Ontario will cover the total cost and provide "a reasonable rate of return" for investments in green energy projects through decades-long contracts with fixed electricity prices. The government said it is the first program of its kind in North America. ..."They're going to fast-track wind turbines ... without looking at the health related issues, and that ought to be a concern of everyone," he said.

Standardized setbacks, domestic manufacturing content and a reworked approval process are among the province’s new wind turbine regulations. As part of the Green Energy Act, there will also be a feed-in tariff program, which allows everyone from homeowners to large developers to sell power to the grid. ... This distance would increase with the number of turbines and sound level ratings. The province also integrated various approvals — including environmental and municipal — into the Renewable Energy Approval process.

Work will get under way this week to repair a wind turbine damaged by a fire last month at the Kent Hills wind farm in Albert County, roughly 30 km southwest of Moncton. One of the 32 wind turbines at the site caught fire on the morning of Aug. 8, and it's been offline since.

Manitoba's new wind farm -- Canada's biggest -- is facing more delays because its original financial backer is broke, and national wind advocates say the recession has cramped the booming wind industry. Babcock & Brown, the Australian investment firm that was financing the new wind farm, is being liquidated by creditors and has sold off its North American wind power division, including Manitoba's project, to an American investment firm.

A Blenheim woman claims her family is still suffering effects from a nearby wind farm. Kruger Energy's 44-turbine Port Alma project became operational last year. Nikki Horton, who filed a complaint with the Montreal-based company, said the wind farm is impacting her family's quality of life, with symptoms such as headaches and fatigue.

An Arran-Elderslie councillor wants his council to enforce its rights under the Ontario Municipal Act and impose a moratorium on wind energy projects. Elderslie ward Coun. Mark Davis said last week the municipality can impose moratorium legislation for one year, with the opportunity to extend it for another year, "if we feel an issue needs further study.

The operators of New Brunswick's first commercial wind farm have diverted parts of a wind turbine destined for Alberta to New Brunswick in order to repair a unit that caught fire last month. A new nacelle, which holds the wind turbine's power generation components, was expected to arrive in the province Saturday, while three new 45-metre-long blades were due to arrive at the Kent Hills wind farm today.

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.

The 20-metre long steel entrance and base section of the tower, which has crossed the Canada/US border, is a part of the 65-metre wind turbine slated for the top of Grouse Mountain. ..."We have the last piece of the puzzle that will make this engineering marvel a reality commencing with the placement of this important section," project manager Julia Kossowski stated in a press release.

It's not so much about what is on the agenda for Monday's Chatham-Kent planning meeting, but what is not. Two wind power applications for a total of 98 new wind turbines to be built in Chatham-Kent have been deferred again. ...[municipal planning consultant Tom Storey of Storey] speculated this is because new regulations are expected to come down soon under the new Green Energy Act.

Wary of what a wind turbine farm might do to rural parts of Northumberland, a group of citizens has come together to hold a public meeting of its own. The Alliance for the Protection of the Northumberland Hills was formed shortly after Energy Farm Ontario held an open house in late-July about its ongoing study of rural properties near Grafton as a possible location to construct up to 20 wind turbines.

The turbines are going up at four sites in the Summerside Wind Farm, and according to municipal officials, the city will be generating wind energy by December. Terry Murphy, the city's chief administrative officer, said the project is right on schedule and should be up and operating by year's end.

During a conference that touted regional energy co-operation in Saint John, N.B., Tuesday, Graham said last year NB Power had surplus capacity on the transmission system. He said that access was put up for auction, an auction that all jurisdictions could bid on. But nobody from Prince Edward Island put in a bid. He said the province of Quebec purchased the excess capacity and now holds the rights to that transmission capacity, even though it is not using it.

Several planned wind turbines in the area aren't even up yet, but residents are already educating themselves as to the possible health hazards associated with them. Over 200 people attended an information meeting hosted by the Middlesex Wind Action Group on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The gym at Adelaide W.G. MacDonald was standing room only. At the heart of the issue is a proposed wind turbine farm that would see the construction of 40 turbines in Adelaide-Metcalfe Township.

A wind energy project planned for southeastern Grey County and northern Dufferin County is on hold pending the release of the regulations governing the province's new Green Energy and Green Economy Act. Given Royal assent on May 14, Bill 150 is intended to guide investment in renewable energy sources. But developers are still waiting for the regulations that define the details of the legislation. requirements and approval procedures.

Nova Scotia Power is seeking regulatory approval to spend $120 million to construct a 22-turbine wind farm in Pictou County. The utility filed its application Friday with the Utility and Review Board to develop the 45-megawatt project at Nuttby Mountain, Colchester County. It would begin operation late next year.

Canadian Hydro Developers and hundreds of invited guests celebrated the official opening of the company's 86-turbine wind farm on Wolfe Island yesterday. The emphasis was on "invited." A long line of cars was backed up along the highway leading to the company headquarters as Ontario Provincial Police officers meticulously checked names off a list. Anyone not appearing on the list was asked to pull over and could be turned away.

An ill wind is blowing through this bucolic village, 200 kilometres east of Montreal. Once-friendly neighbours don't greet each other anymore. Vandals rip down lawn posters and damage property. Threats fly. For-sale signs have sprouted. And provincial police have become a familiar presence at stormy municipal council meetings. The issue tearing apart the lakeside community is a plan for a wind farm atop the green mountains that form its spectacular backdrop.

Nova Scotia Power wants to kick-start several stalled wind power developments by buying a minority stake in them. "We're trying to get all of the projects that aren't moving ahead as quickly as they would like, to get going," Robin Mc-Adam, the power company's vice-president of sustainability, told reporters.

Question: This week and next, the Bureau des audiences publiques sur l'environnement is holding hearings on two proposed wind projects in central Quebec. Last week, it heard from citizens affected by a 78-turbine wind farm near Thetford Mines. On Wednesday, it will hold hearings in St. Ferdinand on a proposed 50-turbine wind farm. Residents are deeply divided and some have reported acts of vandalism and threats. How concerned are you over how these projects have torn apart communities?