Town Hall on turbines Monday night in Milford

South Marysburgh councillor Steve Ferguson is calling a second meeting at the Milford Town Hall to provide an update about recent developments concerning the wpd Canada White Pines project.

Mayor Robert Quaiff, CAO James Hepburn, Commissioner Robert McAuley and others will be in attendance. The first meeting drew an audience of approximately 150 people, resulting in some standing through the meeting, inside and outside of the hall.

“Recent activities by wpd or its contractors have heightened local concerns; it’s my job – as well as the others who will participate – to provide as many
answers to questions as possible,” said Ferguson.

The wpd website noted that over the next couple of weeks, residents can expect to see mobilization of equipment to the project site, and potential clearing activities and some internal access road construction (on private land.

Todd Smith

Last week, Prince Edward Hastings MPP Todd Smith questioned the contract, construction, and existence at all, of the project in the County, an ‘unwilling host community’.

“Your government even had grounds to kill this project when the Environmental Review Tribunal removed more than 60 per cent of its generating capacity recently, removing the number of wind turbines from 29, down to nine in the environmentally-sensitive area. But what did you do? Your government changed the contract for them, to allow them to continue and build this unnecessary wind project.

He asked why the government “refused to do the right thing.”

“Why did the government not step in and protect electricity customers in Ontario for another expensive, unreliable, unwanted project.”

Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development and Growth, said the province has prioritized environmental protection as part of its renewable project consideration.

“We’ve amended our system significantly over the years,” he said, “to accommodate as much as possible, municipal input. What we do care about is having a clean future for the province of Ontario. What we do care about is the health of each and every Ontarian – man, woman and child. We’re going to do what we need to do to build renewable energy in this province because it’s the right thing to do.”

Smith countered that the project, reduced in size because of environmental reasons, is behind by years, yet “the government continues to give the rubber stamp and actually made the case that it should go ahead with less capacity. This is an unnecessary project.”

The Milford Town Hall meeting is set for 7-9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18.