The reeve of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh says his council is no further ahead after discussing an earlier meeting of two councilors with Environment Ministry officials over wind turbines. Ben Van Diepenbeek says they went to Toronto looking for some direction regarding the impact of noise levels from turbines and what distance would be a reasonable setback. Van Diepenbeek says it's becoming clear that the ministry doesn't want to take a lead role in this issue ...

A decision on a controversial land-use bylaw amending planning requirements for wind turbines in the area has been put on hold by the Municipal District of Pincher Creek.

Although there were a few anti-wind energy proponents in the crowd, the majority of those who addressed the assembled crowd and the hearing panel, consisting of members of the MD Council and planners from the Oldman River Regional Services Commission, were wind power advocates. In fact, the influence of the pro wind power lobby was so substantial, that many of those in opposition left before the conclusion of the hearing.

"We want to encourage wind development in the MD," she said. "But we want to do it in a planned, organized fashion. There is a visual impact there that we are seeing now. We just want to be sure while we're approving turbines it is still acceptable to the residents of Pincher Creek."

An appeal filed on behalf of Alan Kettles' Benign Energy Canada Inc. and Heritage Wind Farm Development Inc. regarding a request to install 112 Vestas V90 wind turbines as part of a new development project was settled on Aug. 14.

There has been some opposition to large-scale wind projects in areas like Yarmouth County, where residents living near wind farms have complained about noise. To address that and other concerns, the province is partnering with the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities on a call for proposals to do a $45,000 study to develop wind turbine bylaws and policies.

Conservative Leader John Tory used the backdrop of Ontario‘s largest coal-fired plant in Nanticoke, Ont., Canada‘s fifth-largest air polluter, to reiterate his intention to continue relying on coal power if he‘s elected Oct. 10. Calling global warming "the greatest challenge of our times,‘‘ Tory said he will look at closing the plants but not until there is a reliable alternative - even if that means changing the law written by the Liberals that requires Ontario‘s coal plants to close by 2014. But in the meantime, he said he won‘t sit idly by while 1,900 Ontario residents die prematurely in part because of air pollution. "(Premier) Dalton McGuinty has stood by over the last four years while people got sick and some, in fact by his own admission, lost their lives,‘‘ said Tory. "I will not do that. I will put those scrubbers on because they can be put on at a reasonable cost. What cost human life? This is the right thing to do.‘‘

After a lengthy hearing into the pros and cons of how wind turbines affect neighbours, Pictou County council passed a bylaw Monday night to govern the development of wind power in the municipality. Councillors voted 9-2 in favour of the county's land-use bylaw, including minor amendments. ... The law is the most restrictive in the province, Warden Allister MacDonald said Tuesday. It calls for future Pictou County wind turbines to be 600 metres from homes, 100 metres more than in other jurisdictions.

All along, Pictou County has said it is supportive of wind energy - it's written as much in the introduction its municipal planning strategy - but finding a compromise, one which will satisfy both the developer and anyone who lives near a wind energy installation, has been a fine line to walk. ...If successful, the municipality will be the second in northern Nova Scotia to enact bylaws to establish guidelines for wind energy. In May, Cumberland County established that 500 metres from a residence - or three times the height of a turbine was a compromise.

The people in the audience may have been wearing shirts that said "No" on them, but the Brome-Missisquoi MRC has given a qualified yes to a proposed wind power project. "It is conditional on the signing of an agreement with Groupe SM to reduce the impact," said Robert Desmarais, director general of the Brome-Missisquoi Regional Municipal Council. The agreement outlines six main conditions that the company must meet if it is to build 31 industrial windmills in Bedford Township, Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge and Pike River: Any damage caused to the road network during the construction will be repaired Noise level tests must be carried out regularly and passed If the rotating blades cause any ill stroboscopic effect on residents they must be minimized Local workers and suppliers must be given first priority during construction Any telecommunications problems caused by the towers (cell phone reception, public security communications) must be dealt with, at SM's expense And $100,000 must go to the MRC every year for a fund to improve the Pike River.

A $230-million wind farm near O'Leary could be in jeopardy. The P.E.I. government says Ventus Energy, which is developing the 55 wind turbines, is seeking concessions to a four-year deal it signed last year - concessions the province says are unacceptable. The two sides are still talking, but Environment Minister George Webster said he has no intention of agreeing to a deal which he says gives the Island's resources away. He described those resources as P.E.I.'s "oil and gas'' and added the concessions being asked for by Ventus would cost the Island "significantly.'' He would not disclose exact figures.

Wind and environmental studies will be conducted to determine if two 120-metre dormant smokestacks in Coniston can be retrofitted with wind-powered generation systems. The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. is investing $100,000 in the studies to be done at the former Inco Ltd. smelter in Coniston. The studies will explore the potential for renewable energy production in Greater Sudbury, said Northern Development and Mines Minister Rick Bartolucci, who announced the funding. Environmentally sustainable energy production is essential to making the North an attractive place to live, work and do business, said the Sudbury MPP, who chairs the NOHFC. Funding is being provided through the fund's Renewable Energy Program as part of the Ontario government's Northern Prosperity Plan. The plan aims to strengthen the North, listen to and serve northerners better, help the North compete globally and provide opportunities for northern residents.

A controversial bid to turn a dozen farmers' fields in the Eastern Townships near the Vermont border into a huge industrial wind-turbine park will be submitted to Hydro-Québec for approval - but opponents aren't giving up their fight to see the project die. In a 16-4 vote Tuesday night, mayors of the Brome-Missisquoi regional council in Cowansville approved the proposal by Sherbrooke firm S.M. International Group Inc. to erect 31 wind-turbine towers in a swath of farmland 80 kilometres southeast of Montreal. In return, the company will pay the three communities where the land is situated - Stanbridge Station, St. Pierre de Véronne de Pike River and Bedford county - $6.7 million over 25 years. As well, S.M. will establish a $2.5-million fund for the regional council to use over the same period to clean up and beautify the Pike River. Both amounts are to be adjusted for inflation.

Plans by Cobequid Wind Farms to erect 22 wind turbines on Nuttby Mountain will not impact the company's proposed controversial wind farm project in the Gulf Shore. "This project will have no impact on that one there," Atlantic Wind Power Corporation president Charles Demond said Monday. "Both projects are independent of each other but we've been considering both of them for quite some time."

Amherst Island residents are wasting no time. Some residents of the rural community are mobilizing themselves to stop a large-scale wind turbine plant that's likely years away from development. The wind project is still early in the planning phase, but local residents have already organized a coalition to block what they're describing as an industrial-size plant. They're hosting a public information meeting tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Amherst Island Public School.

The provincial government has granted an environmental certificate to British Columbia's first wind energy project, a 120-megawatt, $240-million development proposed for a mountain ridge near Dawson Creek. On Monday, Environment Minister Barry Penner and Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Richard Neufeld revealed the decision approving Bear Mountain Wind LP's application to build a 57-turbine project 16 km southwest of Dawson Creek, which could pave the way for construction before October.

The company behind a controversial wind farm plan near Pugwash is also proposing to build upwards of 21 turbines atop Nuttby Mountain, Colchester County, said to be the highest spot in mainland Nova Scotia. Clair Peers, president of Cobequid Wind Power, said a group of companies intends to propose both locations to Nova Scotia Power by the end of August as part of the electric company's search for renewable energy projects. "Everybody's out there now getting their projects in order so they can make the deadline," Mr. Peers said during a telephone interview Monday morning. A public open house was held near the project site later in the day.

The wind turbines could be turning at Point Petre in three years. Canadian Hydro was awarded a pair of 20-year contracts last week to supply 18 MW of power annually from the Royal Road Wind Project. Canadian Hydro acquired the project after purchasing Vector Wind Energy Inc. for $5.5 million in 2006. The project was started in 2001 by Vision Quest Windelectric Inc., another Calgary-based power company. While original plans called for as many as 32 turbines, Canadian Hydro plans to erect twelve 1.5 MW windmills and the necessary infrastructure.

A controversial $240 million wind-power project to be constructed on top of Bear Mountain in B.C.'s Peace River region has been granted provincial approval. According to a government media release issued Monday, B.C. Environment Minister Barry Penner and Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Minister Richard Neufeld made their decision to grant an environmental assessment certificate to the project proponent, Bear Mountain Wind Limited Partnership, following a review of a project assessment conducted earlier this year by the provincial Environmental Assessment Office (EAO). The 120 megawatt project consists of building up to 57 wind turbine generators on the top of Bear Mountain ridge, located about 16 km southeast of Dawson Creek.

NORTH RIVER - A possible wind power farm on Nuttby Mountain has area residents weighing the positives and negatives of the proposal. More than 60 people attended an open house in North River last night to get more information. Atlantic Wind Power Corporation (AWPC), partnering with Cobequid Wind Power Inc., sent a proposal to Nova Scotia Power requesting permission for a wind farm on Nuttby Mountain, southwest of Earltown. If approved, between 15 to 22 wind turbines would be constructed in 2008 and completed in 2009 at a cost of between $50 to $100 million.