http://news.ontario.ca/ene/en/2011/02/ontario-rules-out-offshore-wind-projects.html

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.