The Citizen, 2009-06-25, Page 6Huron East AgainstTurbines (HEAT) hosted aninformation meeting on wind
turbines in Seaforth last week.
Over 400 people heard
presentations from expert
speakers, including an
Ontario Federation of
Agriculture (OFA) represen-
tative, an electrical expert
and an ex-pharmacist.
As well there were
members of the public from
other wind energy projects
who spoke on their
experiences with turbines in
their backyards.
Huron East councillors
were in attendance two nights
earlier when they enacted an
interim control bylaw. In
order to gather more
information on what a proper
setback distance should be for
wind turbines, council has put
the brakes on the project and
any other wind energy
proposal in the municipality
on any of its agricultural
ground for at least the next
year.
However, with this victory
achieved after nearly two
months of lobbying council,
the members of HEAT still
feel there is a lot of work to be
done and that this meeting
was integral in educating the
public and gathering support.
Petitions were there to be
signed as people left the
meeting.
Dave Colling, an electrical
consultant from Ripley,
brought some of the hardest
data the group has seen to
date. Through his career
testing for electrical pollution,
and as a farmer who hasleased his land out to windturbine developers in the past,he has found some disturbingdata on the amount ofelectrical pollution and “dirty
electricity” which emits high
radiation, in the air around
wind turbines.
Colling called his decision
to allow developers to use his
land for wind turbines
“uninformed” and he said if
given the chance again, he
would choose differently.
Through his research,
Colling has found that one of
the major concerns of living
too close to a turbine is
electrosensitivity.
Electrosensitivity can stay
with someone for life. This is
important to note, he said,
because moving away from
wind turbines once the
condition has established
itself may alleviate
symptoms, but they will often
return when exposed to
similar conditions again.
He said that people he has
met with electrosensitivity
can move away from their
current position, close to a
wind turbine, then find relief
after moving to a new
location. However, if they
return to the place, or enter a
high-electricity environment,
such as a big box store or a
site with a wireless internet
connection, symptoms have
been known to return.
Colling also said that
contrary to some opinions, it
does not take years to see
these effects in people. He
says that he has seen people
get extremely sick within two
months of exposure to wind
turbines.
Former pharmacist, CarmenKrogh is one of the country’sforemost authorities onstudying the alleged adversehealth effects associated withwind turbines.
She said if one person
reports a condition or side
effect as a result of taking a
medication, it is instantly
added to an ever-growing list,
which is constantly consulted
by fellow doctors and
pharmacists. The same, she
said, cannot be said for wind
turbines.
Krogh said her suspicions
were first aroused when she
was on vacation and spent
some time close to several
wind turbines. Instantly she
felt a vibration in her chest,
pressure in her head and a
strange sensation in her heart.
After doing more research,
she also became very
concerned with the topic of
low frequency noise and the
levels being emitted by wind
turbines. High frequency
noise, she says, can penetrate
the body one inch deep. This
is the noise that is commonly
used with ultrasound
machines. Low frequency
noise, however, can penetrate
as deep as five inches into the
body. This leads to concerns
of the inner ear path, causing
dizziness and disorientation,
because the inner ear is the
pathway to the brain.
Joe Vermunt, regional
director with the OFA, said
five years ago, the OFAproduced a pamphlet full ofprovisions a farmer shouldread before considering a landlease agreement with a windturbine developer.
The pamphlet covers many
concerns and rules of thumb
for a landowner so that they
can stay in control, not the
developer.
Several members of HEAT
made their concerns known to
the audience. They have
specific concerns directly
related to their family
situations and have already
voiced these concerns to
Huron East council.
Currently, HEAT is
continuing to meet and
conduct research, saying that
even after the St. Columban
situation is resolved, thegroup will continue to assistand educate other groups and communities that may findthemselves in the samesituation one day. PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 2009.Turbines hot topic at HEAT’s recent meeting
Writer calls council’s
action disrespectful
Continued from page 4
to Morris-Turnberry for the
property that Wingham
Cemetery sits on, nor do they
pay taxes to Central Huron
for the property that Blyth
Cemetery occupies.
In addition to thousands of
lost dollars in tax revenue on
this land, Morris-Turnberry
and Central Huron already
carry the burden of road
maintenance and snow
removal in these areas. Their
tax money makes it possible
for our residents to visit these
cemeteries year round, and
our council wants to charge
their residents an additional
fee to be buried in their own
townships?
How disrespectful.
Township parks, the
museum, the complex, day
care, the fire department and
police services are all services
that the township provides for
its citizens to make the
township a safe and enjoyable
place in which to live. To my
knowledge, none of these
services listed run a surplus.
Why then should the
cemetery, one final service
that a municipality can
provide its residents and
former residents, be required
to “pay its own way?”
One of the township
councillors made a comment
at the meeting that alarmed
me: he said that asking $150
more to purchase a single
grave is “not a lot of money.”
I believe to a senior citizen
living on a fixed income, a
laid-off employee struggling
to pay his or her mortgage, a
young farmer struggling to
preserve his family’s heritage,
or one of our less fortunate
citizens living on a disability
benefit, $150 is a lot of
money.
Is a person who holds this
view about money really the
kind of person who should be
making financial decisions on
behalf of the people of this
township? Perhaps if $150 is
nothing to him, this
councillor is out of touch with
the reality faced by many of
his constituents and should
re-think his decision to
represent them on township
council.
It’s time that we started
standing up for our former
residents and for our families
and neighbours to the east and
south. If you agree, let your
council know that you will
not stand for our former
citizens and neighbours being
used as cash cows.
And, if for no other reason
than saving yourself some
money, if you are considering
investing in a cemetery plot
you may want to buy it before
July 1.
Doug McBurney
McBurney Funeral Home.
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