Prince Edward Island Trails Inc. is upset with Maritime Electric's plan to build a high voltage line along a section of the Confederation Trail. The 64-kilometre line will run from O'Leary to Sherbrooke, just outside Summerside, and is being built to accommodate a major expansion to the wind farm at West Cape. The plan calls for some of the lines to run along a section of the Confederation Trail near Summerside. ..."When we initially turned the rails to trails ... the vision was to take this section of land and trails, and people can utilize it to get away from the busy highways and roads..."

A ban on wind energy projects within 200 metres of the Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River shoreline is among the many recommendations in the final draft of official plan changes proposed for the County of Essex. Bans would also protect national parks, conservation areas and a host of smaller natural areas, particularly those with endangered or threatened species. The recommendations by the Jones Consulting Group divide the county into four different management areas and requires that proponents show their wind farm proposals won't harm communities or the environment. New policies would protect "heritage resources and significant cultural heritage landscapes." The visual impact of turbines, that could be 120 metres high, has to be weighed for the impact on scenic viewpoints and landscapes.

Opponents of a 410-million dollar wind turbine farm on Wolfe Island won't rule out a court appeal to stop the project from spinning ahead. They've been trying to get the province to impose a more rigorous environmental assessment. But so far, no luck. That means "Canadian Hydro" is moving full speed ahead with plans to start installing the turbines this summer. Newswatch's Stu Hay has an update. "Disappointed" is the only word Wolfe Island resident Sarah Mcdermott can come up with to describe her feelings. Wolfe Island is slated to become a giant wind-farm this October... She was hoping that the environmental impact of the project would be scrutinised more than it has been... But she's been told that's not going to happen.

The Ministry of the Environment has turned down requests from Wolfe Island residents seeking a more detailed study of the effects of a proposed wind-power project in their community. In a letter dated March 27, citizens learned that the ministry had declined their request to require Canadian Renewable Energy Corporation to prepare an individual environmental assessment before the firm's 86-turbine wind project is allowed to proceed. ...Her decision to quash the individual environmental assessment - applied to large projects with potential environmental impacts - leaves residents feeling that the province is pushing the project without adequately addressing their health and environmental concerns. Many saw the environmental assessment as their best chance to have their concerns addressed before construction began.

Even Canada's leading promoter of wind power admits that the industry has to learn from its critics and work with them. Sean Whittaker, policy director of the Canadian Wind Energy Association of Ottawa, says public concerns can be expected with any new technology. "Their concerns are definitely legitimate and something we have to take seriously," Mr. Whittaker said recently in Halifax. ... Ms. Betts and 450 other members of the Gulf Shore Preservation Association oppose a developer's plan to build 20 to 27 large wind turbines in the area. Last summer, Ms. Murray wrote a commentary in The Chronicle Herald, saying many people want to build their "dream home" in the area. A wind farm would be catastrophic, she said. Ms. Murray said she supports the idea of wind-generated electricity but opposes the location of the turbines in an area close to where people live and said there are too many unanswered questions concerning the effects of noise, vibration and shadow flicker.

"The problem is they're putting them too close to people." ...Plans to build four wind projects in the county of Chatham-Kent in southwestern Ontario were stalled last month after a three-hour discussion punctuated by angry residents and concerned biologists. In 2006, Enbridge cancelled plans to build a wind farm in Saugeen Shores on the coast of Lake Huron after facing fierce public resistance.

The need for proper setbacks in Chatham-Kent between wind turbines and homes and natural settings was voiced loudly Tuesday by Chatham businessman Harry Verhey. Verhey told Chatham Sunrise Rotary Club members - of which he is a member - that he isn't challenging the use of wind turbines, but is convinced there is an urgent need to determine setbacks that are right for the municipality. "The recent proliferation of industrial wind projects will have a negative impact on the community," he said. "The massive size of industrial wind turbines conflicts with the scale and character of the Chatham-Kent landscape." ...Verhey said ads run in local papers by the proponents of wind farms aren't enough - "for the most part the public is unaware of turbine developments and locations."

While few here are arguing the benefits of wind power, there is a growing movement opposed to a proposed wind power project planned for the nearby Higgins Mountain area. The Folly Lake Wentworth Valley Environmental Preservation Society has launched a campaign for the provincial government to place a moratorium on wind power projects until a number of concerns are dealt with. "We realize that not everyone is concerned about this, and that many want to see green power and sustainable, renewable power as quickly as it can get online, at any expense," said society member Garfield Moffat.

A few studies will proceed immediately to see if wind turbines are appropriate for Caledon. The studies Caledon council wants undertaken are for setback, noise and flicker effects. The results will be brought back to a public meeting. Councillors spent more than three hours on the issue at last Tuesday's meeting. They heard presentations from concerned residents living near a potential wind project site, as well as a representative from Windy Hills Caledon Renewable Energy.

Massive commercial power developments are being considered for existing and planned conservancy areas on the B.C. coast, raising doubts about a landmark multi-stakeholder agreement designed to bring peace and economic certainty to an area known as the Great Bear Rainforest. "Premier Gordon Campbell is completely going back on his promise to protect this coast," charged Ian McAllister, the award-winning author and conservationist who coined the term Great Bear Rainforest and who now works under the banner of Conservation Pacific. "This isn't world-class, this isn't a model we'd want to have any other region on the planet follow."

Wind generating companies competing to place turbines on mountain tops are also competing with wildlife seeking secure habitat. Along with construction traffic and noise, new access roads allowing recreational vehicles passage into previously untouched woodlands, rotor noise, and visual noise from the shadows of turbine blades could also have an impact. "It's a question that we don't have all the answers to," said Nette. "There is a big unknown there. I'm not sure we are giving it adequate consideration." Wildlife biologist Bob Bancroft is looking to answer that question by researching studies done in northern areas of the United States to learn about the impact wind turbines there are having on wildlife species, including moose.

Storeys-high wind turbines might not be the first thing you think of as part of the Halifax skyline, but city officials want your input. ..."While wind energy is valued as an environmentally friendly power source, the size of the wind turbines and wind farms also raises planning issues regarding compatibility with homes from noise and impact on views, et cetera," says the report drafted for regional council

A proposed wind farm project for Higgins Mountain is causing some concern for the operators of Ski Wentworth and others in the Wentworth Valley-Folly Lake area. "I want to make it clear that we are in favour of renewable energy and all of the benefits that come with it, but we do have some concerns about the proposal that will see 400-foot (120-metre) turbines being erected right across the valley from the ski hill," Ski Wentworth spokeswoman Leslie Wilson said Monday. Ottawa-based 3G Energy Corp. proposes to build 66 turbines along a seven-kilometre stretch of the Cobequid Mountains. They would be on a ridge on the opposite side of the valley from the ski hill. The project is among the largest ever proposed for Nova Scotia.

Alternative power is all the rage but even a magic bullet can draw blood. Dave Bidini visits Ontario's bucolic Wolfe Island, where an Alberta firm wants to build a $410-million wind farm, bigger than any now operating in Canada. Many residents are bitter - their home is a major stopover for species that migrate in the dark, 'when you can't see the birds getting chopped out of the sky'

While not opposed to the expansion of a windfarm atop Higgins Mountain, Wentworth area residents are hoping project proponents, 3G Energy Corp., will adjust its plans to address community concerns. The Wentworth Community Development Council held a meeting at the fire hall earlier this week to discuss the plan to add 66 turbines to the three already on Higgins Mountain and to hear from part-time resident Peter Bigelow, who gave a presentation on the pros and cons of living near windfarms. ..."The province should be taking the lead on this, not leaving it up to municipalities," she said. "There have to be rules for everyone in the province to follow. This is bigger than setting land-use bylaws." - Amherst Daily News

...despite meeting the international green guidelines established by the Kyoto Protocol, plans for the huge turbine have sparked dismay among residents in nearby Hebburn Village and ward councillors, who argue the structure will be a blot on the landscape. Coun Joe Abbott, for Hebburn North, said: "I have spoken to some residents and they are up in arms about the massive scale of this wind turbine. "In terms of size, you are talking about six Angels of the North on top of each other, or two Concordes placed nose to tail.

Questions and concerns about a proposed wind farm in Rural Municipality of Cartier continue to stall a council vote on a zoning bylaw for the project. ... The bylaw passed first reading by a 5-1 council vote in June. Since then, set back guidelines for erecting the turbines changed from 500 metres from neighbouring property lines to 2,000 metres.

Aesthetic factors are a big concern as well. Norman Schmidt, also a St. Joseph area artist, says he was initially intrigued by the idea of wind energy because he thought it would be a way to become less dependent on the grid. But upon further investigation, he too became convinced that the giant structures would mar the beauty and tranquility of the landscape. "We do not want to see our beloved prairie destroyed for the sake of monetary gain," Schmidt says. He proposes that the government encourage the use of small-scale wind turbines on farmsteads with tax incentives so that people could decrease dependency on the grid and free up energy for others.

Projects are picking up the most speed in Ontario, where the provincial government has embraced wind energy as a symbol of its green friendliness, and municipalities are signing on with a fervour because the province's above-market prices mean they can reap cash in land sales and tax revenues. But as Canada experiences a rapid rise in these developments, there is a growing opposition to wind power as a clean energy alternative, with complaints that it is high-cost, energy-inefficient, causes noise pollution and even wreaks havoc on birds' migratory patterns. After raising many of these concerns with the Ontario Municipal Board, residents of Wolfe Island, Ont., celebrated a victory this week when plans for an 86-turbine megaproject by Canadian Hydro Developers, Inc. was modified to place the turbines farther away from residential areas and wetlands.

Shouldn't eco-friendly Townshippers want in on this kind of technology? "It's not the technology we're opposed to, and it's not because we have a 'not-in-my-backyard' mentality," said Fabien Poirier, a fourth-generation resident who restores old houses and furniture, has a head for statistics and history, and is a member of the 'No' committee. "It's just that we don't think these wind towers should ever be put up in an inhabited area, so close to where people live. They're totally out of proportion to everything around them." The residents fear a variety of ills documented from turbine use in other countries: the shadows of the blades at sunrise and sunset, creating a strobe effect that catches the eye and makes people nauseous; interference with analog TV reception, making channels hazy; blinking lights atop the towers that distract and annoy at night; falling house prices caused by the towers being so close; the constant noise of the rotating blades (generally under 40 decibels), likened to the uneven pitch of an overhead fan, the hum of a beehive or the sound of a school bus approaching from a distance; the effect on bird and bat migration; and disruption of drainage caused by a soil structure that gets degraded by the foundations of the towers, each one with a footprint that is wide and deep and hard: 600 cubic litres of poured concrete.