Tag Archives: Manotick Messenger

City environment committee to hear motion tomorrow on wind turbines on public land

16 Monday May 2022

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Motion proposes city-developed renewable energy projects including wind on public land. That differs completely from the reassurances given to citizens by rural councillors who previously said there were no such plans

The City of Ottawa’s climate change illustration. Wind turbines coming soon on public land near you?

May 16, 2022

A motion to direct staff to create a network for a distributed energy framework on public-owned land will be heard by the Ottawa Environmental Protection Committee.

The motion was developed by Bay Ward Councillor Teresa Kavanagh and will be presented by Committee member and Capital Ward Councillor Shawn Menard.

The portion referring to wind power reads as follows:

MOTION: CITY RENEWABLE ENERGY

3. Approve that, contingent on sufficient resources, Council direct staff to report back to the Standing Committee on Environmental Protection, Water and Waste Management by Q4 2023 with: 

 a) An evaluation of existing solar PV systems and impact to facilities installed at City owned facilities 

b) A distributed energy resource framework for city-owned

facilities and land including: 

 i. Renewable energy generation (solar and wind) 

ii. Energy storage 

 ii. [sic] Demand response 

 iv. Potential policies to install distributed energy resources at City facilities or on City land 

c) Staff and funding implications to implement and support the distributed energy resource framework

Ottawa Wind Concerns chair Jane Wilson filed a comment to be heard by the Committee with the following statements:

With respect, the content of this motion seems to be in complete disagreement with statements made by councillors over the last year to the effect that the City is not proposing to acquire, propose or develop any wind power facilities.

Once again, there seems to be no discussion whatsoever of requiring any cost-benefit or impact analysis for grid-scale wind power. As an intermittent, weather-dependent source of power that requires substantial subsidies, grid-scale wind power would not offer a stable, reliable source of affordable power for the City and as such will not be helpful in support of electrification efforts or in the path to Net Zero.

If I may, I refer to Councillor Moffatt’s message in The Manotick Messenger published on November 5, 2021:

What I can say with certainty is that the City of Ottawa is not developing wind power, nor are we working toward such an effort or finding locations where wind power development could occur…. Finally, just to reiterate, there are no planned industrial wind turbines within the boundaries of the City of Ottawa at this time.

Ottawa’s rural residents would be asked to bear the most significant burden of any negative environmental impacts. If they took reassurance from comments such as those by Councillor Moffatt above that there would be at least consultation, they will be betrayed by this motion to be presented tomorrow.

We ask that this be considered in discussion of this motion.

The meeting will be held at 0930 May 17, 2022. The general public may view the meeting on the City’s YouTube channel.

The Agenda for the committee meeting may be found here: https://app05.ottawa.ca/sirepub/agendaminutes/english.aspx

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What kind of person…?

13 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by in Health, Ottawa, Wind power

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We’re not sure who “Andy Braid” of Kars is, nor do we get why Mr Braid seems to have letters published with regularity in The Manotick Messenger (3 weeks in a row, by our count) but at least our response to his recent letter about the wind power project was published, yesterday.

Here is the letter.

Mr Braid claims that MP Pierre Poilievre hasn’t got his facts straight in asking for a moratorium on the proposed wind power project for our community. It is Mr. Braid who is in error.

Ontario uses coal power for less than three percent of its electricity needs, and could shut them off altogether for seven months of the year when they are not needed for spikes in demand due to hot weather. The truth is, Ontario’s pollution comes from cars and trucks, and from industry south of the border.

Most worrying, however, is his objection to Health Canada spending time studying the noise problem. What kind of person does not want more information on a public health issue, and is in fact willing to sacrifice the health of his neighbours in North Gower, Richmond and Manotick?

Wind power has not been proven to reduce greenhouse gases anywhere in the world.

Jane Wilson

Ottawa Wind Concerns

Mr Braid’s comments, it might also be noted, come right out of the wind power developers’ lobby group playbook. They don’t want Health Canada to study the turbine noise and infrasound. If the study is done right–and many are commenting on the current proposed study design (it has flaws) to improve it–it will show that there are questions about setbacks and nighttime noise.

Ontario could end up with 2-km setbacks (minimum in the view of the World Health organization and the Society for Wind Vigilance) and perhaps also having the turbines turned off at night, as they are now doing in some areas of France. That means less profit in the form of taxpayer subsidy for the big companies.

Email us at ottawawindconcerns@yahoo.ca and donate to PO Box 3, North Gower ON   K0A 2T0

Ottawa resident alleges fossil fuel industry ties

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

Posted by in Health, Ottawa, Wind power

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In the August 8th edition of The Manotick Messenger, Kars resident Andy Braid has a letter complaining about the paper’s coverage of the joint news conference held by Nepean-Carleton MPP Lisa MacLeod and MP Pierre Poilievre, calling for a moratorium on wind power project approvals until a proposed Health Canada study is done.

While complaining that citizens are “brainwashed” and practically calling CFRA listeners mouthbreathers, Braid actually claims that community groups opposed to industrial wind power projects are associated with the fossil fuel industry.

Alleging that a community group is “friends of the fossil fuel industry” Braid says:”It’s nothing short of surreal to watch the remarkably well-funded Wind Concerns Ontario whipping up paranoia amongst rural residents about the possible health implications of living too close to a propeller on a stick, all the while completely ignoring the proliferation of cellphone towers that are microwaving their children on a daily basis.”

We will not entertain Mr Braid’s fantasies further but simply use this letter as an example of how successful the huge wind power generation lobby group — worldwide –has been in marketing its utterly useless product.

Facts:

  • There is no evidence anywhere that wind power projects reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Wind power actually requires back-up from traditional power sources, which is why Ontario is trying to build new natural gas plants. (Except the voters in key ridings don’t want them.)
  • The environmental noise and infrasound does cause health effects–that has been proven.
  • The fact that health problems may result from other sorts of power generation and–perhaps–cellphone towers is NO EXCUSE to inflict giant power generating machines on communities.

Mr Braid might be interested to know, however, that the reality of the proposed project for the North Gower and Richmond areas of Ottawa is that the proponents originally intended the project to go all the way over to Osgoode. In other words, through Kars. So, Mr Braid may have to read a little more widely and open his mind more, when he himself is faced with a giant, noise and vibration-producing, property value destroying “propeller” next door.

Email us at ottawawindconcerns@yahoo.ca and follow us on Twitter at northgowerwind

We are a corporate member of Wind Concerns Ontario; for more news daily, visit http://www.windconcernsontario.ca