Perth-Wellington MPP John Wilkinson says the government remains committed to Ontario’s production of green energy.
He said the province has yet to see conclusive proof that wind turbines are a health risk.
However, Wilkinson also said the province is funding research to look into that. Revised regulations will ensure that wind turbines will be set back at least a half kilometre from neighbouring properties where people are living.
“We’ve been able to apply that across the province. People should not doubt that we are committed to having more solar power in this province, more wind power, and more biodigestors … all generating green, clean electricity in the province of Ontario.”
Those avenues are being pursued so that Ontario will not need to rely on burning coal to produce electricity, he said
“They were burning coal in the 1600s; this is the 21st century. We are going to eliminate burning coal to produce electricity within Ontario.”
When asked about solar power, Wilkinson said that under the Green Energy Act, that will create about 50,000 more jobs, as a conservative estimate.
“I say to my municipalities, if you are interested in having those kinds of jobs, you would want to be in a municipality that is open to green energy.”
He said if municipalities send out signals they are not really interested in green energy, then they should not really be surprised when the businesses wanting to make that investment do not want to locate there.
“They are obviously going to locate in communities which believe there is a bright future for green energy in this province.”
Wilkinson said he is aware of concerns raised, “but we will react to the best advice from scientists and medical professionals.”
He said there are new, strict provincial standards from the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Environment for renewable energy sources, to ensure safety for the people who live near them.
The other aspect regarding solar power, is that it has been restricted on Class 1 and 2 prime agricultural lands.
“We’re not going to displace the production of food for solar power.”
Opportunities are available on Class 3 and below land, Wilkinson explained.
“We’ve listened to the farm community to strike the right balance.”
He said the other thing is that there is one set of rules for the province rather than the patchwork of regulations that existed before.
He was reminded of the situation of smoking in the province. Regulations once varied from municipality to municipality.
“Some had banned it; others had not. We brought in the Smoke Free Ontario Act, and now there is one set of rules for the whole province when it comes to green energy and the rules around that.
“There is such tremendous potential to clean up our air, to clean up our environment for our kids and our grandkids, and to generate these new green economy jobs,” Wilkinson said.
He said the Americans are now starting to “twig” into that, which, he said, may lead to bit of competition in North America.
He said experts consider Ontario as the most receptive jurisdictions for new green energy in North America.
The only place more receptive is Germany, which has led the green energy revolution around the world.
As for a feeling of loss of control, Wilkinson said it is the property owner who gets to decide.
“But if they are going to have green energy, they must meet the provincial rules.”
He said certificates of approvals for such projects still require consultation with the community and the municipality.
“It’s just that we’re not going to take three and a half years to make a decision.”
He said the laws have changed so the province can come up with a decision – sooner.
“We can’t wait to be part of the green energy revolution in the world. We need to be at the leading edge. That’s where the new jobs are.”
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Public meeting
Locally, Nextera Energy Canada, is holding a public meeting on Dec. 2, between 5 and 8pm at the Moorefield community centre in regard to the Conestogo Wind Farm Project south of Arthur.
The proponent is proposing 12 wind turbines with an overall electrical generation capacity of between 18 to 25.3 megawatts and will connect to the transmission grid along Highway 6.
Although the lands are primarily within Mapleton Township, a portion are in the Township of Wellington North, just south of Arthur, on the west side of Highway 6.
The study area includes an area generally bounded in the north by Highway 6, in the east by Sideroad 18, in the south by the 14th Line and in the east by Sideroad 16.
For an more detailed map of the study area email: conestogo.wind@nexteraenergy.com.
