Our Position

We believe that there are a number of concerned green voices in this argument that are taking a very basic argument that "wind power is green and good" and applying this argument to any proposal by any agency to say that the project should proceed whatever the facts might be. We believe that the facts in this proposal, as outlined above, should cause these advocates of the Scarborough Bluffs Industrial Wind Turbine installation to rethink their position.

We also believe that Toronto Hydro is quite determined to have a wind farm of their very own and that the only possible place for this is the Scarborough Bluffs site. There is no data to support this location as a good site for an industrial wind farm.

The OPA sponsored Helimax Report does not mention this site when listing the top 64 sites in Ontario. This study was commissioned by the Ontario Power Authority and published in April 2008. The Canadian Wind Atlas shows that the wind power at this site is unacceptable.

The experience at the Pickering Wind Station demonstrates insufficient wind in this location. Toronto Hydro is proposing to spend one million dollars, mostly taxpayer money, to measure the wind for two years. The site chosen for the anemometer is not within the proposed area for the wind farm. Toronto Hydro stated at the November information meeting that the data from their study would not be available to the public.

We are being asked to believe that once this study is complete there will be a full environmental study before proceeding with the turbine installation. The experience to date in Ontario and the statement by John Gerretsen, the Ontario Environment Minister, that they have enough information regarding the major issues involved and that he sees no need to do one despite repeated requests would seem to suggest that this study will in all likelihood not occur prior to the start of construction. This is absolutely unacceptable.

There are a number of issues that are new in this proposal. A few of them include: the environmental sensitivity of the bluffs; altering the on-shore water currents by constructing the turbine bases; industrialization of a major residential area; first wind farm in the world to be built beside a residential neighborhood; and turbines at house level, not above the residents as in existing installations. Not to study these issues unique to this proposal is absolutely irresponsible.

There is no information available regarding the construction of a typical water-based industrial wind farm. This should be known before spending $1 Million of taxpayers' money to study winds, that according to the Canadian Wind Atlas and Helimax report are not sufficient.