A former tourism official with the provincial government says P.E.I. is not doing enough to protect its scenic vistas. Carol Horne, who now works for the Canadian Tourist Commission, said over the past two decades, only two areas of the island have been designated scenic zones - New London and Borden-Carleton.

P.E.I. must care for the North Shore's famous views when expanding wind power generation, says the Dune Shores Tourism Association. The Island often uses views of the area east and west of Cavendish to sell the Island to tourists. But the province wants to triple its wind power generation, and a group has come forward to build in the area.

Last week the provincial government announced an ambitious $1-billion wind development plan to generate another 500 megawatts of wind power by the year 2013. The government has mapped out where the new wind turbines might go and many are slated to be put up along the tourist area of the North Shore.

Town council should be cautious in approving locations for wind turbine projects until important natural features have been assessed, says Phil Roberts of the municipal environmental advisory committee. ..."You need to exercise caution," said Roberts. "There's a big learning curve in all of this." He said the county's eco-tourism market -- based largely on the bird and hawk migrations -- has to be kept in mind as wind turbines are sited.

On June 4, 2008, the Minister of Tourism confirmed the province's approval for the Wolfe Island Wind Project. Premier Dalton McGuinty asked the Minister to step in when the Environment Minister declared a conflict-of-interest on May 29, 2008. Controversy over the Wolfe Island Wind Project centres on the location of a handful of the 86-wind turbines that Canadian Renewable Energy Corporation hopes to build on the island later this year.

They learned that Brookfield could not agree to arrange scheduled bus tours of the wind farm, as outlined in the township's 2006 strategic plan, as bus tours would entail getting consent from all owners of private properties the buses would travel over, Lacourciere said. However, Brookfield has shown interest in the building of a viewing platform/ interpretive site, "where you can see multiple windmills and possibly a view of the lake," she added. "Both Brookfield and Tourism Sault Ste. Marie are committed to investing time to start that project, but no money has yet been officially invested.

The Bruce County Federation of Agriculture is calling for measures to protect the county's tourism industry, farming operations and municipalities from the rapidly developing wind energy industry. "Recent studies in other countries have shown that large wind generating areas and tourism are not compatible. It would be a shame to lose the gains we have made in tourism by not having planning in place to make sure our tourism industry stays vibrant," federation president Robert Emerson told Bruce County council's agriculture, tourism and planning committee on Thursday.

The National Hotels and Restaurants Association (ASONAHORES) praised the Government's decision to solve the conflict regarding the construction of a wind energy park in Punta Cana (east), looking for a suitable place for that project and which doesn't affect tourism development. ASONAHORES president Luis Lopez said yesterday that he met with Tourism minister Felix Jiménez, and the executive vice-president of the Dominican energy czar Radhamés Segura, and it was agreed, as Tourism had proposed and his entity demanded, to relocate the project where it doesn't affect the zone's tourism expansion. The place originally selected by the Punta Cana-Macao energy group (CEPEM), is in an area zoned for tourism resorts, created by decree in 1986, and for which ASONAHORES had demanded adherence.

The Union of Owners of the lands and tourism projects at Punta Cana's Polygon 5 reiterated that the Punta Cana-Macao Energy Consortium (CEPM) seeks to install a wind energy park in the coastal strip at Cabo Engaño, Altagracia (Higuey) province (east), in private lands and without the required permits. But the CEPM affirms that it has the project's necessary permits. The president of the owners' organization Braulio Garrido warned that they are wiling to go to court and file charges for abuse authority against any official who violates the tourism legislation, the Law of Coasts and Seas, and decree 595-06 authorizing the construction of the wind mills, which he affirms would be the highest constructions built in that zone of the country. They stated that decree 595-06 issued by president Leonel Fernandez does not authorize CEPM to install a wind energy park in the coastal strip. "The first paragraph establishes that it authorizes that partnership to build project on their land of their property and we challenge the promoters of the wind energy park to present their deeds and permits authorizing them to occupy that place," he said. Garrido feels that it would be detrimental for the country if it decides to sell part of its lands to install a wind park in a tourism zone, affirming that the Union of Owners has 40 million square meters of land along the Cabo Engaño shoreline. He insists that the project affects tourism and pollutes the environment.

On behalf of a planning committee working with the Wind Power Inc. company, Elle presented a location in the north end of town. The location is serviced and is close to the future Wal-mart, which is likely to welcome recreation vehicles. The proposed turbine would be fully operational and most of the revenue would likely go back to Wind Power, with a small portion going towards maintaining an interpretive centre. Wind Power is one company interested in erecting the machine.