There's a farmer in Northumberland County, east of Oshawa, who wants to build a house for his daughter on his farm, but he can't because he's on the heavily protected Oak Ridges Moraine. But it's OK to lease his land to a company that will put up multiple wind turbines and turn his property into a wind farm. And they'll pay him five figures a year to do it. That's just one of many contradictions emerging as wind project proposals multiply like rabbits across Ontario.

The battles over wind farms in Ontario and New York state have had no shortage of press coverage. The battle lines are most often drawn between those who place a premium on scenic and historic preservation, property values and other quality-of-life factors, versus those who place a priority on the personal and municipal income the wind projects offer. But the processes that decide these battles are seldom fair or transparent, and are skewed in favour of the few over the many.

One of the most beautiful areas of the North American continent has become the target for wind turbine projects put up by giant international corporations that, if they have their way, plan to fill the entire Great Lakes basin with these industrial parks. ...In Ontario (and New York state), the control of wind energy has been put into the hands of large international corporations which has turned the whole "green" energy movement on its head.

Ontario-based developer AIM PowerGen proposed building four 9.9 MW wind projects in Harrow, Ontario, in 2007. But two years later, the company is still waiting for its building permit - a process that typically takes no more than six months to complete. What's the holdup? Local opponents have bird-dogged town officials to overly vet AIM PowerGen's wind project, citing health concerns, according to Dave Timm, the developer's vice president of strategic affairs.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper came under attack from environmentalists last week following his announcement, in Washington, that Ottawa will provide $130-million from the Green Infrastructure Fund for a power line in northwestern British Columbia. Was the criticism justified? Or did Mr. Harper get unfairly attacked? He was accused of "greenwashing" the Northwest Transmission Line, a $404-million project that will push power cables along the scenic Stewart-Cassiar Highway.

Before you slap a down payment on your own bucolic corner of heaven, look around you carefully -- because, trust me, there's almost always trouble of some sort brewing in paradise. If it isn't a landfill proposal, it's a gravel pit or a giant hog farm or a communications tower or biosolids being sprayed on the field next door. And now, a new danger: Dalton McGuinty's wind farms are sprouting all over rural Ontario.

While Prowind, on behalf of New Denmark Wind Farm Inc., held an open house earlier this year to outline its proposal for the installation of same in the beautiful hills and valleys of New Denmark, this was a sparsely attended event leaving much of the proposal for an industrial wind turbine array shrouded in secrecy and obfuscation. Indeed, this single event does not constitute "consultation", nor does impromptu visits to opponents of the project by those sponsoring or potentially profiting from it. Ditto unsolicited and anonymous letters to residents of New Denmark in clear opposition to this project disparaging Wendy Todd, the guest speaker from Mars Hill at the June 9 open house.

This weekend I entertained people from Toronto at our property on Big Island in the Bay of Quinte. They were appalled to hear about the plans for an industrial wind farm that would cover a large area of Big Island and Sophiasburg in Prince Edward County. They could not believe at how undemocratically this wind farm is being forced on the local residents.

No one should feel guilty about questioning industrial wind. Regardless of how big the turbines get, the ability to produce meaningful energy for consumers is extremely limited. To understand the limits of industrial wind power there needs to be an understanding of how our grid works. Energy must be maintained at all times. Drops or increases in voltage can cause the grid to fail.

The active engagement of citizens concerned about decisions imposed on them from above and afar - especially in seeking to protect the health and wealth that constitutes their most precious assets - is more to be applauded than demeaned. Across the province are numerous examples of local folks fighting just such David and Goliath battles.

I was surprised to learn that the federal government has allocated $476,000 for the rehabilitation of haul roads used for the Wolfe Island wind turbine development. ...We were certainly led to believe that the company would foot the bill for the restoration, but now it seems that the taxpayers will be on the hook once again for subsidizing the wind energy boondoggle.

In 1996, after working for 41 years in the public service, (15 years in the R.C.A.F. plus 26 years teaching and administration) I retired in New Denmark for what I thought would be peace and tranquility with my neighbors and environment. NOW because of the proposed wind "farm", things have changed, and pitted neighbour against neighbour!

There is an awfully big push these days to have farms turned into wind factories, to take agricultural land and turn it into an industrial wind turbine complex, complete with all the infrastructure of access roads, poles and wires. This is NOT farming. This is not even remotely similar to farming even though many still like to call a gaggle of 400-foot wind turbines a wind 'farm'. They are nothing more than an industrial use of agricultural landscape.

Not surprisingly, wind companies from all over are lining up for a piece of the free money. Little citizens' groups have sprung up across the province to try to stop them from erecting 35-storey wind turbines in their backyards. But the Premier's energy minister, George Smitherman (a.k.a. The Enforcer), has declared that he will squash the NIMBYs like a bug. I have wind turbines coming to my backyard, too. I wouldn't mind - if only they made sense. If only they could really help us break our addiction to coal and oil, cut our emissions etc. But they can't.

Despite continuing opposition from area residents, Summerside City Council continues to move forward with its plans for a wind farm in St. Eleanors. ...It's time for this council to listen to those who elected them to office. The message could not be any clearer. Don't put corporate interests ahead of the health and well being of residents. Find another site.

What the Scarborough fiasco showed is the lie behind environmentalist and media claims that opinion polling shows the public virtually unanimous in support of "green" energy. ...And if environmentalists think they can win those battles simply by flooding the zone, as they did in Scarborough this week, rather than through reasoned debate, they're sadly mistaken.

If you live on or near North Cape Coastal Drive (Rte 14) or in Milo or Kildare or surrounding communities, there is a good chance you will fall victim to wind turbines and high voltage power lines hovering over your home. Keep in mind that under current regulations, a wind turbine can be placed as close as 1,200 ft. from your home.

These [wind] companies stand to make huge amounts of money from the "gold rush" of construction of wind turbines and a great deal of that money is coming from your pocket in the form of government subsidies. Whose interests are they looking out for? It sure isn't yours. ...If you live in rural Ontario you need to educate yourself and you need to do it quickly in order to keep your home and community as a safe place to live in.