The fight to keep wind farms out of southern Lambton County gathered ammunition this week with the release of a survey that found some people who live near the big turbines suffer serious health problems. ...The survey should grab the attention of government lawmakers, says Ann Towell, a resident in Dawn-Euphemia opposing a 35-turbine wind farm proposed for her township.

The fight to keep wind farms out of southern Lambton County gathered ammunition this week with the release of a survey that found some people who live near the big turbines suffer serious health problems. Fifty-three of 76 residents surveyed, primarily in the Kincardine area, said they suffer from headaches, sleep disturbance and depression. They said the wind turbines are having a significant negative impact on their lives.

Tom Lewis, planning and environment manager with IPC Energy, said his company takes the results of a Wind Concerns Ontario survey seriously, but pointed to an earlier survey that found an overwhelming number of Ontarians are in favour of wind energy. "I think there is a small number of people susceptible to health problems and I certainly empathize with them," Lewis said.

More people are coming forward saying they're experiencing sleep problems, headaches, and heart palpitations caused by living near windmills. ...The turbines don't appear to affect everyone equally and it is not clear what causes the health problems in some people.

A group of concerned citizens in the Merigomish area have launched an investigation into the information Shear Wind has provided to the province as part of its environmental assessment.

Noise and vibrations caused by wind turbines are causing sleep disruptions and other health problems among people who live nearby, some Ontario residents say. "I'm very concerned about the victims that we've got in Ontario because they're really suffering some pretty significant, adverse health effects," said Carmen Krogh, a retired Alberta pharmacist who is conducting a survey of people living near wind turbines.

Muriel Ritchie says at one time she thought she and her husband, Malcolm, would have to move from their Mount Pleasant home because of the noise from the nearby windmill. "There's a vibration, a humming, and at first it bothered me terribly.

Ontario's noise regulations for wind turbines are among the weakest in the world and current distance setbacks from homes should be tripled or more, a public meeting was told Monday. About 200 people crowded the Essex Civic Centre to hear experts from across the province debate the health effects of wind turbines. Using teleconferencing, some spoke from as far away as the United Kingdom. The meeting got a little rowdy at times with some Town of Essex councillors trading barbs with taunting spectators.

Havas, who studies environmental toxicology at the university in Peterborough, has added her voice to the call by Dawn-Euphemia Township council and others who want Ontario to study the impact of the growing number of wind generation projects sprouting up across the province. "Why would you want to put a lot of these wind turbines near people, have some percentage of them get sick, and then have to deal with that afterwards?" Havas asked.

When Carmen Krogh talks about the health effects of wind turbines, she speaks from experience. She shared that experience with the councillors of Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township at last week's regular meeting. Extra chairs had to be pulled out of storage to handle the large crowd that came to hear her presentation to council. ...Her symptoms came on quickly, she said. She experienced bad headaches, dizziness, queasiness, a heart rhythm sensation and a vibration inside her body. Her health improved when she and her husband, who was not affected, left the area. She decided to research the issue.

Noise from an industrial wind farm substation in Amaranth has generated several complaints as of late. Residents near the transformers say the sounds have been stronger than usual and they want action - something the company says it's already taken. "It's like a humming noise. We can actually hear it inside the house. It just kind of vibrates inside the house," explains Terry Kidd, who lives across the street from the transformers.

The ringing in his ears and the constant headaches started about a year ago. Ross Moulton has been to his doctor many times and underwent a CAT scan, but so far there is no diagnosis, no reason for his illness. ...Dr. Robert McMurtry, the former dean of medicine at the University of Western Ontario, is calling for the province to study the health impact of wind turbines. "At a minimum, they should be doing a survey of people around wind farms and getting a sense of how many people are complaining of problems," McMurtry says.

Windmills, and wind turbines, are harmless. Or are they? Centuries after Quixote's fictional fight, the question of wind-power safety is at the centre of a battle between homeowners and an energy firm 150 km southeast of Calgary, where hundreds of wind turbines are planned. Two farmers living close to the Blackspring Ridge Wind Project say they are worried about long-term health impacts -- something the company, Greengate, says has no basis in fact.

A number of Huron-Kinloss residents are claiming the Suncor/Acciona wind turbine project is having a serious impact on their health. A presentation was made at Huron-Kinloss council's Jan. 19 meeting requesting help in their talks with Suncor and Acciona. Sandy MacLeod claimed the turbines are the cause of a rash of health problems, including high blood pressure, headaches, sleep disturbances ...

Murphy said one of the major concerns of residents was noise. He said the city has now modified its plans to bring the noise level below 45 decibels - a standard that will address the noise issue. Residents were also concerned about the closeness of the turbines to property lines. Murphy said the setback requirements go hand in hand with noise levels so by reducing the noise levels generated by the turbines, the structures can remain located as planned.

The residents of North Gower who crowded into a small community hall to hear about the wind farm proposed for their backyard know the time for green power has come, but that didn't stop worries about the impact of giant turbines on their health and property values. ...Many of the 300 who filed through the three-hour information session supported the idea of moving to more renewable fuels, but questioned how the sight and sound of the turbines would affect them and drive down the value of their properties.

Opponents of a proposed four-turbine wind farm in North St. Eleanors have received the support of the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island to delay the project pending a health investigation. In a letter to the city's mayor and council, long-time Summerside physician Paul Kelly made formal application to city officials that they delay the project calling for four wind turbines on the former landfill site in St. Eleanors. ..."The Medical Society of Prince Edward Island has been asked to address the issue of setback distances associated with wind turbines," he said.

As the government of P.E.I. prepares plans to triple wind-power generation on the Island, grassroots opposition to the developments is growing. Many of those wind turbines are planned for West Prince, the area that currently has the largest wind energy production in the province. Monday night, about two dozen West Prince residents gathered to discuss strategies for lobbying the province to take more care about where the turbines are placed.

A delegation of concerned citizens is asking the city of Summerside, P.E.I., to reconsider plans for a new wind farm development. Spokesman Keith Tanton says there are too many questions about health and property issues for the plan to go ahead in its present form.

Nova Scotia's environment minister wants more information about a proposed $150-million wind farm in Pictou County before he will give it the go-ahead. Mark Parent sent a letter last week to Shear Wind, developer of the Glen Dhu wind farm near Merigomish, Pictou County, asking for details on the proximity of the wind turbines to nearby homes and the anticipated noise levels. "During the review, many local residents expressed concern about the potential for noise from the wind farm," Mr. Parent wrote last Wednesday in a two-page letter to Ian Tillard, Shear Wind's chief operating officer.