In 2006, CALEWT was formed by a group of concerned residents of Essex County in reaction to a proposal to place 119 industrial wind turbines in Pigeon Bay, in the Western Basin of Lake Erie. Our position has always been that a full, non-biased/impartial environmental assessment must be completed before consideration is given to any wind project proposal.

We thought we were successful in convincing the Ontario Government Ministries that this portion of Lake Erie was environmentally too sensitive to proceed without proper due diligence.  As a result, a moratorium was announced in October of 2006.

That moratorium was lifted in 2008, for reasons unknown to us.

Since that time, we have provided Municipal officials, Provincial and Federal Ministers relevant information, as well as experts, all of which warned that these man made structures could have a significant adverse affect on Pigeon Bay.  We accumulated a tremendous amount of scientific evidence, which was provided to the Ontario Ministers of Environment and Natural Resources, as well as various Federal Departments responsible for our region of the Great Lakes.

Our ultimate goal was to have Pigeon Bay designated as an area that would be excluded from consideration for industrial wind development. We believe that independent, non-biased, scientific studies would confirm our view that these structures could have a detrimental effect on water quality, bird migration routes, natural fish habitats, and tourism.

This recent announcement from the Ontario Government seems to indicate that their evaluations have led them to the same conclusion, in that detailed studies must be completed before wind development is allowed on any Ontario fresh water bodies.

We applaud this decision, and hope that this Government, or the others to follow, will live up to this commitment.

CALEWT will be monitoring future developments relating to off shore wind policy, to ensure that our natural water resource is properly protected for future generations to enjoy.

We would like to thank all those involved for their support over the years.  Your views, comments and contributions have made a significant impact in protecting one of our most precious resources – fresh water.

“These proposed rules would ensure that our that our drinking water and the environment are protected,environmental and ecological areas are further protected,” said Hoy, MPP for Chatham-Kent-Essex.  “‪The Province is inviting comment on potential offshore areas and criteria that should be taken into consideration, which may constrain future development as part of the Crown land application process.”

“This is yet another clear sign that the government has listened to the residents of my riding and I encourage the public to continue making their views known by commenting on this proposal,” said Bruce Crozier, MPP for Essex. “Until these proposed rules are finalized, the Ministry has deferred the processing of any existing applications and will not be accepting new applications for the use of crown land offshore.”

The proposed consideration of rules was posted on August 18 by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) at www.ebr.gov.on.ca and is open for a 47-day public comment until October 4, 2010.  All comments will be considered as part of the decision-making process by MNR if submitted in writing or electronically, with EBR Registry number 011-0907.

The McGuinty government’s Green Energy Act placed a priority on expanding Ontario’s use of clean and renewable sources of energy, to help combat climate change and phase out coal.  Now, the regulatory and policy work is underway to provide further clarity to project proponents and the public to ensure the protection of the environment and ecological sustainability.

On June 25, 2010, the Ministry of Environment posted proposed changes on the Environmental Registry to provide clear, upfront provincial rules for offshore wind facilities, including a 5 km shoreline exclusion zone for offshore turbines, measured from the water’s edge of the Great Lakes and other inland lakes like Lake St. Clair.

Additional background information on Ontario’s Green Energy Act:  www.mei.gov.on.ca/en/energy/gea/.

─30─

For more information:

Mike Ferguson                                                                                             Darcie Renaud

Office of Pat Hoy, MPP                                                                   Office of Bruce Crozier, MPP

(519) 351-0510                                                                                                      (519) 776-6420

NO OFFSHORE TURBINES WITHIN 5KM AS

 PROVINCE SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT 

For June 25, 2010

LEAMINGTON—Local MPPs Pat Hoy and Bruce Crozier said they’re pleased with new rules banning turbines within 5 km of shore, as the Province announced a complete review of where, when and how the government makes Crown land available for off-shore wind projects.

“I encourage the public to make their views known. While we’re starting at the 5 km setback limit, we’re also looking at factors like ecological sensitivity, commercial fisheries and transportations routes, which could further restrict development in this area,” said Hoy, MPP for Chatham-Kent-Essex.  “‪Until these rules are final, I will continue to work to ensure that no offshore projects go forward in our community. Today’s announcement is a sign the government is moving in the right direction.”

“Today’s announcement is a clear sign that the government has been listening to the concerns of our residents,” said Bruce Crozier, MPP for Essex. “A 5 km setback eliminates any projects that close to shore, including all of the projects currently being proposed for Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair in and around my riding.  I join Pat in saying that, until these rules are final, I will continue to work to ensure that no offshore projects go forward in our community.”

The Ministry of Environment’s proposal, which includes the minimum 5 km shoreline exclusion zone to protect the environment, is posted on the Environmental Registry for public comment for 60 days, ending August 24, 2010.  (www.ebr.gov.on.ca ).

MNR based the proposed 5km minimum shoreline exclusion zone on safety requirements for drinking water quality, and protection of ecologically sensitive shoreline areas. The shoreline exclusion zone is comparable with those proposed by U.S. states that border the Great Lakes.

In addition, the Ministry of Natural Resources is also undertaking a review of Ontario’s process for making Crown land available for off-shore wind projects. The review will include consideration of where, when and how the government makes Crown land available for off-shore wind projects, and may result in additional areas being restricted from future development. No applications for use of offshore land will be considered until the review is complete.

─30─

For more information:

Mike Ferguson                                                                                              Darcie Renaud

Office of Pat Hoy, MPP                                                                   Office of Bruce Crozier, MPP

(519) 351-0510                                                                                                      (519) 776-6420

To read more click HERE.

Municipalities need to do hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of studies to fight 715 wind turbines proposed for the two lakes, Gord Meuser, a member of Citizens Against Lake Erie Wind Turbines, told Leamington council Monday.

“This artificial forest pounded into our bay is just wrong,” Meuser said.

He said the sad part is the odds are stacked against the citizens and municipalities under the new act.

“The onus is now on us.”

Meuser was focused just on 165 offshore turbines proposed for Pigeon Bay south of Leamington and Kingsville in three offshore wind farms of 55 turbines each.

But SouthPoint Wind is proposing a total of 715 turbines for Lake Erie south of Chatham-Kent and Essex County and for Lake St. Clair north of Lakeshore.

The Essex Region Conservation Authority is working with local municipalities to see what studies should be done and how much that could cost.

The conservation authority could know the cost within a few days and will meet with municipal representatives again.

Tracey Pillon-Abbs, manager of planning services for Leamington, told council depending on the number of municipalities involved in the cost sharing, the estimated cost could be $5,000 to $10,000 per municipality.

SouthPoint Wind has not applied to the province for the offshore wind turbines. It has scheduled a series of public meetings for March 27 and has a draft application on its website.

Coun. Rick Atkin said he hoped the thinking that the province is going to ram the offshore wind farms on municipalities is wrong.

Leamington Deputy Mayor Rob Schmidt said adequate studies have not been done and the same concerns that at one time saw the province place a moratorium on offshore wind farms are still valid now.

The ban that had been put in place after reaction to SouthPoint Wind’s proposal for 15 offshore turbines in 2006 was lifted in 2008.

Coun. John Paterson said he hoped municipalities could stop the access to the power grid on land. “It’s our natural resource. We’re a waterfront community. Why would we want this destroyed by a wind farm,” Paterson said.

Council agreed with a motion by Schmidt to ask staff to draft a resolution to send to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario to research other options to control green energy projects since it has no power under the Green Energy Act. Schmidt doesn’t want inappropriate uses and conflicts with neighbours over wind turbines and solar projects.

When talking offshore turbines, Meuser said some people assume the 715 turbines is some sort of joke.

But he said there will be offshore turbines in the lakes if research isn’t done to prove there could be negative impacts.

He urged residents to show up for a March 27 meeting in Leamington at the Princess Centre. SouthPoint Wind is holding public meetings across Essex County that day including one at the Lakeside Park pavilion in Kingsville from noon to 2 p.m.

For more information see www.southpointwind.com.

Other hour-long meetings March 27 include an 8:30 a.m. meeting at the Puce Sports and Leisure Centre, a 6 p.m. meeting at the Harrow arena and a 7:30 p.m. meeting at the Amherstburg Recreation Centre.

A Leamington-based company that is proposing to put 700 wind turbines in lakes Erie and St. Clair has hired a high-profile Michigan public relations strategist and former spokesman for the mayor of Detroit.

Daniel Cherrin, who was chief communications officer under former Detroit mayor Ken Cockrel Jr., said Thursday he was hired last week by SouthPoint Wind to speak on its behalf about the controversial project.

“I think there’s a lot of emotions on both sides. … And it’s a very small community and a lot people are friends,” he said.

But the company intends to work with the affected communities and will hold more public meetings after the ones that it has scheduled for March 27, Cherrin said.

SouthPoint is waiting to see the Ministry of Environment’s guidelines for offshore wind turbines before submitting an application under Ontario’s new Green Energy Act, he said. “But they’ll consult with the public and business community before they submit any application.”

Cherrin, a lawyer who also has a public relations firm, said he approached SouthPoint because he is interested in issues relating to the environment and harnessing the potential of the Great Lakes. He said is still getting up to speed on the project, for which SouthPoint has put together a 120-page draft proposal, and expects to be involved in the March 27 public meetings and beyond.

Cherrin, who named his public relations firm North Coast Strategies because of its Michigan location at the centre of the Great Lakes, is also a lawyer — though he is not acting in that capacity for SouthPoint.

From September 2008 to May 2009 he was chief of communications for Cockrel Jr. following the tumultuous tenure of disgraced mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who left office after pleading guilty to criminal charges related to a text messaging scandal.

Cherrin was also lead federal lobbiest for the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce in its efforts to keep commercial traffic following across the Canada-U.S. border after 9-11. His firm has worked with the University of Windsor to increase its profile in Michigan and, in the past, for the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel Corporation.

He steps into a public relations breach for SouthPoint, which is owned by the Liovas family that has been involved in construction and development in Essex County for many years. The wind company has been mum since revealing its latest proposal on its website last month.

The majority of the 700 turbines for the 1,400-megawatt project would be in Lake Erie south of Essex County and Chatham-Kent.

Leamington Mayor John Adams and Kingsville Mayor Nelson Santos told a breakfast meeting of the Leamington and District Chamber of Commerce Thursday that their towns are joining forces to make their case against the project. Essex County council will be asked to take a position and put money into challenging the SouthPoint application, said Santos, who is also county warden.

He criticized SouthPoint for not being more forthcoming.

“They’re really being cautious in what access the public has to them and that’s a real concern,” Santos said. The town asked the company to move its March 27 public meeting in Kingsville from a room at the arena to the Lakeside Park Pavilion to accommodate more people, he said.

Seven hundred offshore wind turbines are being proposed for Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair including 165 turbines north of Lakeshore and wind farms off Amherstburg, Colchester, Kingsville and Leamington.

SouthPoint Wind of Leamington had already proposed 15 turbines in three spots off the shores of Kingsville and Leamington. If SouthPoint gets approval for that project, it is proposing a 1,400-megawatt project with 13 wind farms: three in Lake St. Clair and the rest south of Essex County and Chatham-Kent in Lake Erie. Each wind farm could have 55 turbines and could be one to 2.5 kilometres from shore.

“Why should we be the guinea pigs?” Leamington Deputy Mayor Rob Schmidt said Wednesday.

If it could be the first offshore wind farm anywhere in fresh water, there should be more research done, Schmidt said.

There are offshore wind farms proposed on the Great Lakes including Lake Ontario, but none approved or constructed in the province.

“On something that has this many potential negative impacts, we don’t want to be the first ones,” Schmidt said, citing concerns over drinking water intake pipes, tourism and wildlife from migrating birds to the commercial and sports fisheries.

SouthPoint Wind representatives wouldn’t talk to a reporter Wednesday but in a news release said the project would be “the first of many new offshore generation plants in the Great Lakes region.”

The news release went on to say “the development of this project will bestow the community with first mover status in the offshore wind energy market, undoubtedly creating a succession of job growth and manufacturing expansion in surrounding areas.”

It didn’t say how much it would cost. SouthPoint Wind is one of a group of companies owned by the Liovas family of Leamington.

The company is advertising public meetings March 27 and its interest in both the 15-turbine project and the 700-turbine project. The news release said the company is following the legislation of the province’s new approval process which will involve “assessing the feasibility of a sustainable” 15-turbine project.

Kingsville Coun. Tamara Stomp said she was “reeling from shock” that the provincial government would allow the proposal to be suggested.

So far, the provincial government didn’t seem to know the details. SouthPoint Wind’s advertising said the notice of the public meeting has to go forward before submitting an application. There is a draft application on its website.

Kate Jordan, a spokeswoman with the Ministry of the Environment, said there are several offshore wind proposals in the planning stages in Ontario and the province is still working on regulations for offshore developments under the new Green Energy Act.

In the past, such projects went through environmental assessments but that process is being streamlined under the new act. So far only the land-based regulations for wind farms have been developed, Jordan said.

The process for the offshore wind farms would involve first going to the Ministry of Natural Resources to get permission to build on the Crown lakebed. Then a proponent would go through the renewable energy approval process under the Green Energy Act of the Ministry of the Environment. She said it’s up to proponents to study the project and identify any negative environmental impacts and ways to overcome them. Public consultations must be held.