Wind turbine petitions dominate Legislature

For immediate release:
November 29, 2011

QUEEN’S PARK — For the past week, anti-wind turbine petitions have been blowing into the Ontario Legislature from much of rural Ontario. Haldimand-Norfolk MPP Toby has been rising in the House to read in petitions on behalf of the Port Ryerse area.

Signatures sent in to Barrett request as follows: “We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to reinstate municipal powers to allow Norfolk County to reassess and increase setbacks to 2,000 metres in populated areas, to honour a moratorium on construction until these bylaw adjustments are met, and to reimburse lost property values in this affected community.”

Barrett has repeatedly committed to restoring local decision-making powers stripped away by the Green Energy Act.

“I look forward to taking this effort a step further when we debate MPP Todd Smith’s Private Members Bill to restore local municipal control over Green Energy projects,” stated Barrett.

The Barrett petitions reiterate the request for municipal setbacks: “Whereas there is a growing body of evidence confirming industrial wind development has serious adverse effects on host communities,” Barrett read as he introduced the petition in the Legislature. “Whereas a precedent has been set by other counties in Ontario for bylaws of increased setbacks of 1,200 to 2,000 metres for the erection of wind turbines in populated areas…”

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For more information, please contact MPP Toby Barrett at: (416) 325-8404,
(519) 428-0446 or 1-800-903-8629