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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-02-06, Page 20Wednesday, February 6, 2013 • Lakeshore Advance 19 Wind public meeting moves to alternate venue Paul Morden OMI Agency An anti -wind group has forced the company behind the proposed 92 -turbine Jericho) Wind Energy (:entre to move a public sleeting it scheduled for Forest on Feb. 8. Nextera Energy originally announced it was holding an open house that day at Kimball I loll in Forest, but company spokesperson Josie l lernander. said Friday they're moving to the Legacy Recreation (:entre in Medford. This is the second time the Middlesex-l.amhton Wind Action croup has booked a hall out from under Nextera. 'i'he anti -wind turbine group did it last summer after the company announced plans for a public meeting in Ailsa Graig. Nextera had to move one of its public information ses- nts to an outdoor pavilion that time. "We try to do anything within our power to undermine what they're doing" said Marcelle Brooks, a member of the action group. "'lie littlest things we can do to delay this project, the closer we are to shutting it down:' Brooks saki the group checked after Nextera announced its Forest public meeting and found Kimball 1 lall hadn't been hooked. "So, we hooked it," she said. Me action group will hold its own community information meeting at the Forest Hall Feb. 8, beginning at 7 p.m. Nextera's meeting on that date will run from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at it's new location in Medford, I lernandez said, noting extended horn's in tense anyone mistakenly goes to the Forest location. "We have revised notices going out to all the papers," she said, adding Nextera will also mail out new notice's and update the information on the company's website. Deputy mayor wants public to be able to ask questions Heather Wright QMI Agency Lambton Shores residents want to know more about the public's business with a click of a button. One hundred and five people filled out an online survey on how the municipality communicates with the public and many people are not happy. Over 28 percent said the municipality's communication was either poor or very poor. Thirty-six percent said it was neither good nor poor. The survey - an idea of Deputy Mayor Elizabeth Davis 1 )agg - also shows an overwhelming 71 percent of people want to get more information about municipal business by email. Right now, people get their information from a variety of sources including the municipal website (36 percent), word ot'mouth, (23 percent) and local newspapers (23 percent). Another 24 percent mentioned reading the municipal corner ad in the newspapers. But the survey also shows people have a hard time finding information on line. Some survey respondents said the website needs a "complete overhaul?' It was something council had in the works already. in this years' budget, up to $15,000 has been earmarked to upgrade its website. Davis Dagg says that could he key in helping residents understand what issues council is dealing with. "'the nuunicl- _pal website needs to be improved so that it is more user friendly and more comprehensive," she says. "We need a better search engine and better organization to help residents find the information they need and we need to post more information to the website such as key by-laws." Mayor Bill Weber agrees. "Four or five years ago started the wehsite...things change 00 how people surf ...we could change, too." 1 le adds email updates are available to residents. "About 99 percent of the people had internet...one of the big thing was they %valet more entails... hitt only 50 percent using automatic email," says Weber. "I would suggest we advertise where you could find it." On each page of the municipality's website there is a place to sign up for the service. Davis Dagg also suggests the municipality use Facehook to explain what will be debated at upcoming council meetings. She also would like to see more historical information about council issues readily available on the website. And while council seems willing to use the Internet to communicate better; Davis Dagg says tax hills are also a great way to inform the public. "We need to include more extensive and purposeful information with tax bills." she says. And Davis-Dagg believes nothing beats allowing people to speak their mind at council. "We must begin to allow the public to ask any questions or slake any statements during the public input section of council meetings," she says in an email. "The public should not he limited to items on the agenda. Ontario's Environment Ministry was told about the venue change, she said. "They seem to he OK with that" 'Ihe meetings, and how the public is notified about them, are requirements of the province's environmental approval process for wind projects. "If they say we need to host another meeting, then we'll host another meeting allowing the proper notification," 1 ler- nandcr. said. Nextera is also holding public meetings Feb. 6, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Watford's centennial Ilan, and Feb. 7, 5 p.m. to 8 p.nn., at the Alisa Graig community (:entre. I lernandex expects they'll be the final public meetings before Nextera submits the Jericho project for provincial environmental approval. 'Ihe company already has a contract to sell electricity from the project into Ontario's electricity grid. The environmental approval process is expected to tilkl' about eight months and construction of the wind farm could begin before the end of the year, l lernandez said. patd.►Ilurrlrf(l)sunmedia.ca VALENTIWC'5 DAY Tk«rsc&o , F= � bruar j 14 -Lk For cgoctr ,$wtzstthitart this Valentiniv'as 5 DAY GUARANTEE "ori all our Roses" i 4 Let us kelp you wilt% all of your vale►Ati.Ke's ►keds! We also a wide vari.et of Fresk Flowers * ?oEEed ?laKEs, f Iow.•rK "1 noon% 01 duo tit: \.V'%'.'41'(11)(1 h1; r)dJIL' W}.'l'I.r01)) eTHE Garden Gate ( 11 ' S, )UAt 15 Ontario St. 5. Grand Bend 519-238-1701 1-877-238-1701 LOCAL NEWS... LOCAL EVENTS... LOCAL SPORTS...LOCAL COLUMNISTS... LOCAL SERVICES... "YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER" Graridki Subcsribe Today! 58 Ontario St., S. PO Box 1195 Grand Bend ON NOM 1TO PH: 519-238-5383 Fax: 519-238-5131 H;mail: Iakeshore.advance(a)sunmedia.ca www.lakeshoreadvance.com