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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2015-03-18, Page 3Farm families told to pay wind companies $67,000 Denis Lanlois Owen Sound Sun Times Four rural southwestern Ontario families who are chal- lenging the province's approval process for large-scale turbine projects have been ordered to pay a trio of wind -energy firms a combined $67,000 in legal costs. The award is only a fraction of the $340,000 that was sought by the companies after Ontario's Divisional Court dismissed in December an appeal of three Environmental Review Tribunal decisions. Shawn Drennan, one of the appellants, said the decision indicates that the courts believe the case is an important one. "I think it shows that the jus- tices understood — and actually wrote — that we have a very strong public interest compo- nent to this and that the wind companies were just really trying to bully us and bankrupt us and take us out," he said Monday in aninterview. K2 Wind Ontario had sought $201,649 from Drennan and his wife Tricia, who live south of Lucknow. The court ruled the "fair and reasonable" award of costs is $25,000. Drennan said while he would have liked to see no costs awarded, the amount ordered is manageable. Approving the full requested amount would have been oppressive, he said. St. Columban Energy LP and Armow Wind also made cost submissions in the case. St. Columban had asked for Seaforth's Scotty and Jennifer Dixon and Thomas and Cathe- rine Ryan to pay them $120,000. The court ordered the two cou- ples to pay the firm a combined $25,000. Armow requested $17,250 in costs from Ken and Sharon Kroeplin of Kincardine. The cou- ple was ordered to pay $17,000. The court said while the Dren- nan, Ryan, Dixon and Kroeplin appellants have private interest in the litigation, their appeals in Divisional Court "contained a strong public interest compo- nent raising, as they did, the con- stitutionality of part of the legis- lative regime governing the construction and operation of wind farms in this province. "Any award of costs must reflect that strong public interest component:' Julian Falconer, the lawyer for the families, had requested no costs be awarded. However, the court also con- sidered that the issues before it were complex and important to both parties and that the appel- lants "were fully aware of the possible adverse cost consequences of an unsuccess- ful result" The families are engaged in a so-called "Charter challenge" of the province's turbine -approvals process. They say the process violates residents' right to secu- rity of the person as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Following the dismissal of their appeals in Divisional Court, the families — represented by Toronto-based law firm Falcon- ers LLP — sought leave to appeal the decision to the Ontario Court of Appeal. A decision on whether Ontar- io's top court will hear the matter is expected within the next few months. The four families named as appellants in the case are each supported by an anti -wind farm community group. HALT has objected to the approval of a proposed 92 -tur- bine Armow wind farm near Kincardine. Meanwhile, SWEAR (Safe Wind Energy for All Resi- dents) has opposed a 140 -tur- bine K2 project near Goderich and HEAT (Huron East Against Turbines) is backing opposition to the 15 -turbine St. Columban wind farm near Seaforth. The province's approvals of each of those wind projects were appealed to the Environmental Review Tribunal. In each case, the ERT dismissed the appeals. At the ERT, the onus is on the appellants to show the renewa- ble energy project will cause serious harm to human health or serious irreversible harm to animal or plant life or the environment. The tribunals each ruled the appellants had failed to do so. It also ruled that considering a Charter question related to secu- rity of person is outside of the ERT's jurisdiction. After the ERT decisions were issued, the three cases were joined to be heard together as appeals at Divisional Court late last year. The panel of judges found the ERT did not make an error in the way it dealt with the families' claims. Kevin McKee, president of HALT, said the Charter question has never been fully tested in court, which is why the families are hoping to proceed to the Court of Appeal. "Ultimately, we want to see a court that's willing to really bite into this and say we've got some- thing here that needs to be weighed against the Charter. These people deserve the weight of the Charter;" he said. McKee said the families are ultimately fighting the province's turbine setbacks, which he says are not appropriate to protect the health and safety of people. Wednesday, March 18, 2015 • Lucknow Sentinel 3 Local residents demand French immersion in Huron County public schools Tara Ostner The Clinton News Record There are currently 31 Eng- lish public school boards in Ontario and almost all of them ensure that French immersion is available in all parts of their respective districts and to as many students as possible. According to the organiza- tion, Huron County Parents for French Immersion (HCPFFI), the Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB) is one Ontario school board that does not ensure this. As HCPFFI lead organizers, Dana Morgenroth and Loni Vanderburgh, explain, currently the AMDSB offers French immersion in only three of its 41 schools. Furthermore, these three schools are all located in one small section of the school board's widespread district, namely, Stratford. According to them, this is unreasonable and, ultimately, unjustifiable. Above all, HCPFFI wants French immersion in Huron County public schools. As the organization asks, "why, in such a wide-ranging board with a total of 41 schools, is French immersion only offered at three schools that are a few streets away from each other? What about all of those students in Huron County who live a distance from Stratford? The fact that parents for so many years have had to drive a 2 hour round trip to Stratford is unacceptable:' HCPFFI is also careful to point out how the AMDSB dif- fers so much from other nearby, rural public school boards. For example, the Bluewater District School Board (BWDSB) offers the French immersion program in 13 of its 53 schools and, like most Ontario school boards, offers it in diverse areas all across its district. "Why does the BWDSB offer French immersion to 13 of its schools all over its district and yet the AMDSB offers it to only three schools in a small sec- tion?" Morgenroth asks. HCPFFI also points out how the Avon Maitland School Board differs from the Huron - Perth Catholic District School Board (HPCDSB). A lack of a French immer- sion program, for instance, is no problem for Huron County residents who wish to receive a Catholic education. For exam- ple, the HPCDSB offers French immersion in five of its 18 schools and, similar to the BWDSB and most other school boards, offers it in different areas of its district including Clinton, Goderich and Stratford. Surely if the Catholic board can offer the French immer- sion program to Huron County students then the public board can as well, HCPFFI states. When asked about the fact that there is no French immer- sion in Huron County, Ted Doherty, the director of educa- tion, stated that, "Our board is very proud of the work that we are doing to support French Language learning which is available to all students. We have an outstanding group of French teachers who meet reg- ularly to enhance the program and provide wonderful oppor- tunities for all our students" HCPFFI agree that French language learning is available to all students within the AMDSB. What the organization refutes, however, is that the same French language learn- ing is available to all students within the AMDSB. Indeed, Huron County stu- dents have access to core French and extended French. However, Perth County students have access to core French, extended French and French immersion. Therefore, the same French lan- guage learning is in fact not available to all students within the AMDSB, the organization states. Doherty also describes how the AMDSB is "extremely focused" on its strategic plan. "When we examine possible changes to the program," he states, "we must ensure that they are consistent with our two priorities which are to maximize students outcomes and to create positive, inclusive learning environments." However, according to HCPFFI, the AMDSB has in fact not created an inclusive learning environment. Instead, it has created an exclusive one, the group says. As Vanderburgh states, "over the past number of months we have collaborated with families and community members ral- lying together to address the issue of inequity that currently exists. We should not have to send our children to Perth County or a different school board, such as, Bluewater Dis- trict School Board to attain a French Immersion education. This does not constitute equity in the education system. Our children are a part of this com- munity so lets keep them here and not push them out." Despite AMDSB's current stance on the issue, however, HCPFFI is gaining in popular- ity and parents and commu- nity members have been con- tacting the organization expressing their interest in bringing French immersion to Huron County. As of this month, the organization has 130 members, a number which continues to grow everyday. "As a parent I obviously want to provide every opportunity for my child and French immersion is one that I strongly believe we should have access to. I want to give him every advantage for later in life," Morgenroth says. "It is truly hard to believe that we don't have any options in Huron County," she states. As another concerned par- ent, Jordan Hussey, explains, "I think the benefits of immer- sion in a second language are not exclusive to French alone but can improve a child's over- all skills in other subjects as well. Having true proficiency in another language can open doors in education, business and travel which in my opinion can be valuable in a globalized world, let alone an officially bi- lingual nation like Canada:' Currently, people may express their interest in bring- ing French immersion to Huron County public schools in four different ways: sign the online petition at http://www. ipetitions.com/petition/ HuronFrench; complete a "French Immersion in Huron County" form which HCPFFI will send directly to the Avon Maitland District School Board; email HCPFFI at huron- french@gm ail.com; join HCPFFI's Facebook page, Huron County Parents for French Immersion. People who wish to voice their concerns may also choose to contact the Avon Maitland District School Board at 1-800-592-5437. The HCPFFI aims to have French immersion in Huron County public schools by Sep- tember 2016. LUCKNOW ARENA SCHEDULE MARCH 18 - MARCH 24 Wed Mar 18, 2015 10am Adults & Tots Public Skating 1 pm Public Skating - Sponsored by Cliff's Plumbing & Heating 5pm Initiation Practice 6pm Bantam Development Practice 7pm PeeWee Rep Practice 8pm Legends Game vs Belmore 9:30pm Rec League - Lagers vs Saratoga Fri Mar 20, 2015 10am Adults & Tots Public Skating 1 pm Public Skating - Sponsored by Lucknow Kinettes 8pm Port Albert vs Brussels Sun Mar 22, 2015 11:30am 1pm 2pm 4:30pm 7:30pm Old Devils vs Brockton Boys Public Skating Legends Playoff Game vs Stratford Bad Apples Cliff's Shinny Thu Mar 19, 2015 10am Adults & Tots Public Skating 1 pm Public Skating - Sponsored by Lucknow Legion 5pm Atom Development Practice 6pm PeeWee Rep Practice 9:30pm Rec League - Lanes vs Holyrood Sat Mar 21, 2015 5:30pm Holyrood Butchers Alumni Games 7:30pm Lancers Game Warmup 8pm Lancers Playoff Game vs Shallow Lake Mon Mar 23, 2015 6:30pm Novice Development Playoff Game vs Milverton HURON TELECOMMUNICATIONS CO-OPERATIVE LTD. 519-395-3800 www.hurontel.on.ca