MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION AND PARKS, ONTARIO, JEFF YUREK, creates a clear and irrefutable energy and environment announcement: CANCELS UNNEEDED, WILDLIFE KILLING, AND EXPENSIVE STORMONT, 100 MW NATION RISE INDUSTRIAL WIND PROJECT

The letter from the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, explaining his reasons for revoking the permit for the Nations Rise 100 MW wind turbine project, is clear. Minister Jeff Yurek, finds that there “will be harm to bats,” and that significant gaps exist within the developer’s mandate; monitoring only ten turbines of the possible 33 sites, and monitoring only two of three significant bat habitats is, he states, unacceptable. Additionally, The Minister finds that the monitoring of only three years, with a mitigation protocol that would only be required after ten bats per turbine were destroyed, does not match his view for meaningful “conservation” of species. (Turbines in Ontario have been “developer” accounted to be killing upwards of 18.52 bats per turbine per year.  The actual number is much higher. Developer led mortality studies under report by 90-95%. There is no suitable “threshold” for bat kills.) After an unsuccessful challenge at the ERT (Environmental Review Tribunal), Concerned Citizens of North Stormont filed an appeal with the Minister. Please also see the public Facebook Group:  Stop Wind Turbines In North Stormont.

These are correctly identified by the Minister as significant gaps. We might say chasms; omissions and developer-favored advantages, disadvantages to communities, people and wildlife led by developers’ inadequate, confusing, and patently dishonest reporting.  The expenditure of taxpayers’ money on yet another unneeded project within clearly sensitive habitat and wildlife, and proven bat roosts, is completely disturbing. “These grossly disturbing features of projects are advanced by falsehoods from paid consultants who specialize in and get bonus points for testifying at Environmental Review Tribunals that citizens rarely win. This and completely insincere monitoring, are widespread industry standards,” says Lange of the North American Platform Against Wind. “We will never know the full impact of the losses of wildlife for generations, and some species sadly will be unrecoverable.” (Details of the nature of mortality monitoring in general can be seen at these Master Resource sites below.) Some of the experts call this wildlife loss: ecocide or wildlife genocide.

“The wind industry is … producing faulty, misleading and even fraudulent documents to hide the serious and growing mortality. This situation has continued for years but has been shielded by state and federal agencies and other supporters of wind power.”

A “green energy” wildlife genocide is depopulating wildlife habitats across the world where vital species once found refuge. (See links below)

“The seriousness of this harm,” Minister Yurek states, “is increased because of the relatively small size of the species population.” Minister Yurek clearly has zeroed in on the vanishing act of bats globally and recognizes the conservation safeguards needed to conserve even or especially,  the smallest groups, colonies. The North American Platform applauds the Minister for this knowledge, and his willingness to act on the facts of the day. Bats are disappearing, worldwide, at crisis levels. Further, Minister Yurek indicates he will “ask Staff to review how harm to bats is assessed as part of the Renewable Energy Process…”

The Minister also confirms that this relatively small project, has limited energy benefit to the province. Ontario currently dumps excess power {2018, link is to 2013 numbers} to the US, Michigan and NY, to the tune of about 2 Billion Dollars annually. We suggest that the negative economics of this and every wind project, heavily subsidized and parasitic to baseload and useful electrical supply, is a heartbreaking and unprecedented demonstration of waste and environmental destruction.  

It has long been known that turbines are eco traps for not only bats but pollinators and birds as well. Turbines provide roosting, nesting, and foraging opportunities on and offshore. With the growing concern about the need for bat conservation worldwide, this decision is abundantly welcome and applauded. Groups and individuals around the province are celebrating. Many have called the Minister’s office. Some are calling and emailing from the U.S.

Regrettably, there are still many other projects with residents reporting massive and under reported bat, bird and wildlife kills. The Niagara Region project recently received approval to halt post construction mortality reviews/counts, having exceeded disastrous mortality over “threshold” numbers in two years of reporting, on the basis that “the landscape had been altered to tilled land, and was not the same “habitat” as when the approval had been granted.” Habitat altered, no need to conduct further studies. These are some of the tricks used by developers to habitually deceive. The complete environmental devastation is not yet fully understood and could span hundreds of years. Damages to hydrology, ecology, wildlife kills, impacted soil quality, swaths of unusable unsaleable land, “out of service” turbine hulks rusting in the sun and tons of cement from the bases, never to be removed.  Many now note: the clean up and decommissioning of industrial wind (and solar) is about to show us new toxic challenges. “Green energy:” Useless, and immeasurably harmful. This is not market driven. It is subsidy driven systemic “fraud.”

THE SUBSTORY, NOT TO BE NEGLECTED

The understory to this announcement is of course the massive epidemic level health impacts, Ontario and beyond. Please see Dr Mariana Alves Pereira’s lecture this past summer at the University of Waterloo, sponsored by Professor Richard Mann. That the Minister may request more information and knowledge about the impacts of ILFN is also clear.

The North American Platform congratulates all the persons and groups who worked tirelessly to end this project. Residents Ruby Mekker and Rainer Pethke have not allowed one day to go by without furthering access to anyone in any place that could help abort or put a moratorium on this project until known gaps and issues in the renewable energy approval are addressed. They now have promised to work to help others still suffering under other wind projects. Ruby Mekker of Stormont stated to NA-PAW: “We would not stop knowing the harm that had impacted Ontario communities.  Now we will work to liberate others from the harm. We deeply thank Minister Yurek.” 

Rainer Pethke stated; “We are ecstatic and commend the Minister for taking firm action. While we welcome this respite, this is no time to stop. There are still at least 10 local wells impacted already. We must continue to put bylaws in place to regulate Nation Rise or any wind company that may wish to take advantage in the future now that the Green Energy Act is repealed. There is still much to do here, and we cannot forget to support those still suffering across Ontario, who yet came forward to help us. We must also help support the Minister against those seeking to seek political gain from this and what we expect will be other difficult decisions.”

Lange adds that if anyone opposed to or involved in wind turbines issues in Ontario does not yet have the pleasure of numerous early morning, and I do mean early, phone calls from Ruby, and numerous emails, messages, more phone calls in a day than you dreamed of, you have not yet met the force of the movement.

Please see the Facebook Group page:

Stop Wind Turbines in North Stormont.

  • Sherri Lange
  • CEO North American Platform Against Wind Power
  • Founding Director, Toronto Wind Action
  • VP Save the Eagles International Canada
  • Founding Member Great Lakes Wind Truth Canada

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