Before we go any further, let me address something that comes up every time someone asks questions about a green project in this province. It's a favourite tactic of our Liberal government to dismiss concerns of their constituents as being NIMBYism (Not in My Backyard), or those people don't want to help the planet. A word of warning to the province: that kind of dismissal here on the Island just makes Islanders dig in harder. As far as I can tell, the concerns of this citizens group are legitimate and I believe they need to be addressed.

It's not yet midnight. The sky is clear, except for a few small clouds moving across the sky. I am standing on my back deck and I am in awe of the ominous, deep rumblings of the closest windmill. It is a kilometre away. This is the sound they told us did not exist. Just like the ones I saw in Loweville, the turbines sound like a jet--too high to be seen, but close enough to hear. The difference is, the jet passes over, and the silence of the night resumes. In the case of the turbines, the noise continues into the night, and then into the day.

As opponents of the proposed backyard wind turbine at 70 Iona St., we can assure readers that it was not "fear of the unknown" that led to our opposition to the installation. It was concern about the known. The Ontario Municipal Board decision focused on planning issues and the applicant as a result failed on all four required tests for the minor variance Graham Findlay sought.

Back in the good old days there was a saying - "necessity is the mother of invention" but times are changing and in order to meet these changing times we need a new philosophy; case in point - the St. Joseph Wind Project. In a strange twist of logic, it has been deemed - "invention is the mother of necessity" and the St. Joseph wind project is a perfect example of this new way of thinking.

It's a dilemma that forward-thinking, environmentally conscious people do not want to face: Will moving toward carbon-free energy sources mean disrupting bird migration routes and having a negative impact on wildlife populations? This weekend sees the July 12 deadline for public comments on the massive NaiKun wind farm proposed for Hecate Strait. ...The problem arises, however, that this exact location, the shallow water around McIntyre Beach and Rose Spit, is a designated important bird area under the BirdLife International program that lists critical sites for bird populations in over 200 countries worldwide.

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.

You knew it was going to happen at some point. All those efforts at producing electricity without creating greenhouse gases were going to backfire. ...It would be naive to think that green energy ventures were going to run perfectly. But did scientists and public officials not think this through at all?

Has anyone ever interviewed any of these protesters, asking for their reason to take time off work and travel to these sites to protest? And in spite of these existing +13,000 German wind turbines, not one single coal-fired power plant became shut down. ...George Smitherman's attitude and gag-order, abrogating municipal councils' democratic mandate to act in the best interest of all citizens remains despicable!

What we can't see from Kingston, but what one island neighbour told me is among the biggest changes to their lives, is the noise. When the wind is up, "it sounds like a jet engine coming through -- and they're not all up and running yet."

In its headlong rush to appear to have "green" policies, the McGuinty government has jumped on the green power bandwagon and has rejected science and engineering as well as economic, social and environmental considerations when it comes to implementing the so-called "green energy" plan.

Adams believes so-called "green" energy decisions by governments are best made by paying attention to such old-fashioned ideas as democracy, due process and paying for the real costs of electricity. This as opposed to turning the energy market into a giant casino where governments arbitrarily decide winners and losers among energy producers and consumers by cabinet decree, after consulting with favoured environmental groups and renewable energy industry lobbyists.

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.

Some might suggest council erred on the side of caution Monday night, by deferring wind turbine projects until provincial legislation is updated. But when council takes action to potentially protect the health of Chatham-Kent citizens, while also waiting to ensure future wind projects are up to provincial snuff, it is a wise move indeed.

It's a sad day when Ontario's Environment Minister trivializes the preservation of landscapes by declaring that renewable energy development won't slow down "just to preserve scenic views"

About now, Neal Michelutti and two colleagues at Queen's University are receiving responses to a survey about wind turbines on Wolfe Island, which sits in Lake Ontario near Kingston. They want to find out whether, as many suspect, the turbines rob people of sleep and hearing, or cause stress, skin rashes, headaches, high blood pressure or a host of other ailments.

People from across Ontario who welcomed wind turbines into their community are now coming forward with questions and concerns about disturbed living conditions and health concerns and don't know where to turn. Some have been driven from their homes. Some can't afford to leave and just try to cope. Many of these people are re-victimized by the denial of any adverse health effects from wind companies.

The winds of dissent are blowing across southern Ontario, buffeting the dreams of entrepreneurs hoping to cash in on elevated support for renewable energy. "There's a lot of controversy about it coming out now," said Simcoe County Federation of Agriculture president Dave Riddell in a recent edition of the Alliston Herald newspaper, when asked to comment about prospective wind energy projects.

The list of areas where the government has chosen to exert the force of law over the persuasion of education is becoming legion, including but not limited to smoking, cellphone usage and, most importantly, wind power. Ontario Energy and Infrastructure Minister George Smitherman reinforced the position Monday. "We passed a law, and the law does not create an opportunity for municipalities to resist these projects just because they may have a concern," he said.

Zoning violations - big or small - tend to get people upset. And the fact remains that, at 10 metres tall, Findlay's turbine would be twice the height permitted for city backyards, not to mention the feeling among some neighbours that the structure is too close to their homes. Hence the city's committee of adjustment rejected Findlay's proposal to harness wind power right on his own property.