problems

30 Thursday Jun 2016

Posted by ottawawindconcerns in Ottawa, Renewable energy, Wind power

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Environmental Review Tribunal, Health Canada, Jim McPherson, Justin Trudeau, Ottawa Sun, Trudeaufgovernment, wind farm noise, wind turbine noise, wind turbine noise and health impacts

In sworn testimony at an environmental review tribunal, a Health Canada official confirmed industrial wind turbines — large, noise-emitting devices — are regulated under the federal Radiation Emitting Devices Act

Ottawa Sun, Jun 28, 2016

The federal government’s inaction on wind turbine noise is making Canadians sick.

It’s been a year-and-a-half since Health Canada’s $2-million study determined low-frequency acoustic waves from industrial wind turbines cause community annoyance.

According to the World Health Organization, unwanted noise, even at a moderate level, can lead to a myriad of adverse health outcomes, including stress-related symptoms such as sleep disturbance, elevated blood pressure, cardiac events and depression.

It’s a “green” form of radiation sickness.

Canada’s Radiation Emitting Devices Act (REDA) is supposed to regulate the design and operation of devices that emit radiation, such as microwave ovens and tanning beds. In sworn testimony at an environmental review tribunal, a Health Canada official confirmed industrial wind turbines — large, noise-emitting devices — are regulated by REDA.

REDA requires a manufacturer or importer of such a device to “forthwith notify the Minister” upon becoming aware its device is emitting radiations not necessary for the performance of its function.

On June 15, Barbara Ashbee of Mulmur, Ontario, together with hundreds of other Ontarians, sent an open letter to Health Minister Jane Philpott, asking why Health Canada has not insisted wind energy corporations report citizen complaints about noise radiation. She wants the minister to meet with her and representatives of citizens suffering from turbine noise radiations.

Ashbee wrote: “Many in Ontario and elsewhere have logged serious health complaints with proponents/operators of wind turbine projects, provincial and federal government ministries as well as wind turbine manufacturers … As previous ministers and current Minister Philpott have been informed, the adverse effects of wind turbines are not trivial.”

Access to Information records indicate wind energy corporations have reported no complaints.

Why is Health Canada not forcing wind turbine operators to report citizen complaints, as required?

Is the wind industry lobby that strong?

Why were Canadians not told wind turbine corporations are required to report citizen complaints to Health Canada? Were wind energy companies also not told about the REDA?

Why did Health Canada’s Wind Turbine Noise and Health study exclude people under age 18 and over age 79, the most vulnerable segments of Canada’s population?

Why do REDA regulations not include standards for the design and operation of wind turbines, as they do for microwave ovens, etc.?

Prior to the 2015 federal election, Canadians for Radiation Emission Enforcement (CFREE) asked candidates in wind turbine-affected Ontario ridings: “Will you support a moratorium on new wind turbines within 2 km of residences, until REDA regulations are updated to clearly stipulate wind turbine operators must comply with REDA, and to include scientifically proven safe setback distances?”

The survey revealed equal support from candidates of all four parties for a wind turbine moratorium. Only three candidates opposed it, but none were elected. In Ontario, the turbine setback is only 550 meters from residences.

Other countries are extending setbacks to safer distances. In Poland, the setback is now ten times turbine height. In closely settled Bavaria, it is now two kilometres. But there is no such action from Health Canada. No moratorium. No change in setbacks. No standards in REDA. More wind projects are planned. More Canadians are getting sick.

Openness and transparency are supposedly important to the federal Liberal government.

What will Prime Minister Justin Trudeau do about Health Canada’s inaction on wind turbines?

Read the full story here.

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Wind power doesn’t work, engineer says. Get something that does

19 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by ottawawindconcerns in Renewable energy, Wind power

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

green energy, Justin Trudeau, wind farms, wind power

Throwing billions of dollars at wind and solar factories isn’t going to lower greenhouse emissions effectively or efficiently

Jim McPherson, Special to the Sun

First posted: Saturday, April 16, 2016 09:41 PM EDT | Updated: Saturday, April 16, 2016 09:48 PM EDT

(Postmedia Network FILE PHOTO)
On March 23, Lorrie Goldstein’s “Burn our money” column in the Toronto Sun criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for budgeting about $10 billion (including overseas spending) by 2020 on what Trudeau claims are climate change initiatives.

Last month, despite continuing objections from hosting municipalities and numerous concerns expressed by the office of the Auditor General of Ontario, Premier Kathleen Wynne’s provincial government approved more renewable energy projects.

Last week, a wind power developer began legally clearing vegetation from a vast area of pristine wildlife in Prince Edward County, even though the Enviromental Review Tribunal (ERT) had ruled the project would cause serious and irreversible harm to endangered Blandings Turtles and Little Brown Bats.

On April 8, photographs of habitat destruction apparently prompted the ERT to order an “interim stay” on construction and a “remedial measures” hearing will now be scheduled.

Federal and provincial Liberal governments are on a “green energy” spending spree. They recklessly tilt at climate change by funding unwanted and unneeded wind and solar projects that kill wildlife and harm humans.

They generate super-expensive, intermittent, electricity that is exported at huge losses.

A comparison to Florida is a sobering story. In the past decade, while Ontario electricity rates nearly doubled, Florida’s rates declined by 10%.

There are no industrial wind farms in Florida, where the electricity utility is owned by the same corporation that destroyed an Ontario eagle’s nest for its wind energy project in that province. Most of Florida is only a few meters above sea level, but wind turbines can’t save Florida from man-made global warming.

The Ontario Society of Professional Engineers reports that, “adding wind and solar to Ontario’s grid drives CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions higher”, because they need backup from carbon-emitting gas plants.

Trudeau’s $10 billion climate change initiatives cannot change that fact.

Our governments have been duped by a global industry that wants our money now; even though there’s no way to store unneeded electricity.

Terrified by the global warming threat, citizens allow our governments to believe that wind energy can save us. But it can’t.

In desperation, Ontario keeps approving “renewable energy“ projects, while our federal government just sends money. Meanwhile the Trudeau Liberals ignore their responsibility to protect human health, endangered species, migrating wildlife and human rights.

Health Canada admits wind turbine noise creates community annoyance that can be harmful to health but refuses to regulate acoustic radiations from wind turbines.

Trudeau’s $10 billion climate change initiatives will not change that.

Ontario’s Auditor-General and municipal governments know “renewable” wind and solar energy is not affordable for taxpayers and ratepayers — we subsidize it through feed-in tariff contracts, federal grants, and now by Trudeau’s budgeted climate change initiatives.

Municipalities fear wind turbines will devastate tourism-dependent economies and devalue tax-generating properties. Trudeau’s $10 billion climate change initiatives cannot change that.

Two years ago, 90 Ontario municipalities declared themselves “not a willing host” for wind turbines.This year, most of them called on the Wynne government not to publicly subsidize any more renewable energy projects.

Municipalities know turbines are not safe for human communities, just as they were not safe for millions of deceased wildlife.

We must reject the foolish fantasy of getting reliable, safe and affordable energy from unreliable, unsafe, and unaffordable wind and solar factories.

Trudeau should not give our money to the provinces for carbon pricing subsidies.

The provinces will waste it on schemes that drive electricity prices still higher, without reducing greenhouse gases.

Instead, Trudeau should challenge industry to develop affordable energy storage by 2020, just as John Kennedy challenged America to land on the moon by the end of his decade.

It would be better to invest $10 billion in the development of energy storage, so that our children might then be able to afford the intermittent energy available from the wind and the sun.

Our first priority must be to make energy storage affordable. Until then, we must stop devastating our wildlife habitat and our rural communities with expensive “green energy” factories that can’t reduce greenhouse gases.

Trudeau government to spend $6B on renewable energy: Financial Post

21 Wednesday Oct 2015

Posted by ottawawindconcerns in Renewable energy, Wind power

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Justin Trudeau, Liberal government, Ontario, Ontario economy, Ontario Liberal government, renewables, wind power, Wynne government

cropped-ottawa_silhouette_courtesy_city_of_ottawa.jpg

It is worth a reminder that the Ontario Liberal government, despite recommendations from TWO Auditors General, NEVER did a cost-benefit analysis or impact of its renewable power program. Are we going to see the lessons learned in Ontario played out on a national scale?

Financial Post, October 20, 2015

Likely impact in five key areas

Renewable energy

Trudeau has a particularly ambitious plan for renewable energy projects, with a promise to commit nearly $6 billion in green spending over a four-year period and ramping that up to nearly $20 billion over 10 years. The Liberals will also incorporate climate impact analysis into federal contracting, which could get further money flowing into the green space.

All of that will be welcome news for Canada’s renewable energy companies, especially as the previous government focused investment on the oil and gas sector.

“It is fair to assume that the sector will be a big net winner under this government, as they have carved out specific spending in their infrastructure outlays for green energy,” said BMO’s Porter. “Beyond direct spending on the sector, it’s also safe to assume that the government will support the sector heavily through direct measures.”

…………

For more information on who’s advising our Prime Minister designate, read this account on Gerald Butts, formerly a staffer in the office of Dalton McGuinty, now Trudeau’s top adviser:

Butts was principal secretary to Dalton McGuinty when he assumed the premier’s office. Former secretary of cabinet Tony Dean calls Butts the “smartest senior political and policy adviser that I worked with in almost 20 years in government.”

As Butts helped implement a green energy strategy that would phase out coal and sell a tax his leader had promised never to implement, Telford set out with Kennedy to implement the premier’s ambitious agenda in education.

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