Lambton Shores to use development agreements to mitigate wind problems

Heather Wright, Sarnia This Week
Lambton Shores plans to use a development agreement to spare municipal taxpayers any unforeseen costs from industrial wind farms now in the planning stages. Suncor Energy and NextEra have two large green energy projects planned for the community with over 100 industrial turbines being erected.

Residents have voiced opposition to the plans but have also raised concerns about the impact the construction will have on municipal roads, bridge and drains. But municipalities have little control over the projects since the province passed the Green Energy Act. It takes away the municipality’s ability to approve the projects or suggest placement of the turbines.

So Lambton Shores is going through the agreement it usually uses with subdivision developers, thinking of all the possible items to which could come up as the turbines are built. Lambton Shores Clerk Carol Mackenzie says there should be an application fee for the projects to cover staff costs for dealing with the projects. She’s suggested $5,000. Councilor Doug Bonesteel isn’t sure if that would be enough for a review and questioned whether staff could analyse the documents – which are hundreds of pages long. He says the wind companies should pay for that. “If we’re going to be given information from the wind turbine companies, they need to run by Ontario Professional Engineers Association to certify the information is true …spend their money to do it,” he says.

Community Info Meeting on Wind/Solar developments: Kettle-Stony Point

Community Information Meeting on Wind/Solar developments: Kettle-Stony Point

Members of the Chippewas and Kettle and Stony Point First Nation are invited to attend this meeting:

Date:    March 31st, 2012 
Time:  11:00AM-1:00PM
Place:   Hillside School Gymnasium

Wind Turbines outside of Kettle and Stony point below. Shadow flicker, noise and stray voltage are reported by residents nearby.