HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-03-01, Page 28After years of investigation and
two separate legal opinions, Huron
East has decided to not pursue a
bylaw regarding the health and safety surrounding windturbines.
After a closed session on Feb. 21,
Huron East Council issued a press
release stating after seeking a second
legal opinion, the municipalitymaintained its viewpoint that abylaw to maintain the health and
safety of Huron East residents
against potential adverse health
effects related to wind turbines could
not be enforced.
Huron East first investigated the
possibility of a bylaw with
municipal solicitor Greg Stewart,
who said the bylaw could be drafted
and passed, but that it was
unenforcable.
However, after concerns over
Stewart’s political affiliations (he is
the president of the Huron-Bruce
Provincial Liberal Association)
members of Huron East
Against Turbines (HEAT) requested
that council seek a second
legal opinion independent of
Stewart’s.
Huron East Council retained the
services of Fred Tranquilli of
Lerners LLP in London, whose
opinion was made public at Huron
East’s Feb. 21 meeting.
“Mr. Tranquilli’s opinion has been
reviewed by council with council
noting that Mr. Tranquilli’s
comments were very similar to those
of Mr. Stewart,” the press release
stated. “The role that municipalities
may have had previously to control
renewable energy projects has been
taken away by the provincial
government under the Green Energy
Act.”
In an interview with The Citizen
after the meeting, Deputy-Mayor Joe
Steffler said the press release
essentially spoke for itself and that
the municipality would no longer be
entertaining such a bylaw.
“They essentially said we could
make a bylaw, but we couldn’t
enforce it,” Steffler said. “There’s nosense in making a bylaw if it can’t beenforced.”
Steffler, who spoke on behalf of
the decision due to Mayor Bernie
MacLellan’s conflict of interest with
wind turbines, said that after the
final closed session on Feb. 21, there
was no more discussion for council
to have.
“Both lawyers were very clear,” he
said.
The press release noted the
precedent of the Kent Breeze
project.
“The approval of the Kent Breeze
Project had been appealed by the
Chatham-Kent Wind Action Group
on the grounds that the project
constituted serious harm to human
health as well as serious and
irreversible harm to plant and animal
life and the natural environment,”
the release stated. “The information
from Mr. Tranquilli stated that the
hearing lasted for 17 days and heard
evidence from 25 experts. The
Environmental Review Tribunal
found that based on the evidence
filed, there was insufficient evidence
to suggest that there will be serious
harm to human health if the Ministry
of the Environment noise guidelines
are followed.”
In the press release, Steffler
acknowledged the challenges being
faced by citizens who are opposed to
local wind projects, but that
council’s hands were essentially
tied.
In an interview after the meeting,
HEAT co-founder Rob Tetu said that
he was disappointed with the
decision and felt other legal opinions
seemed to see wiggle room for
municipalities. He said he was
confused as to why Huron East’slawyers didn’t see the issue in thesame way.
“We had hoped the municipality
would instruct a lawyer to create a
bylaw that would protect the health
and safety of residents,” Tetu said,
but he felt Tranquilli simply gave his
opinion on the matter, rather than
doing what he was instructed to do.
He said that other municipalities
have found a way to draft a bylaw
that they see as enforcable and didn’t
see why Huron East couldn’t do the
same.
“They say their power has been
taken away by the provincial
government,” Tetu said, “but that
view isn’t shared by a lot of other
municipalities’ legal counsel.”
Tetu cited the Municipality of
Arran-Elderslie and the Township of
Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh as
some of the communities that
have gone ahead with a bylaw
protecting the health and safety of
residents in the event of adverse
health effects related to wind
turbines.
Tetu, however, says that there
are other measures in the works
and challenges to wind energy
are springing up all over the
world.
Tetu said that while the press
release addressed not being able to
get involved with the health and
safety of residents, he didn’t hear
anything about property values in the
statement, which had been a specific
request of HEAT during the
investigation.
Tetu says he will be bringing his
concerns to Huron East’s next
meeting, which will be held on
March 6 in Seaforth.
Salad master
Lexi Smith was one of several volunteers helping the
Brussels Figure Skating Club prepare for a spaghetti
dinner fundraiser at the Brussels, Morris and Grey
Community Centre on Feb. 23. (Denny Scott photo)
PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 1, 2012.
BETTY GIBSON
Mrs. Mary Elizabeth “Betty”
(Dunbar) Gibson of RR 1, Fordwich
passed away at Listowel Memorial
Hospital on Monday, Feb. 27, 2012.
She was in her 92nd year.
Betty was the beloved wife of the
late Clarence Gibson, and dear
mother of Brian Gibson and Mary
Rosebrugh of Ottawa, Barry and
Janice Gibson, and Dale and
Jackie Gibson, all of Fordwich and
Don and Barb Gibson of
Gowanstown.
Betty was the grandmother of
Andrea Gibson and Loreen Gibson,
both of Ottawa; Andrew Gibson, RR
2, Gorrie; Craig and Jess Gibson,
Fordwich; Blair and Marilyn
Gibson, Gorrie; Barb and Neil
Driscoll, Drayton; Beth and Jim
Hesselink, Moorefield, Bonnie and
Brad McBeth, Palmerston; Quinton
Hewitt, Liam Gibson and Cameron
Gibson, all of Fordwich; Ryan and
Jaron Ireland, RR 1, Fordwich; Lee
Gibson, Gorrie; Katie Gibson, Tracy
Gibson and Lisa Gibson, all of
Gowanstown and 15 great-
grandchildren.
Betty was predeceased by her
daughter Valerie Hotchkiss, her first
great-grandchild Emma Driscoll,
and her only sibling Ruth Skeoch.
Visitation was held at the Eaton
Funeral Home, Listowel on Tuesday.
The funeral service was held
Wednesday, Feb. 29. Interment is in
Fordwich Cemetery.
Memorial donations to Listowel
Memorial Hospital Foundation or St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian Church,
Molesworth would be appreciated.
Online condolences may be left at
www.eatonfuneralhome.ca
BRENDA LOUISE HUFFMAN
Brenda Huffman of Wingham
passed away at Braemar Retirement
Centre on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012.
She was 62. She was the beloved
wife of Mirvin Huffman of
Wingham.
Brenda was the mother of Allan
and Krisha Bailie of New Jersey and
grandmother of William and Anna
Bailie. She was the dear daughter of
Phyllis Kane and her husband Gerry
of Toronto. She was the sister of
Raymond and Lucy VanCamp of
Fort McMurray, Jonathon VanCamp
and Joel and Julie VanCamp of
Belgrave, Johanna VanCamp of
Wingham and Jacqui VanCamp and
Ben Euerby of Alberta and Dave and
Kathy Kane of King City.
Brenda is survived by Mirvin’s
brother Ron and Phyllis Huffman of
Wingham and his sisters Carol
Wilson of London, Darlene and Jim
Cummings of Mary Hill and Donna
Huffman of Toronto. She is also
survived by her aunts Norma
Davidson, Kay Harris, Gladys
VanCamp, her uncle Glen VanCamp
and several nieces and nephews. She
will be fondly remembered by Grace
Schill of Wingham, John and
Grace Schill of Teeswater and her
friends at Braemar Retirement
Centre.
Brenda was predeceased by her
father Jack VanCamp, her
stepmother Jean VanCamp, her son
Bill Bailie and her brother Richard.
Visitation was held at McBurney
Funeral Home, Wingham, on
Wednesday. The funeral service will
be held at the funeral home chapel
on March 1 at 11 a.m. Arch Deacon
Perry Chuipka will officiate.
Interment will be in Brandon
Cemetery, Belgrave.
Memorial donations to the
Canadian Cancer Society or
Braemar Residents’ Council would
be appreciated as expressions of
sympathy.
Online condolences may be left at
www.mcburneyfuneralhome.com
GORDON McDOWELL
Mr. Gordon McDowell, formerly
of Blyth passed away peacefully at
Huronview Home for the Aged,
Clinton on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012.
He was in his 91st year.
Gordon will be fondly
remembered by his nieces, nephews,
great-nieces and great-nephews. He
was predeceased by his parents John
L. and Elizabeth Jane (Snell)
McDowell and three sisters Evelyn
(Charles) Smith, Edythe (Gordon)
Smith and Jean (John) Gear and by
special cousin Elsie (Lyman) Jardin.
Friends were received at the Blyth
Visitation Centre of the Falconer
Funeral Homes until the time of
service on Friday. Rev. Gary Clark
of Blyth United Church officiated.
Spring interment will be in Ball’s
Cemetery, Hullett Twp.
As expressions of sympathy
memorial donations to Blyth United
Church, Huron-Perth-Bruce
Epilepsy or Huronview Residents
Council would be greatly
appreciated.
ANNIE PAULINA GRACE
McGEE
Grace McGee of Wingham passed
away at Wingham and District
Hospital on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2012.
She was 78.
Grace was the beloved wife of the
late Fred McGee who predeceased
her in 2009. She was the loving
mother of Robert and Brenda
McGee of Goderich, Janet and Ken
MacAdam of Cobourg and Ronald
and Shelley McGee of RR 1, Oro
Station. She was the dear
grandmother of Heather and Steve,
Jon and Erynn, David, Darryl and
Michele, Kevin, Chris and Candice
and the great-grandmother of Emily,
Fiona, Emma and Keira.
Grace is also survived by her
brother Charles Campbell of
Stratford and by Shelley’s family
Amanda, Cory and Ashley. She was
predeceased by her parents Robin
and Minerva (Finlay) Campbell and
by her sister-in-law Peggy
Campbell.
Visitation was held at McBurney
Funeral Home, Wingham on
Sunday. The funeral service was
held on Monday. Mrs. Elly Dow
officiated. Interment is in Wingham
Cemetery.
Memorial donations to the
Scleroderma Society of Ontario,
Wingham Hospital Foundation or
the Kidney Foundation would be
appreciated as expressions of
sympathy.
Online condolences may be made
at www.mcburneyfuneralhome.com
GEORGIA ANNIE REYNOLDS
Georgia Annie (Cardiff) Reynolds
of RR 1, Dungannon passed away at
Alexandra Marine and General
Hospital, Goderich on Tuesday, Feb.
21, 2012. Born in Brussels on Jan.
17, 1951, Annie was in her 62nd
year.
Annie will be sadly missed by her
son Jeff Cardiff of St. Paul’s, her
grandchildren Jakob and Joelene,
her siblings Ken Cardiff of Stratford;
Charles Cardiff of Waterloo; Audrey
and Joe Dewys of RR 1, St.
Paul’s; Murray Cardiff of Waterford
and Agnes and Gordon Brindley
of RR 3, Lucknow. Annie was
also loved by her daughter-in-law
Andrea and her nieces and
nephews.
Annie was predeceased by her
daughter Angela, her parents George
and Rhea (Johnston) Cardiff, her
twin brother George, brothers
Donald and Tom and her sister Mary.
Friends were received by the
family until the time of the funeral
on Saturday, Feb. 25. Rev. Perry
Chuipka of St. John’s Anglican
Church officiated.
Spring interment will be in
Brussels Cemetery.
As an expression of sympathy,
memorial donations may be made to
the Children’s Hospital of Western
Ontario.
Online condolences may be left at
www.schimanskfamilyfuneral
home.com
Huron East drops potential turbine bylaw
North St. West, Wingham
Mac & Donna Anderson
519-357-1910
A cemetery is a history of
people, a perpetual record of
yesterday and a sanctuary of
peace and quiet today. A
cemetery exists because every
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remembering - always
Distinctive Memorials of
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BOX 158 WINGHAM ONT NOG 2W0
Obituaries
By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen