Council asks province to rethink Green Energy Act regarding energy projects
Like other municipalities in Ontario, Wellington North Township councillors have concerns with the provincial Green Energy Act.
Council passed a resolution stating that it is concerned that with the removal of land use planning controls for renewable energy facilities there will be a detrimental effect on municipalities.
Mayor Mike Broomhead, reading the resolution, noted that the Green Energy Act, will remove the municipality’s ability to have meaningful comment on such projects.
As a result, Wellington North is asking the province to undertake a comprehensive review of the Act’s impact.
“I think this is something we need to support,” Broomhead said.
Council’s resolution stemmed from recent correspondence from Wind Concerns Ontario stating that 21 Ontario councils have declared opposition to Green Energy Act.
In the Wind Concerns Ontario document, Wellington North was invited to join the 21 councils “who have officially declared their dismay at the province's handling of Wind implementation in Ontario.”
The group contends the act “strips municipalities of their planning protection rights, effectively re-zones all of Ontario into an industrial zone for electrical generation development.”
Wind Concerns Ontario contends the Green Energy Act does the following:
- takes away civil rights to object to any infrastructure project proposed for a neighbourhood regardless of its impact on residents;
- strips municipalities of planning protection rights, effectively re-zones all of Ontario into an industrial zone;
- curtails environmental rights;
- eliminates the need for proper environmental assessments;
- eliminates previous protection to designated green spaces;
- fails to address health issues;
- enacts a "reverse onus" clause whereby developers will no longer be accountable, but rather it is the “victim” who must prove harm by doing his own costly environmental assessment.
