Editor:
As a long time reader of your paper, I continue to be surprised at how low a news priority the onslaught of wind turbines are to The Echo.
There are now six citizen and municipal appeals against the turbine project just north of Creemore yet I had to search every word in last week’s Echo to find the story.
The more distant Collingwood papers treat the news of the growing numbers of appeals as a major story whereas The Echo buried the news in another story on appeals, deep in the heart of the paper.
The potential precedent of the recent approval of the wpd project, may well bring many more turbines to the Creemore area. Consequently it’s an important news story that for the first time ever, Collingwood, Clearview, Simcoe County and three citizen groups are fighting the decision to install 50-storey structures on prime agricultural farmland.
The economic consequences of wind turbines anywhere, especially surrounding Creemore, will be economically devastating. Land values, tourism and local businesses will all suffer and all for what? Wind energy will never make a major contribution to stem the tide of global warming. Instead we need to build more gas fired energy plants to offset the unreliable wind that drives turbines less than half the time.
Add in the billions that we are paying to subsidize wind developers and you will understand why we now have the most expensive electricity costs in North America.
Let’s not hide the news that many of the protests against these turbines aren’t just from nearby neighbours but from towns and townships and even the county.
I urge The Echo to take the issue more seriously.
Jeff Shearer,
Nottawa.