News
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General and Canada
Arran-Elderslie has passed a new noise control bylaw. The bylaw will prohibit and regulate excessive noise and associated vibration, said chief administrative officer/clerk A. P. Crawford.
There is no enforceable noise control bylaw in the municipality, she said. Three pre-amalgamation bylaws for Chesley, Tara and Paisley, now more than 10 years old "are all out of date and contain invalid references due to amendments to provincial legislation," she said.
Wind turbine progress liens a bit; SkyPower owes surveying company money
November 18, 2009 by Leanne Delong in Digby Courier
November 18, 2009 by Leanne Delong in Digby Courier
Property owners involved with the wind turbine project in Gulliver's Cove have liens on their property because SkyPower Corp. owes a Nova Scotia-based company over $40,000.
SkyPower, which is partnered with Scotia Wind Fields, plans to erect a 30-megawatt wind farm in Gulliver's Cove using 20 turbines. ...There are 17 local landowners affected by this.
Litigation on the rise; Green laws mean more work for lawyers
November 17, 2009 by Donalee Moulton in Financial Post
November 17, 2009 by Donalee Moulton in Financial Post
Our carbon footprint may be reduced as a result of new green legislation sweeping the country, but our legal landscape is likely to experience a power surge.
That's because when Canadians get passionate about something -- such as the environment -- they often care enough to go to court.
"The emotional opposition to power energy projects is very significant. The Ontario ministry of the environment says it's as vociferous as it is to landfill sites. It's surprising," says Dianne Saxe, an environmental lawyer in Toronto.
A bankrupt wind energy company's latest attempt to get funding from P.E.I. taxpayers has been turned down. ...The Department of Innovation told CBC news Monday the company made several requests for loans, but none of the terms would give the province the kind of economic return it is looking for.
High hopes for wind die down; St. Joseph turbine project delayed, nine others shelved
November 14, 2009 by Mary Agnes Welch in Winnipeg Free Press
November 14, 2009 by Mary Agnes Welch in Winnipeg Free Press
Manitoba's green-energy projects are sucking wind compared to other provinces and companies that develop and service wind farms are starting to take their business elsewhere.
While Manitoba's newest wind farm, a 300-megawatt project near St. Joseph, is mired in delays and nine more proposed projects have been shelved, Ontario has launched a radical program aimed at fast-tracking turbines. ...Wowchuk, who is in charge of Manitoba Hydro, said it's not fair to compare Manitoba to Ontario, since our province already relies almost exclusively on renewable energy but Ontario is powered largely by dirty coal. And, she said, Manitoba is blessed with cheap power, meaning ratepayers would take a hit if the province threw open its doors to wind power like Ontario has done.
It's the latest in the NIMBY syndrome.
The Halifax Regional Municipality wants to get the public's feedback on how far wind turbines must be located from homes, roadways and property lines.
The first of nine public meetings was held Monday night at Brookside Junior High School in Prospect. ...Most people want a conservative approach to setting guidelines for allowing turbines near a residence.
About 150 properties that make up the Byran wind energy project, part of the failed Skypower Corporation in the northeast corner of Prince Edward County, have had construction liens placed upon their land and registered on title by a creditor to whom Skypower owes a quarter million dollars. Construction liens are legal claims on a project to ensure a builder, tradesperson or consultant gets paid for his or her work.
Worse for the property owners, these construction liens have been perfected through a special court order that was granted last Thursday.
Ontario's recently implemented Green Energy Act is taking some of the wind out of Quebec's claim that it is the leading promoter of wind energy in Canada, a seminar on supply-chain opportunities in the sector heard yesterday.
Last month, Ontario became the first jurisdiction in North America to have a so-called feed-in tariff, which pays producers of green energy - including solar and wind - a guaranteed premium for the power they produce.
Not many people would have expected a Spanish billionaire to show up in Nova Scotia with the cash to save a local wind farm development, but that is exactly what happened on Monday.
The Spanish investor's involvement is good news for Shear Wind Inc. of Halifax and its stalled Glen Dhu wind park planned for Pictou and Antigonish counties. ...Now that financing seems to be solidly in place, construction of the first phase of the Glen Dhu wind park is to begin almost immediately.
Members of the Nor'Wester Mountain Escarpment Protection Committee appeared in the public gallery of council chambers Monday evening. There they watched as councillors passed a motion allowing city administration to draft an information report on the background of the Horizon Energy Inc. planned wind farm.
As councillors discussed the points they wanted the report to examine, city planning and development manager Mark Smith warned that local decision-making powers may be limited amid the province's Green Energy Act.
The P.E.I. government is stepping in to repair a wind turbine at a North Rustico school that hasn't worked for more than a year.
The province paid $200,000 for the 30-metre turbine at Gulf Shore Consolidated School, with the village taking out a $40,000 loan to cover the rest of the cost. It came with a 10-year warranty but the company that built it, Entegrity Wind Systems, is in receivership. ...the turbine didn't work properly from day one.
A group against a proposed Neebing wind farm is gaining momentum, and is now asking citizens to sign a petition to help fight the Horizon Energy Inc. plan.
More than 200 people packed the large meeting room at the Nor'Wester Resort Hotel Tuesday evening. The crowd was led to the meeting by the newly formed group called the Nor'Wester Mountain Escarpment Protection Committee. ..."Wind turbines need to be placed far away from people," McGillivray concluded, adding that there is a need for more studies examining the potential health hazards of wind turbines.
The presenters that followed McGillivray warned about the potential harm the project could have on tourism and the environment - a destruction of forestland and an increased fatality rate of certain animal species.
The company had first agreed to the deal in October with Utah-based Wasatch Wind Inc. for the rights to the 4,400 megawatt project, to be built in Lake Erie. Terms of the deal had not been disclosed.
Calgary-based Canadian Hydro Developers Inc. said Friday it has terminated its earlier plans to purchase a subsidiary that is developing one of the largest wind farms in the world in Ontario.
Arran-Elderslie has delayed enacting a one-year moratorium on industrial wind turbine construction after council was presented with new information at its regular meeting yesterday.
Council had been expected to give final approval to an interim control bylaw to impose the moratorium, with a possible one-year extension, despite receiving information from the provincial government that such bylaws are not allowed.
Boulder turbine maker Entegrity Wind goes bankrupt
October 26, 2009 by Alicia Wallace in Daily Camera
October 26, 2009 by Alicia Wallace in Daily Camera
Entegrity Wind Systems Inc., a wind turbine manufacturer that based some of its operations in Boulder, has gone bankrupt after failing to develop a plan to tackle millions of dollars of debt.
The business was declared bankrupt pursuant to the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act of Canada, where it was incorporated, according to a document posted to the front door of Entegrity's locked offices.
Also filed under [
Colorado]
Toronto Hydro Corp. has been given the green light to build an offshore wind research platform about 1.2 kilometres off the Scarborough Bluffs, part of a controversial plan to erect dozens of wind turbines in Lake Ontario.
The utility said it will begin construction of the platform next week.
It will rise about four metres out of the water and use a laser-based anemometer - called a Light Detection and Ranging, or LIDAR device - to collect wind speeds, wind direction and other data.
Debate on wind power blows stronger in Sackville
October 22, 2009 by Katie Tower in The Sackville Tribune Post
October 22, 2009 by Katie Tower in The Sackville Tribune Post
The debate raged for over an hour in council chambers; yet it soon became clear that, when it comes to wind power development in Sackville, a compromise might not easily be reached between the two sides.
Several councillors expressed concerns over the aesthetics and potential health effects of wind turbines; while others pointed to not only the environmental benefits but the economic opportunities that come with wind energy. A couple members of council remained unsure of which way to turn.
Wind turbines are turning neighbour against neighbour and Essex town council is caught in the middle.
Farmers who have signed property leases for wind turbine projects spoke of them at a special meeting Monday as a renewable energy of the future that should be embraced.
The Supreme Court of P.E.I. has denied a request by Entegrity Wind Systems for an extension to devise a plan to avoid bankruptcy.
The wind turbine manufacturer owes $11 million to creditors and has been trying to put together a business plan to prove it can turn the company around. It has been under court protection from creditors since August.
Alnwick/Haldimand Township residents organizing to stop proposed wind farm
October 15, 2009 by Jennifer O'Meara in Northumberland News
October 15, 2009 by Jennifer O'Meara in Northumberland News
A group of Alnwick/Haldimand Township residents are banding together to oppose a proposed wind farm in their community.
On Sept. 24, the Castleton Community Centre was overflowing with residents at a public information forum hosted by The Alliance for the Protection of the Northumberland Hills. Speakers opposed to the plan talked about serious potential negative health effects, ranging from sleep disturbances to vertigo and nausea.