Huron Expositor, 2013-12-11, Page 66 Huron Expositor • Wednesday, December 11, 2013
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letters to the editor
Let your voice be heard
To the Editor;
At the Dec. 3 Huron East Council meeting, the following
position was taken by administration regarding the accept-
ance of a vibrancy fund from St. Columban LP (wind com-
pany): "If we were accepting a free Zamboni from GM, no
one would be complaining. How is this any different?"
The reality is money is being offered under the condition
Huron East does not pass any bylaws that would affect the
project's operation as designed and in no way can it be used
to compensate those living in the project area.
Shall we examine how you would compare apples to
watermelons?
The Zamboni doesn't represent a potential health risk to
anyone in the municipality.
GM would not insist that in exchange for the Zamboni, no
bylaws be put in place that are contrary to its financial inter-
ests. This would be like insisting that in exchange for
the Zamboni, you now agree, as a municipality, to buy only
GM fleet trucks for your road crews.
Usually a donation doesn't come with eight pages of legal
conditions, this one does.
The Zamboni does not in any way represent something
Notice
Committee revises proposed
source protection plans
Public invited to inspect changes and provide
written comments until Tuesday, January 21,
2014 at 4 p.m. local time.
The Ausable Bayfield Maitland Valley Drinking
Water Source Protection Committee (SPC) has made
revisions to the proposed source protection plans
for the Maitland Valley and Ausable Bayfield source
protection areas. The public is invited to review
online at www.sourcewaterinfo.on.ca. People can
also inspect a copy of the revised proposed source
protection plans in person at the Maitland Valley
or Ausable Bayfield conservation authority offices
during business hours. Office locations are:
Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority,
1093 Marietta Street,
P.O. Box 127,
Wroxeter, ON,
NOG 2X0
Ausable Bayfield
Conservation Authority,
71108 Morrison Line,
RR 3 Exeter, ON,
NOM 1S5
Written comments on the revisions to the proposed
source protection plans can be submitted until
Tuesday, January 21, 2014 at 4 p.m. local time.
Comments may be sent electronically, by e-mail,
to info@sourcewaterinfo.on.ca or dropped off at,
or sent by land mail to, appropriate address above.
Following comment period, the proposed plans
will then be re -submitted, along with the public
comments, to Ontario Ministry of the Environment
for consideration of approval. For more information
on drinking water source protection in this region
visit www.sourcewaterinfo.on.ca, e-mail, or phone
519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610.
DATE OF NOTICE: December 6, 2013
Ausable Bayfield
DRI N K I NG WATER Maitland Valley
SOURCE PROTECTION Source Protection
ACT FOR CLEAN WATER Region
Made possible through funding support of Government of Ontario
that will affect a ratepayer's financial well-being. The reality
is some ratepayers have already been trying to sell their
homes for some time now, and cannot, because of this
project. Huron East is now about to accept money from the
company that caused that hardship. The message being: it's
acceptable for a corporation, six host landowners and now a
municipality, to benefit at another ratepayer's expense.
Council didn't vote unanimously that this municipality
was an unwilling host to a GM plant, but did so with regard
to wind projects.
GM would only be making such a donation for advertising
and public relations, not a bargaining chip. What will hap-
pen when and if people are sick and the turbines that are out
of compliance cannot be turned off because Huron East has
signed an agreement they would not intervene?
What happens if the next provincial government forces
wind companies to compensate residents for damages, but
St. Columban LP is excused from doing so because they
have already "given" the municipality money by way of this
fund?
The road user agreement is also a cause for concern as
there is no liability protection for damages caused by the
proponent to a property owner during the installation and
operation of the project. Damaging someone's hydro serv-
ice -causing stray voltage problems, as many other commu-
nities have experienced after wind projects are up and run-
ning, is not mentioned at all in the agreement. The
agreement merely protects the municipality's interests and
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You are invited to attend these area churches
ST. THOMAS CHURCH
21Jarvis St. Seaforth
Rector The Rev. Karine Farmer
Rectory 519-482-9071
Church Office 519-527-1522
Sunday, December 15
Lessons & Carols
Worship at 7 p.m.
Followed by refreshments
Everyone Welcome
(morning service cancelled)
ST. JAMES ROMAN
CATHOLIC CHURCH
WELCOMES YOU
14 Victoria Street, Seaforth
519-345-2972
Sun. Mass 11 a.m.
ST. PATRICK'S, DUBLIN
Sat. Mass 5 p.m.
Sun. Mass 9 a.m.
FR. CHRIS GILLESPIE
BETHEL BIBLE CHURCH
An Associated Gospel Church
126 Main St. Seaforth 519-527-0982
Pastor Mark Kennedy
Sunday School for all ages 9:45-10:45
SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 11 a.m.
Wednesday Evenings
• Youth Groups - Junior & Senior High
6:30 to 9 p.m.
• Boys & Girls Club JK to Gr. 6
7 - 8:15 p.m.
• Adult Bible Study 7 p.m.
8.- EVERYONE WELCOME
EGMONDVILLE
UNITED CHURCH
Pastor Steve Hildebrand
Youth Coordinator - Laura Nakamura
3RD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Children are helping with the worship
WORSHIP DEC. 15T11, 11 A.M.
Adult Sunday School at 10 a.m.
Website:
www.egmondvilleunitedchurch.com
—
NORTHSIDE
UNITED CHURCH
MINISTER MARY FLETCHER
Sunday, Dec. 15, 11 a.m.
3rd Sunday of Advent
Regular Service
HuronSong Christmas Concert
Benefit Concert for Huron
Women's Shelter
Sun. Dec. 15 - 2 p.m.
Freewill Offering
54 Goderich St. W.
519-527-1449
66 www.cavannorthsideunited.ca §1
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
59 Goderich St. W. Seaforth
519-527-0170
Rev. Linda Moffatt
Lome Baker - Organist
Worship
Sunday, Dec. 15th, 11 a.m.
All Welcome
? Sunday School & Nursery Provided.
Office Hours Wed. 9 a.m. - noon.
ratepayers are left with one option: attempt to recoup losses
in civil court versus a multi -billion dollar company.
At the very least, a clause of this nature needs to be added
to protect those living in the project area from potential
damages. Please come to the next council meeting (Dec.
17th) as they will be voting on these agreements or contact
your councillor(s) to inform them how you feel about agree-
ments that will tie the hands of this municipality for the next
20 years with what essentially amounts to a bribe.
Sincerely,
Dennis Mueller
Council is making too
many sacrifices
To the Editor;
What happened? On Nov.
5, the mayor was quite sure
that there was no vibrancy
fund being negotiated with
St. Columban Energy LP, and
the CAO said no formal
negotiations. Yet, on Tues-
day night, both a vibrancy
fund and a road user agree-
ment. were before council,
ready to be rammed through
three readings and signed.
Considering the speed and
timing, it would have been
difficult for councillors to
give the agreements due dili-
gence. The road user agree-
ment needs revision. The
other fund, blood money or a
"bribancy fund," needs to be
scrapped.
Particularly worrisome is a
clause that signs away right
of the council to intervene by
resolution or bylaw if those
actions were to interfere with
the wind project's develop-
ment. (8.2)
Thanks to the wise sugges-
tion of one councilor, and the
support on the motion of a
few others who were jolted
into wisdom, the final read-
ing of the bylaw that would
have put into effect a bad
agreement, was deferred
until the next meeting of
Dec. 17.
Why is the vibrancy fund a
bad agreement? Have a look
for yourself:
An experienced politician
said, "I cannot fathom why
the council would tie their
hands in this manner" The
council would take $115,000
per year, but give up far too
much. This agreement
requires "hands tied" for at
least 20 years, but the wind
company can continue the
20 years if their contracts get
extended past that time.
Council should not sign away
(8.2) its obligation to protect
the health, property and
safety of its residents for the
next, possibly, 40 years.
Another person with expe-
rience of other municipali-
ties, who has refused to sign
such agreements,
said,"Under no circum-
stances should they
(vibrancy fund agreements)
be entered into, they will be
used against you."
Indeed, in this agreement,
the wind company is assured
the right to 'boast' of their
generosity on an ongoing
basis. (1.5) Just how will
council justify taking money
on one hand from a wind
company and then watch
people suffer property loss,
damage to their quality of life
and health? What will it
mean to see pictures of a
wind company official shak-
ing hands with a municipal
officer holding the cheque?
The bottom line is, it is
unethical for council to allow
some of its citizens to be
exploited for the benefit of
others.
Even worse, council's right
to decide how this $115,000
is spent is usurped. (5.2) In
this agreement, council must
consult with the wind com-
pany before it can decide
where the so-called "brib-
ancy fund" money can be
spent.
What council would know-
ingly agree to allow a corpo-
ration to take over the their
decisions?
Finally, from a straight
banker's analysis for those
who like to crunch the num-
bers, consider how the bar-
gain works and consider how
much the municipality gives
up for its portion in relation
to how much the company
gives up to get its portion.
Here are the numbers:
There are 15 turbines of 2.5
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