No municipality would ever put wind turbines beside an airport, says Simcoe-Grey MPP Wilson
April 21, 2016
Simcoe-Grey MPP Jim Wilson is not letting up on his campaign to halt the Fairview wind power project which would put wind turbines hundreds of feet tall next to the very busy Collingwood airport.
The power project is now being appealed by a record six appellants, including all the relevant municipalities, the community group, and the aerodrome owner.
Thursday, Wilson demanded the government reverse the contract with WPD in the Legislature, and also held a news conference in which it was revealed that wind power developer WPD has now restructured ownership of the project and will develop it as “WPD Fairview.”
“This is a shell company with no assets,” said Clearview resident Chuck Magwood in the news conference. The company will be able to walk away from any legal action or requirements of it: “It’s better than bankruptcy,” he charged. Magwood is known for being CEO of the company that developed and built Toronto’s Skydome.
Preliminary hearings have already been heard in the appeal, which begins mid-May.
5 Comments
Sommer
This was an excellent Press Conference. We need many more of these.
I hope that people viewing this will realize how obstinate and horribly frustrating this government has been with their refusal to admit that their policies have been wrong.
Surely, refusal to recognize errors in judgement is a crime.
I’m impressed with MPP Jim Wilson!
Wind Wraith
A slight correction… “no municipality is as stupid as Chatham-Kent to put turbines beside an airport”
Pat Cusack
Here in Wainfleet there is a parachute club that has an excellent reputation and has been in business for years. Mr. Rankin decided to erect five turbines, bought a farmer’s land which then caused a family row, and two of the five turbines are quite close to the club, so that if there is a malfunction and the turbines were turning and the skydiver could not divert sufficiently to avoid death, he or she would die. Despite a lengthy hearing, expert testimony from people here and abroad, guess what? The two turbines were allowed. That was long before our Council wrote to the Premier about municipalities being in control of their affairs.
Too late for the people who own the jump club, but I see they are still in business, so hopefully no-one will be injured or die. To put turbines beside an airport? Have they lost their minds?
Barbara
But for how long will this jump company be in business if people don’t come there anymore?
Barbara
Returning planning powers to local municipalities would destabilize the IWT investment situation.
Developers won’t come into a municipality that has control over IWT projects because they most likely can’t get funding to develop their projects. Too much uncertainty is involved.