Press Releases
Nicholls: “Stop wind development and let Health Canada work”
July 10, 2012
(CHATHAM-KENT) – With today’s announcement that Health Canada would be conducting a study to explore the effects industrial wind turbines have on human health, Chatham-Kent-Essex MPP Rick Nicholls renewed his call for a moratorium on the further development of wind energy projects in Ontario.
“No less than the federal Minister of Health has said this issue deserves deeper consideration,” said Nicholls. “The Ontario PC Caucus has long said the irresponsible development of wind projects should be halted until we know more about how these turbines impact the families forced to live in their shadow.”
The study, which is in collaboration with Statistics Canada, will consider the health effects reported by people living near wind power developments. The results of the study are expected in 2014.
“I’ve been to many town hall meetings, spoken to dozens of people across my riding and beyond,” said Nicholls. “There are few communities in southwesternOntariothat haven’t had to deal with these turbines.
“In some cases, the conditions being reported by families living near these turbines are terrible to hear. Every family in Chatham-Kent-Essex deserves peace of mind on this issue, but Dalton McGuinty and Energy Minister Chris Bentley have continually ignored families in this area.”
This past session, the Ontario PCs put legislation before the House calling for a moratorium on wind turbines, which was rejected by Liberal and NDP members.
Nicholls noted that health concerns were not the only question mark surrounding the McGuinty energy experiments. The recent Auditor-General’s report clearly stated these energy experiments were driving up energy costs for families and businesses alike.
“Wind producers are paid twice what it costs to produce the power through the Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) subsidy, driving up the cost of doing business inOntario,” said Nicholls. “For a region that used to be a leader in manufacturing, like Chatham-Kent-Essex, this policy cannot be ignored.”
Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq’s announcement said the study would paint “a more complete picture of the potential health impacts of wind turbine noise.”
To see Health Canada’s original announcement, click here.
