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WIND ENERGY
FACT: The power generated by the Whitney Wind Project is not for local use. The electricity generated by all 48 turbines in the Whitney Wind Farm would be transmitted south to Toronto and Southern Ontario via the existing Hydro Line. It will NOT stay in the township.The electricity rates paid by township residents will NOT be lowered as a result of this project.
FACT: Turbines are massive. Each turbine is the size of a 30 story building from base to the tip of the highest blade. They can be seen for miles. The turbines at the perimeter of the facility will have strobes lights at night. each turbine requires one hectare of land be clearcut around it. Roads 10 metres wide must connect each turbine.
FACT: Wind energy is intermittent. It can only be used in combination with other constant sources of more reliable energy. When the government says the wind project can provide enough power to run 75,000 homes, they mean ONLY WHEN THE WIND IS BLOWING. Statistics show that in Ontario this is 30% of the time on average.
FACT: Wind energy is subsidized by Ontario taxpayers. The Government will pay these wind companies 11 cents per kilowatt hour vs. the standard 5 cents. These subsidies provide the profit incentives for these developers to invest in these projects. It remains to be seen whether wind energy in Ontario can be sustainable without subsidies from the Government.
ENVIRONMENT
FACT: Environmental Specialists Jacques Whitford Ltd. concluded there were NO raptor nests in the entire wind farm area. FACT: Richard Shalla, life long resident of Whitney and an Algonquin Park Ranger states that 1+ raptor nests are found on an average of every one hundred (100) hectares of land in this area. FACT: the proposed site is over 10,000 hectares.
FACT: Jacques Whitford Inc found only 7 species of birds in the study area. FACT: Richard Shalla, life long resident of Whitney and an Algonquin Park Ranger states a one day survey during the Christmas Season over the past thirty four years has averaged 28 species, or four times the amount.
FACT: The environmental consultant (Jacques Whitford Ltd.) has been hired and works for the developer, not the Provincial Government. They are NOT a third party consultant - they work for the devleoper. Their mission is to make sure the developer is successful in obtaining the necessary approvals from The Ministry of the Environment. Their job is to only "mitigate" the environmental effect of this industrial project.
FACT: The developer uses the term "environmental assessment process" when in fact a full blown and rigorous "environmental assessment" or EA is not required on most wind farm projects by the Province. Developers must instead complete a less intensive "screener process" and identify issues and then they must prove to the Ministry of the Environment that they have taken steps to "mitigate" these issues. Of the 19 industrial wind projects currently underway in this Province, there have been requests on 17 for full environmental assessment. The MOE has denied all 17 requests. So there is very little chance that this wind farm project will undergo a full Environmental Assessment - even one like this that exists solely on undeveloped and heavily forested wilderness.
FACT: The Eastern Wolf, a species at risk, roams the proposed area. A project of this nature will limit the roaming grounds of this threatened animal and drive this animal away, along with much of the wildlife in the area.
EMPLOYMENT
FACT: RES Canada Inc has stated that they can build this project in one or two summers. That means any jobs created for the construction of this facility will be very short term. (Comment: the jobs are temporary – the changes to our landscape are permanent)
FACT: All workers hired to work on this project (no matter what type of job) must belong to the BUILDING TRADES UNION.
FACT: Only a handful of fulltime jobs will be created by this project. Turbines are specifically designed to be low-maintenance.
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