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Lakeshore Advance, 2011-12-07, Page 14Energy Minister against bill that would give municipalities some control over placement of Industrial wind turbines Susan Hundertmark QMI Agency Ontario Energy Minister Chris Bentley will be voting against a private member's bill, The Local Municipal Democracy Act, that would give municipalities back some control over the loca- tion of industrial wind tur- bines proposed In their area. "I will not be supporting the private members' bill, It would simply put an end to the Investment and the jobs," he said during a phone-in press conference organized by the Ontario Community Newspapers Association last Thursday. Bentley said the two-year- old feed -in tariff (P1'1') pro- gram promoting renewable energy projects across Ontario has been very suc- cessful with more than 20,000 "direct and indirect" jobs created and $26 billion in investment. He said giving municipali- ties control over the place- ment of industrial wind tur- bines would create "a patchwork approach" that would not ensure a welcom- ing climate for investment in Ontario. "If you have a patchwork approach that applies differ- ently in different jurisdictions and may change frequently between jurisdictions, you're siinply going to stop interest and investment because nobody will know what the rules are," he said. "Much of the investment starts from outside the province and comes in and people are making long -terns commit- ments and they're investing a lot. They want to make sure the climate will continue to support that investment" Asked how the provincial government would address the concerns of rural resi- dents who voted against the provincial Liberals in the last election, Bentley acknowl- edged that "there are people who believe there should he some additional input, some input for example from municipalities in a different way than it's being received, some voices that could be heard in a better way." 1 le said he was "very open" to strengthening the prov- ince's approach to public input into the placement of industrial wind turbines but did not specify the mecha- nism that should be put in place to do so. "I'm absolutely open to hearing what they would be, how we would do it. My incli- nation is to get as much information and as many viewpoints as possible as quickly as possible when projects are proposed to make decisions whether no or yes," he said. "But, we always Want to remember projects are proposed for a certain area because of local involvement, 'There are peo- ple, in the very communities in which these debates are held who are proposing the tx Strays of Christmas ROYAL LEPAGE Ask Marje about Pets and Real Estate at 98 ONTARIO ST. S in (:rand Bend (next to House of Flags, Sears & No Frills) Marje Crowe' is delighted to announce that there are not any adoption fees for cats & kittens at London Animal Care Centre this month! 1f you can share your loving & happy home with one of them, please call Marje for morn information or go online to London Animal ('are Centre's wchsitc at http//w w w.aecpetl,ca, Helping You is What I Do! 37 Years of Caring Experience! If you're buying or scaling your home or cottage, please call Marjo Crowe* at 519-661-0380 and don't forgot to spay or neuter your pets. projects, people who want them to happen whether they are individuals, groups or organizations." He added that he is "well aware of the election results and everyone will analyze then as they wish." "I'n1 very open to hearing those suggestions, if there are suggestions that can main- tain the strong provincial approach which we need to bring in the investment and the jobs to a province that quite needs thein in a chal- lenged economy. I don't want to put an end to the jobs and the investment," he said. Bentley said renewable energy projects are address- ing health and safety con- cerns in Ontario "frons the perspective that we're clean- ing up the air," adding that Ontario was spending $4 bil- lion a year on respiratory illnesses. Ile disputed any claims that there are health effects related to the placement of industrial wind turbines in rural Ontario, citing the judg- ments passed by both the federal and provincial medi- cal officers of health on stud- ies he said have been con- ducted around the world on the health and safety of wind turbines. "We do have siting criteria that are as strong as you'll find just about anywhere in the world. There is not a health and safety issue with respect to these where they are proposed to he sited," he said. Asked if the findings of an environmental review tribu- nal that ruled on an indus- trial wind farm in Chathanl- Kent, which acknowledged risks and uncertainties that merit further research, would provoke the independent health studies called for by many municipalities, Bent- ley referred to a research chair at the university of Waterloo who is looking into health-related issues con- cerning industrial wind turbines. "I do know the medical officer of health is very alive to the health issues and will give us good advice as to the research that should be or might be conducted and we're always going to keep our eye firmly planted on health issues," he said. Asked about the current energy surplus in Ontario, Bentley pointed out that Ontario has gone from being an importer of energy to cur- rently being an exporter, adding that circumstances have changed since the blackout of 2003 to the world-wide recession of 2(109. "11is challenging to predict but we don't want to be short, so we will err on the side of snaking sure we have -- what we need. Short means a huge problem and a huge cost to import," he said. "But, We do deed it when we Want it. When ()ntarians flip the switch, they expect the power to be there. That's always been a characteristic of our system, that the power is there. w flip Ontarians flip the switch, they expect the power to be there." — Ontario Energy Minister Chris B('nthT County honours EMS staffers Cheryl Heath QMI Agency Huron County Council paid kudos to three of the region's top EMS workers Wednesday during a special awards service first created last year in honour of lluron OPP Const. Vu Pham who was killed in the line of duty in March 2010. 'the county's firefighter of the year is Goderich fire (:apt John Dobie who found himself taking the reins of his home community's worst disaster in generations on Aug. 21. In making the presentation, Goderich lire Chief Steve Gardiner credits Dobie with immediately and efficiently coordinating rescue efforts in the hours that followed the moment a F3 tornado touched down in Go(lerich. While noting both he and the deputy fire chief were out Of town at the time, Gar- diner says Dobie, as is the protocol, immediately went into leadership triode while facing a compromised com- munication system given phone and hydro lines were' down, as well as many other challenges including gas leaks, impassible roads due to fallen trees and the i HURON PERTH ASSOCIATION Or REALTORS" WWW.HPAR.CA Your source of information on Open Houses and Real Estate Information in Huron/Perth prospect of dozens of injured residents. In noting it was believed to be a false alarm when the first call out came from the OSP(:A, Gardiner credits Dobie with swinging into action, as "this was obvi- ously more than a false alarm." "With the sheer scope of the situation ... he slid an amazing job," says Gardiner, who was joined by Iluron East Eire Chief Marty Bedard and Central Huron Chief Steve Cooke in nominating Dobie. The county's officer of the year is OPP Const. Patrick Armstrong who colleagues credit with being both an outstanding officer and volnteer. Among Armstrong's chari- table activities is the creation of a fund in honour of his partner, Const. David Moun- sey, who was killed in an automobile accident in 2006. Since the Dave Mounsey Memorial Fund was created in 2009, more than $100,000 has been raised. Thanks to those funds, 13 defibrillators have been purchased and distributed throughout Iluron County and Ontario in the name of fallen EMS and military personnel, including Clinton firefighter Doug Cantelon who died of a heart attack while battling a grass fire in 1999. In paying tribute to Arm- strong's efforts, John Cain, Regional OPP Commander for the Western Region, says Armstrong's efforts "show that policing goes beyond the law and security aspect . It's knowing you work with the community beyond the job." County EMS Chief Dave Lew introduced Primary (:are Paramedic Gary Renaud as the county's Paramedic of the Year. Lew reports Renaud, who. earned the Exemplary Serv- ice Award medal and bar by the Governor-General in 2007, has earned a stellar reputation as a passionate volunteer at several commu- nity events each year. Among Renaud's other volunteer activities are par- ticipating in a medical team that brings care and life-sav- ing drugs to the impover- ished residents of Costa Rica. Further, notes Lew, Renaud has been a First Aid instructor and trainer for more than 35 years.