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Over the last decade, the wind industry has ridden roughshod over the rights of law-abiding citizens to live peacefully in their very own homes. The battle that’s followed proves that the value of any right is determined by the beneficiaries’ determination to fight for it.

Giant industrial wind turbines deliver a cacophony of pulsing, practically incessant, low-frequency noise and infrasound. The effects of which have been held by an Australian Court to be a pathway to disease: Australian Court Finds Wind Turbine Noise Exposure a ‘Pathway to Disease’: Waubra Foundation Vindicated

While the results for people set upon by subsidy-soaked wind power outfits are a tragedy, the real tragedy is that those who are paid handsomely to protect them, not only ignore their plight, but side with the wind industry, protecting it from any attempt by their victims to regulate or control noise emissions from wind turbines.

Australia appointed a so-called Wind Farm Commissioner, who jumped into bed with the wind industry from the outset; and has been tucked up comfortably with wind industry goons ever since. STT doesn’t bother to report on his activities, because he’s not worth the ink. And because rural communities worked out long ago that he was there to do the wind industry’s bidding, and that helping noise impacted residents by actually enforcing the regulations in existence, was the last thing on the Commissioner’s mind.

That sense of disappointment and frustration with those bureaucrats and regulators charged with protecting the health of communities has boiled over in Ontario, where the wind industry’s victims number in the thousands across the province.

Now a well-disciplined and organised group are determined to hold their Environment Minister accountable for his contemptible indifference to their situation. And about time, too.

News Release: Citizens’ group charges Environment Minister with violation of Environmental Protection Act

Wind Concerns Ontario

1 May 2018

The president of Wind Concerns Ontario (WCO), a volunteer-led coalition of 30 community groups and many Ontario families, has filed a private prosecution against the Honourable Chris Ballard, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC), for violating Ontario’s Environmental Protection Act (EPA).

Private prosecutions are important tools in empowering private citizens to hold those persons in power to account.

The EPA prohibits anyone from permitting the “discharge of a contaminant into the natural environment, if the discharge causes or may cause an adverse effect.” Adverse effects listed in the EPA include “an adverse effect on the health of any person,” “harm or material discomfort to any person” and “loss of enjoyment of normal use of property.” (Section 14 subsections 1 and 2)

“We don’t take this step lightly,” says Jane Wilson, WCO President and a Registered Nurse, “but with the MOECC not responding to thousands of reports of excessive noise from wind turbines, which is affecting sleep and health for Ontario families, we had no choice. These are examples of adverse effects that Minister Ballard should not be permitting to continue.”

WCO recently received MOECC documents under a Freedom of Information request that showed thousands of unresolved reports of noise, many with staff notes about sleep disturbance and health impacts. Between 2006 and 2016, there were more than 4,500 recorded reports, 35% of which contained staff notes about adverse health effects; between 2015-2016, the MOECC response rate to the reports of excessive noise was less than 7%.

“Citizens report going without sleep for days, weeks, even months,” said Wilson. “Sleep disturbance is linked to other health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Mr. Ballard, as steward of environmental protection in Ontario, is responsible for allowing this environmental noise pollution to continue.”

On April 30, 2018, Mr. Ballard was served with a summons to appear before the court on May 17, 2018.

Excerpts from Ontario resident wind turbine noise reports:

“You have done nothing to help myself or my family. How many times [do we have to complain] before the MOECC will do something?”

“Another week has passed with no response from you. It has been terrible here off and on the past week …continue to be unable to get a good night’s sleep.”

“When will you reopen our file and help us?”

“We just want to sleep…”

“After a week of east wind and no sleep in our house this has become intolerable … it is up to you to address this”

Read Wind Concerns Ontario’s reports on the MOECC pollution Incident Reports here:

The 2017 report on noise complaints 2006-2014 NoiseResponseReport-FINAL-May1

The 2018 report on noise complaints 2015-2016 Second Report Noise Complaints February 2018-FINAL

Wind Concerns Ontario