Wind energy issues continue to blow through Oxford

The concerns over industrial wind farms blew through county council Wednesday.

Council spent several hours discussing wind energy as part of a series of amendments to the official plan in order to bring Oxford's planning rules into compliance with provincial policy.

The provincial policy, in effect since 2005, encourages counties to implement planning rules that allow for alternative and renewable energy sources in agricultural and urban areas. The changes are of particular interest locally due to one such proposed wind farm development on Gunn's Hill Road in Norwich Township.

Corporate manager of community and strategic planning Marg Misek-Evans explained the county chose to take a bird's-eye view on the rules for wind energy developments. The proposed planning amendment for large-scale developments would push most of the decision-making ability to the lower tiers, requiring site plans and zone changes.

"This is as difficult and challenging as any new frontier," Evans said. "If we decide not to pursue large wind projects and came up with a threshold that said 'none here,' it still leaves open for a challenge (at the Ontario Municipal Board) and still leaves us open to (an official plan amendment) for an exception on a particular site based on the research, logistics, etc.

"Alternately, if we're more prescriptive, then we double the process required and someone comes in with a property that doesn't fit and needs to do an official plan amendment and zone change. It's more prudent for us to have a framework and hierarchy."

The only speaker to this parcel of amendments was Joan Morris, neighbour to the proposed development in Norwich and founding member of the Oxford Wind Action Group. Morris led council through a presentation encouraging it to delay and defer any planning rules that would facilitate large-scale wind farms until epidemiological medical studies on their impact had been completed. She also requested a two-kilometre setback for any such developments.

Morris presented the findings of several researchers as well as anecdotal accounts of the adverse effects of large-scale wind farms on human health and on livestock to support her call for delay.

"For everything that you hear from us, there's another side and there is, there certainly is," Morris said. "I encourage you to understand the information presented here and information available from these scientists is independent. What you will see ... is information out there presented by wind energy developers and an obviously vested interest in ensuring the information is meeting those needs as well."

Woodstock Coun. Michael Harding pushed back on Morris' presentation, questioning on how the health-effect information she presented could or would compare to those living near existing high-voltage transmission lines, where there has not been evidence locally of those same health-effects. The questions asked made the point that the provincial and federal governments have downloaded the burden of these decisions onto local governments, who may not be qualified to rule on the medical impacts of these developments.

"At the lower tier... there is no question issues of safety can be addressed, but the health issues are beyond our scope and will take us to the Ontario Municipal Board on almost every application," Harding said. "If there is no conclusive evidence, then we're left in a vacuum. If we accept all the considerations presented today about the known health effects, we would not have high-voltage transmission lines through the city. No one appears (to know)... so it's a guess. We can't base public policy on this."

The proposed amendments, which also include changes to agricultural policies, are scheduled to come back to council for approval in January. Staff will review and evaluate Morris' information as well as any other comment prior to submitting the amendment for final approval at that time.