Comment
Comment ID: 210784
I've a question I expect you can help with. In January 2015, Acoustician Steven Cooper gained unprecedented on/off access to a wind turbine array. He found the people reporting experienced negative health impacts consistent with what residents in Ontario continue to report during four distinct operating modes of the wind turbines: (Such access for the purpose of independent study has not been granted since.) http://www.pacifichydro.com.au/files/2015/01/Cape-Bridgewater-Acoustic-Report.pdf In December, 2016, Wind turbine manaufacturer/operator Enercon admitted its liability after the High Court in Cork, Ireland found them liable because their wind turbines caused ill health in people where 7 families reported they had to leave their homes to escape health impacts from audible and inaudible noise from their wind turbines: http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/wind-farm-being-sued-by-families-admits-its-liability-442172.h tml In June 2017, an out of court settlement occurred, which prevented damning testimony which could have been used to prevent more people suffering ill health: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/cork-village-families-settle-action-against-wind-turbine-operato rs-793550.html All for little benefit: http://thinkingpower.ca/PDFs/Commentary/CCRE%20Commentary%20-%20Ontario's%20High-Cost%20Wind%20Mill stone%20-%20Marc%20Brouillette%20-%20June%202017.pdf While in other jurisdictions, people have had to fight for too long, at great expense time-wise and financially to finally start shutting them down to stop the harm to people: http://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20170620/falmouth-ordered-to-shut-down-turbines My question: Why in Ontario, despite consistent reports of a fairly consistent set of health issues people (including myself) observed as being caused by operation of wind turbine arrays near our families' homes, does the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change continue to essentially ignore people's cries for help by; a. Not enforcing its own regulations in a way which stops the suffering; b. Continuing to exclude (give a free pass to) noise emissions which can't be heard, but are proven to have negative impacts on the human body by not including noise at infrasonic frequencies within its protections; c. Not responding to any reports to its spills hotline which are from people greater than 1,500 m away from the nearest wind turbine d. Continuing to try to represent all noise with one number using inadequate noise level meters while many professionals have for years found wind turbine Blade Pass Frequency emissions in homes where people have suffered and abandoned them by using proper noise measurement systems which have a higher FFT resolution, process FFTs on the fly and process while measuring and employ FFT averaging (Among others) e. Delaying implementation of changes in regulations in early 2015 intentionally and in time to allow the Niagara Region Wind Facility to receive final approval knowing there were 14 homes projected to receive wind turbine noise right at the 40 dB(A) limit and these would have become non-compliant with ground factor changes introduced by the new regulation ? With reference to measuring noise, essentially, the MoE&CC with its employs have been told "there is a TV station broadcasting in Hamilton on Channel 11", yet they continue to use a TV with wrong antenna type saying "We find no TV station at Channel 11" while other professionals employ an antenna which is resonant at the frequency Channel 11 is allocated and expected to be received at and clearly receiving a TV station at Channel 11. What's worse is internally, the MoE&CC and other Ontario ministries continue to point to those not using antennae and not finding a transmission and referring to it as "the best available science". I wish it were as simple an issue as a TV station. While any sincere efforts the MoE&CC and its employs may have taken is appreciated, I find them to have been ignoring proper advice for years with the result they have enabled further suffering, contrary to their mandate to protect communities. In the face of recent occurrences which further validate the observations of many Ontarians that wind turbine noise emissions are harming people in Ontario - What needs to be done to have a government execute on its mandate to protect people? You continue to not listen to or support those who have made breakthroughs. Ontario does not face a binary issue of either cloudy skies or wind turbines as its only two choices! (As our seemingly poorly informed Energy Minister thinks) I believe in Engineering change and innovation. But such change is not undertaken by profit driven corporations without a mandate to change. You as our leaders need to provide such corporations with the mandate required to invoke change which protects people. Anything else is failure on your mandate to protect people. (I do not need to be told what has not worked, unless it is constructive toward improvement, thank you.) Based on my personal experience and backed by a significant amount of science - I urge you to not build any large wind turbines within 10 km of any person. Due to the proximity to humans, this project should not be granted an REA.
Submitted May 23, 2019 10:05 AM
Comment on
Otter Creek Wind Farm General Partnership Incorporated, general partner for and on behalf of Otter Creek Wind Farm LP - Renewable energy approval
ERO number
013-1043
Comment ID
31375
Commenting on behalf of
Comment status