Editor:
More smoke and mirrors by a panel of people who should hang their heads in shame as industry continues it’s unrelenting march across Rural Ontario.
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Part 5
Archive for the ‘Wind turbines and health’ Category
Winds Turbines and Health
September 28, 2009Editor:
Fairchild Television contacted me in June and in July their film crew came to the Ripley wind farm to shoot a feature about the negative affects of living near wind turbines.
Originally over 12 minutes I edited it so only the English parts remain. If I can get it translated I will post more of the video.
I wish to thank Sherona and her crew for making the trip from Toronto, also Fairchild Television for the original production.
Wind Turbine Syndrome with Dr. Nissenbaum
August 16, 2009Dr. Nissenbaum discusses Wind Turbine Syndrome. He talks about the many negative health affects that appear to be caused by living too close to wind turbines
Part 1
Part2
Are wind farms a health risk?
August 3, 2009Are wind farms a health risk? US scientist identifies ‘wind turbine syndrome’
By Margareta Pagano
Noise and vibration coming from large turbines are behind an increase in heart disease, migraine, panic attacks and other health problems, according to research by an American doctor
Living too close to wind turbines can cause heart disease, tinnitus, vertigo, panic attacks, migraines and sleep deprivation, according to groundbreaking research to be published later this year by an American doctor.
Dr Nina Pierpont, a leading New York paediatrician, has been studying the symptoms displayed by people living near wind turbines in the US, the UK, Italy, Ireland and Canada for more than five years. Her findings have led her to confirm what she has identified as a new health risk, wind turbine syndrome (WTS). This is the disruption or abnormal stimulation of the inner ear’s vestibular system by turbine infrasound and low-frequency noise, the most distinctive feature of which is a group of symptoms which she calls visceral vibratory vestibular disturbance, or VVVD. They cause problems ranging from internal pulsation, quivering, nervousness, fear, a compulsion to flee, chest tightness and tachycardia – increased heart rate. Turbine noise can also trigger nightmares and other disorders in children as well as harm cognitive development in the young, she claims.
In the UK, Dr Christopher Hanning, founder of the British Sleep Society, who has also backed her research, said: “Dr Pierpont’s detailed recording of the harm caused by wind turbine noise will lay firm foundations for future research. It should be required reading for all planners considering wind farms. Like so many earlier medical pioneers exposing the weaknesses of current orthodoxy, Dr Pierpont has been subject to much denigration and criticism and … it is tribute to her strength of character and conviction that this important book is going to reach publication.”
Dr Pierpont’s thesis, which is to be published in October by K-Selected Books, has been peer reviewed and includes an endorsement from Professor Lord May, former chief scientific adviser to the UK government. Lord May describes her research as “impressive, interesting and important”.
Full Story at the Independent
Ripley Ont. Wind Farm
Suncor wind farm Ripley
Wind turbine regulations – Port Elgin Ontario
June 24, 2009Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Protest at the Enbridge Wind Farm
April 13, 2009Doctor calls for health study
February 2, 2009Doctor calls for health studies on windmill farms
By JOHN MINER, SUN MEDIA
When London surgeon Robert McMurtry decided to build a house, he wanted to go green — geothermal heating, solar panels for hot water and a wind turbine for electricity.
But when he started reading about wind turbines, the former dean of medicine at the University of Western Ontario said he had a change of heart.
“I thought, ‘Holy Toledo, there are some issues here.’ ”
Dozens of wind turbines have already been built or proposed in Southwestern Ontario, as Queen’s Park tries to wean Ontario off dirty coal-fired electricity plants and reduce its reliance on nuclear power.
McMurtry is calling for health studies into the wind turbine farms popping up across Ontario with backing by the provincial government. With towers nearly 100 metres tall, and blades half that long, the turbines can be an imposing sight, even from afar.
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“At minimum, they should be doing a survey of people around wind farms and getting a sense of how many people are complaining of problems,” he said.
“If there is enough evidence, they should mount a formal epidemiological study,” McMurtry said.
In the U.S. and Western Europe especially, where wind farms are more advanced than in Canada, complaints abound about the low-frequency sound the giant windmills generate.
In Canada, Ontario is one of the only provinces with any regulations governing wind farms, requiring a noise-impact assessment for areas up to 1,000 metres from the wind turbine.
McMurtry is concerned about the health complaints he’s heard from people living near wind farms, including sleep disturbance from the noise of the giant turbine blades.
“Once you have sleep disturbance for a few days, you aren’t going to be feeling well,” he said.
Last week, the province announced it’s backing six new wind farm projects, including three in Chatham-Kent, that are expected to create 558 jobs.
Total investment in the new farms is expected to reach $1.32 billion.
McMurtry, who has taken his concerns to Ontario Energy Minister George Smitherman, said it’s going to be an uphill battle to convince people to look hard at the health implications because turbines have become closely associated with green energy.
“It has got an iconic, symbolic status that really carries a lot of weight and there is a very powerful, worldwide lobby group behind it,” he said.
McMurtry said turbines smaller than the ones being installed may be better than the monsters now going up.
“Harness the wind safely. Let’s look at other alternatives. There are better, smarter options,” he added.
Monica Elmes, of the Chatham-Kent Wind Action Group, an organization opposed to the wind farms, said the turbines will be an unreliable, intermittent source of electricity and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
“All Ontario residents are truly the losers in this scam,” Elmes said in an e-mail.
For the latest local coverage, read The London Free Press on the web or in print.
Video of the Ripley wind farm
Toronto Star – Wind Farms
January 27, 2009
Toronto Star – Propagandist for the Govt.?
Update: Response I received from the Toronto Star editorial board when I asked questions about one of their editorials. (found below)
If you live in rural Ontario you may want to consider canceling the Toronto Star. They’ll take your money but they won’t recognize you.
Response to my letter to the editorial board of the Toronto Star. If you live in the Rural Ontario you count for nothing.
Dear Mr. Stephens:
The “community” I am referring to is the Star’s community of readers.
Given that the Star is considered “the voice of the GTA” this would be
the community of readers in Toronto and the Greater Toronto area.
Certainly, many people in many communities would disagree with the views
put forward in this editorial opinion (as will any editorial). That is
their prerogative, as it is yours.
I will not be taking any further action on this editorial; nor will I be
providing you will “verification’ of the research done by the Star’s
editorial board as that is certainly not our practise.
I think the arguments put forward in the editorial speak for themselves
and it is beyond the scope of my role to question the conclusions drawn
in Star editorials.
As I told you, an editorial is an opinion based on the editorial board’s
interpretation of the facts at hand. While you may hold another opinion
I see no value in our debating these facts. I am not going to change
your mind about this issue and the Star’s editorial board is not likely
to reverse its position on this issue at this point in time.
Regards,
Kathy English
Kathy
I would like you to verify the research done and the content of the
research.
“This editorial view was arrived at after much research, thought and
debate by members of the Star’s editorial board, a group of six
journalists, under the direction of Editorial Page Editor Ian Urquhart,
who are charged with the responsibility of determining and expressing
the Star’s position on important matters affecting our community.
Because editorials represent the institutional voice of the newspaper,
they are never signed by the individuals who write them”.
I would also like someone to explain who’s community the article is
referring to.
I know many people, in many communities who would strongly disagree with
the position of the editorial board of the Toronto Star, including the
senior policy adviser for the Ministry of Energy and the ex-CEO of the
OPA.
I have invited the Provincial govt. to go through the information on my
site and point out any inaccuracies. To date, even though they are on my
site daily, they have never questioned or requested any changes.
I therefore request that your editorial staff go through my site as
well.
I want to know how they came to their conclusions.
The editorial board must be able to justify their position or it could
be considered propaganda.
Regards
Ron Stephens
Editor: The first casualty of war is TRUTH.
There is a war being waged against the rights of the citizens of Ontario by the environmental movement and the Toronto Star has become a propagandist for the movement.
| 1. | a person involved in producing or spreading propaganda. |
| 2. | a member or agent of a propaganda. |
I added the name of the writer to this article. Maybe the writer of this piece of propaganda didn’t want her name to be associated with such a piece of trash. I thought Tyler Hamilton (energy writer) could spew some garbage, but Ms. Gillespie has given Mr. Hamilton a new low to strive for.
SAVE THE PLANET-CUT LESS TREES-
CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TODAY!
EDITORIAL TheStar.com | Opinion | Windmills vs. NIMBYism
Oct 20, 2008 04:30 AM – By Kerry Gillespie
After three years of effort, a $300 million wind farm that would have brought green power to Ontario has been cancelled. This is the latest casualty of a provincial planning process that just isn’t up to the task of ensuring that the best interests of all Ontarians prevail.
I guess the people forced from their homes and those living in misery because of wind turbines, don’t count in Ms. Gillespie’s Ontario.(added)
The province wants the clean energy that comes from projects like wind turbines. So much so that Energy Minister George Smitherman sent a $60 billion plan on how to meet the province’s electricity needs for the next two decades back to the drawing board to get more renewable energy and conservation into the mix.
According to the senior policy adviser I talked to – 10 billion spent on a real electrical system, would have provided Ontario with cost effective, clean, affordable electricity. He says we are dealing with politics. Try running your home or business on politics. At least 50 billion will be unnecessarily wasted ,causing your electric bill to skyrocket, and driving business from the province.(added)
Yet time and time again wind farms and other environmentally worthy projects run into the wall that is Ontario’s outdated, drawn-out planning process. Some manage to make it through. The wind farm planned for a township near Goderich didn’t.
The delays in getting through the process are difficult enough – often amounting to millions of wasted dollars – but the real problem comes when someone, and there’s always someone, wants to oppose the project. The NIMBYists are able to use the myriad planning steps – rezoning, official plan amendment, council approval, provincial environmental assessment and the spectre of an appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board – as weapons in their fight.
As a spokesperson for the doomed Goderich wind farm said: “We’re a very conservative province, so it’s difficult to put anything anywhere.”
It’s not just wind farms the NIMBYists fight. They also oppose traditional generating stations. That forces Ontario to buy expensive – and often dirty – power from elsewhere.
And they fight urban “intensification” in the form of highrise buildings, which help curb sprawl.
In some European jurisdictions, municipalities are given the right to say where wind turbines can’t go. But they also have to say where they can go. In Ontario, it’s simply too easy to say no and hope to delay the project long enough that the developers give up and decide to give it a try in someone else’s backyard.
According to a councilor involved in the Kingsbridge ll wind farm, he was told that any setback over 450 meters would not be tolerated. He was told to pass the setback or the township would be taken to the OMB and that the township would lose, costing the township $100,000. This, dispite the fact Kingsbridge l at 450 meters had already caused major problems for people living in the shadows of the turbines.(added)
The energy minister is right to call for more renewable energy. Now the provincial government must make sure its planning processes support that goal, even if it means someone may have to gaze upon a windmill from the living room window.
Because reality and truth no longer matter to the Toronto Star, I ask that you show your disapproval by boycotting the paper. Until they understand their duty to the public (seek and print the truth) they do not deserve your support. I will be making a formal complaint to
Bureau of Accuracy/Public Editor
You can contact the Star’s Bureau of Accuracy and Public Editor by email at publiced@thestar.ca; by phone at
416-869-4949
; or by fax at 416-869-4322
To cancel your subscription or to let the Star know how you feel –(added)Customer Service (including subscription inquiries, delivery issues, billing inquiries, vacation stops or other customer service inquiries or complaints)
Email: circmail@thestar.ca
Phone:
Windmills vs. Nimbyism (another take on the article above)
Posted on October 20, 2008 by essexcountywind
Wind turbines cause health problems, residents say – CTV News
OPTIONS FOR COAL-FIRED POWER PLANTS IN ONTARIO
Premier, Dalton McGuinty Talks About Renewable Energy For Ontario
Homeowners living near windfarms see property values plummet
DIRE WARNINGS FOR ONTARIO
January 19, 2009WORLD RENOWNED EXPERT ISSUES DIRE WARNINGS TO RESIDENTS OF ONTARIO
Picton, Ontario, January 15, 2009-
200 Picton area residents braved frigid temperatures Thursday night to hear about the serious health risks associated with Industrial Wind Turbines.
Dr. Magda Havas Ph.D., Associate Professor of Environmental and Resource Studies at Peterborough’s Trent University and one of the world’s leading research experts in the areas of electromagnetic pollution, radio frequency radiation, ground current and dirty electricity delivered alarming warnings about the dangers to human and animal health, posed by Industrial Wind Turbines.
Dr. Havas was the featured speaker in Picton. Havas identified two significant problem areas that pose substantive threats to the health of those living or working in proximity to wind turbine developments – Infrasound or Low Frequency Sound emitted by the turbines themselves and both Dirty Electricity and stray voltage related to the electricity produced by turbines.
The human body feels and reacts to sound waves that we cannot hear. These waves, in the low end of the sound spectrum (under 20 Hz), are well documented to cause nausea, joint pain, insomnia, depression, agitation, increased blood pressure and possible heart problems. It is also a major cause of Vibroacoustic Disease which can lead to vision problems, digestive problems, cardiovascular problems, and circulatory difficulties.
Since infrasound can carry over very long distances, Dr. Havas says that the jury is still out on how far away from people Industrial Wind Turbines should be located. She quoted the French Academy of Medicine guidelines which call for a minimum setback of 1.5 kilometers and Dr. Nina Pierpont of New York State, who has done comprehensive research into turbine related illnesses, who calls for a minimum of 2 kilometers.
But Dr. Havas was quick to point out that infrasound is not the only danger to local residents posed by wind turbines. She is particularly concerned about the impacts of “Dirty Electricity” also a byproduct of Wind Turbines in Ontario, “… the worst part of it is that it could all be eliminated with proper design and care”, Havas said. “However, there is a cost involved….do you think that they will spend the money necessary to correct a problem that they refuse to admit even exists?”
Some of the symptoms created by Dirty Electricity in the home resemble those caused by infrasound. They include nausea, sleep disorders, headaches, dizziness, tinnitus and irregular heart beat. Havas has done important research into this area and studies have identified substantially increased rates of cancers, increased blood sugar among some diabetics, skin sensitivities, and other equally disturbing conditions.
Havas’ presentation followed that of Bill Palmer a Professional Engineer with experience in risk assessment and public safety. Palmer identified the fact that Hydro One has setback guidelines to protect their critical Hydro lines from possible turbine damage but the Ontario Government has put no setbacks in place to protect people. “Hydro requires a setback of 500 meters from their most important lines – to protect against mechanical damage from a turbine collapse or blade failure”, Palmer said. “Unfortunately, no such guidelines are in place for public safety to protect people traveling on roadways, in their fields adjacent to a turbine, or in their homes…..There are no guidelines in place to protect citizens from these same mechanical risks that Hydro One has setbacks for. He went on to show how the calculation of the setback required for noise from wind
John Gerretsen, M.P
January 13, 2009By Ron Stephens
Independent candidate for Grey – Bruce
The letter below is from Hugh Christopher Brown of Wolfe Island, Ontario.
He, like many others in this province, is frustrated with the Minister of Environment. From the office of Premier McGuinty to the office of your local MPP, the government has shown absolute disrespect for the citizens of this province.
From the dismantling of Ont. Hydro by Maurice Strong, the father of Kyoto, to the present day, our electrical system has been guided, not by those who understand our electrical systems and the needs of the province, but by the E8, another Maurice Strong product, and Agenda 21 from the UN.
Our electrical system has been sold off, and the citizens and manufacturing sector are being fed to the wolves.
It would not matter which party is in power. They have all bought into the idea of rule by the UN. Sustainability they like to call it. Sustainability means giving up our rights and freedoms to an outside entity.
Treason, if you will.
Every political party in this province will push wind farms to appease the “Green Movement”. Why? Because they are gutless traitors.
The govt. cannot present a case to defend their actions, because other than Green rhetoric, there is no case.
Nowhere in the world has wind energy proven it’s worth. The Danes are fighting against wind farms in Denmark, birthplace of modern day wind energy.
Germany, home to more wind power than any other country is building 26 coal plants. Why? Wind is not doing the job, nor will it ever.
Denmark saw wind as a clean alternative. It is a very small country of 5 million, yet it is heavily dependent on it’s neighbours for it’s power.
Enron discovered they could make a lot of money and gain control of large portions of the American grid by jumping on the “Global Warming” wagon.
Clinton, Gore and Maurice Strong were all involved in helping Enron.
Through subsidies and tax benefits, combined with their natural gas interests, there was billions to be made.
Nothing has changed. The wind industry of today is the ghost of Enron reborn, and it’s just as evil.
Don’t take my word, do your own research.
Please support the people of Wolfe Island and the many other communities threatened by wind farms by sending your thoughts to the Minister of the Environment.
.
April 12, 2008
Mr. John Gerretsen, M.P
Minister of the Environment
135 St. Clair Ave W., 15th Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M4V 1P5
RE: WOLFE ISLAND WIND PROJECT – APPEAL REQUEST FOR EA
Dear Mr. Gerretsen:
I am in absolute disbelief that an individual Environmental
Assessment has been denied for this project.
CREC has obliged itself to deliver a wind plant with nameplate
capacity of 197.8 megawatts, to be operational by October 2008.
In a letter to Shelia Allen, dated January 4 2008, Ontario Projects
Manager Geoff Carnegie refers to financial penalties to be imposed by
the OPA should CREC fail to deliver on this obligation.
In the same letter, Mr Carnegie also comments on the economic
“non-viability” of turbine deactivation or removal, and allows that
CREC will counter adverse effects only by employing “commercially
reasonable” efforts.
So Mr. Gerretsen, am I to understand that a private energy company is
taking money to fulfill a production quota, self site a power plant,
and now declares itself immune to accountability on financial basis?
I do not need to go into great detail about the social and
environmental uniqueness of Wolfe Island. You have been well furnished
with documents to that effect. You know that this island sits at the
head of the biggest estuary on the planet, is on the flight path of a
significant number of migratory species, and is the nesting site for
many endangered species. You also know as a CLASS IV IBA, Wolfe Island
would not even qualify for this development were the proposal made
today.
You are also well aware that not a single turbine has been moved in
response to the
many recommendations of Environment Canada, Ministry of Natural Resources,
Ducks Unlimited and the Kingston Field Naturalists. So what exactly is
going on?
You have attended a conciliatory BBQ with optioned landowners and
told concerned citizens that you “like the look of windmills”.
You are the Minister of The Environment, and you demand nothing more
of corporations than they self regulate their practices as much as is
‘commercially reasonable’ ?
I am well aware of the political risks of criticising wind energy. I
also know that if these projects are done recklessly, it jeopardizes
the future of wind development in our country.
You need look no further than our divided community, or the price of
real estate Melanthon to see where a lack of policy is getting us.
Does your party want to go down as the builders of sustainability,
viable public infrastructure, or the contractors of political
expedience? To choose the later risks not only your legacy, but as I
stated, that of the industry itself.
I like the look of windmills too. I like the clusters of 4-5 you
see outside of Danish villages, or the 20 in Copenhagen’s harbour.
Denmark is the leader in renewable energy, has decades of experience
in wind harnessing, uses minimum setbacks of two kilometres, and
practices the environmentally meaningful method of energy production:
‘use at source’. This is not the paradigm being followed here.
Our constituency is further insulted that we are left to the mercy
of absurd ‘post construction mitigation’, carried out at the
discretion of a company which has lied to us with promises of turbine
deactivation in the event of high avian mortality, noise, ice throw or
other perils. Mr Carnegie’s letter lets us know this form of
mitigation is actually an autopsy. Once our habitats are desecrated,
CREC proposes buying land elsewhere and “creating new sites with
desirable habitat features”. So much for good old conservation. I
would call this level of vanity ‘Biblical’.
If a bump-up is denied , we will take every political and legal
measure to bring this ill-informed green washing to light. As a
musician who travels the world, I have watched communities grow up
quickly in the face of political opportunists. I am no longer asked in
interviews what my problem with wind power is, but where is my
government in all this?
I would like to say that it is working with due diligence to secure
meaningful and sustainable practises. Today those are definitely not
the words I use. Give our island the respect of full environmental
assessment, and let us implement appropriate safeguards to protect the
environment and your constituents. Anything less implicates a
dedicated ignorance or ulterior motive.
Sincerely,
Hugh Christopher Brown
Wolfe Island, Ontario
c.c.
Lynn Moore, Chair
Wolfe Island Residents for the Environment
792 Fairfax Dr., Kingston, Ontario K7M 4V7
c.c.
Dalton McGuinty, Premier
Legislative Building
Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1A1
dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
Mr. Robert W. Runciman
Room 436, Main Legislative Building
Toronto ON M7A 1A4
rwrunciman@brockville.com
John Yakabuski
Official Opposition Energy Critic
Queen’s Park
Room 202, N.W., Legislative building
Toronto, Ontario M7A lA8
john.yakabuski@pc.ola.org
Ted Arnott
Tourism Critic PC
181 St. Andrew St E, 2nd Flr
Fergus ON N1M 1P9
ted.arnott@pc.ola.org
Ms. Peggy Smith, Solicitor
160 Johnson St.,
Kingston, Ontario K7L 1Y1
middle@kos.net
Mr. John Tory, PC Leader,
Room 200, NW, Legislative Bldg,
Queen’s Park, Toronto, Ontario M7A lA8
leader@ontariopc.net
Ms. Elizabeth May, Leader
Green Party of Canada
P.O. Box 997, Station B
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5R1
Death of Canada 