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Lakeshore Advance, 2013-01-16, Page 54 Lakeshore Advance • Wednesda , Janua 16, 2013 oplomo www.takeshoreadvance.com Lakosboro AlIvaNco PUBLISHED WEEKLY P.O.BOX 1195 58 Ontario St., North Grand Bend ON NOM ITO phone: 519-238-5383 fax: 519-238-5131 email: lakeshore.advance@sunmedia.ca SUN MEDIA A Qtwbet or Media ( ompany NEIL CLIFFORD Publisher/ Advertising Manager neiicliffordt sunntedia.ca LYNDA HILLMAN-RAPLEY Editor Iltkeshore.a(1va11(:er, r)stinllledta.ca MARK STEPHEN Advertising Sales mark. slephenaL sunmodta.ca JULIE HARRISON Typesetting/Classifieds Iakeshoro.adsiDsunmrdia.ca www.lakeshoreadvance.com SUBSCRIPTION RATES ADVANCE: Regular S42 (X) 4O DO r 00 G`;1) Online subscriptions available -sante rates Publications Mal Agreement No 4(X)614683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADORFSSE S TO LAKESHORE ADVANCE CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT PO.Box 1195 58 Ontario SI North Grand Bond ON NOM 1 TO For any non•dellvertes or delivery concerns phone: 519.238.5383 e•mall: Iakeshore advancolsunmedla ca Changes of nddross, orders for subscriptions, and undeliverable copies (return postage guaranteed) are to be sent to l alteshote**Jong al the address Indicated here Advertising Is accepted on the condition that In the event of a typographical error, the podlon of the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of tin advertise- ment will be paid at the applicable rates We acknowledge the Bnancial supper 1 1111111. Government of Canada through the Canadian Pertndical hind (CI'h) for aur I+ut0 )mirk activities, Canada Member or uta Caniy _oila Newspaper Assoc labor) and then/te rlo Commonly NowspnpoisAcsrx, hrn letters to the editor How Does NextEra Spell Mitigation? D -E -S -T -R -O -Y NextEra, the Florida based energy company will not let anything stand in the way of the construction of their wind developments. Not even a protected species, such as the Bald Eagle. And that is quite alright by our Govern- ment --even the agency that has been charged with the protection of our natural environ- ment—the Ministry of Natural Resources. In Nextlira's Sununerhaven project (lovely mune that conjures up bucolic images) of over 50 turbines, near Fisherville, in Haldimand County mitigate for the purpose of citing an access mad and wind turbine is exactly what NextEra did --they destroyed the active nest of an eagle pair. Along with the nest, they took out the Cottonwood tree that held the rather large nest full of feathers—obviously from recent use. 'Ihe timeline goes like this; on Friday Janu- ary 4 after 5pm, the Ministry of Natural Resources posted on their registry that they had given authorization to NextEra to remove both the nest and the tree; the next day. According to the MNR the nest had to be removed prior to the commencement of the eagles' mating season starting on January 6. Of course, this gave no opportunity for the com- munity to comment or object to this criminal act—all parties involved in this obviously hoped that it would be done without anyone from the community knowing. What they don't know, won't hurt them sort of mentality. Unfortunately for NextEra and the MNR the entire process has been documented in video and photographs, and that community's out- raged has spilled over to neighbouring districts. Anger that has been growing with steady momentum since the Liberal Government took away the democratic rights of rural residents, is now reaching a fever pitch, as many rural com- munities await NextEra's destruction to reach their own neighbourhoods, with the blessing of Deeply distressed 1 have learned that the markers have been placed for service lines within the Marina in Port Franks where Bell Canada plans to begin construction of a very large cell tower mid-Jan- uary. l cannot express my dismay strongly enough. Wendy 1 loy walked to Ottawa to raise aware- ness of many issues surrounding the effects of these towers. Th my knowledge, a few people are still advocating for a "tower -free zone" since her return. 1 need to ask why our Municipal protocols are not being enforced on Bell Canada? Why are our MP and MPP not meeting with Industry Canada and Bell to persuade them to establish Dalton McGuinty's henchmen. 'there is so much wrong with what hap- pened on Saturday, January 5, in that wind swept farm field of Fisherville. The worst is the destruction of an active nest, one that will not be relocated in time for mating season. Wildlife displacement? But NextEra doesn't care one bit, and neither does the Ministry of Natural Resources. It's all about money—the subsidies paid to this Florida based company that are provided by you and me, the rate payer. 'Ihe lowly rural resident; the next to be displaced in the name of wind development. I watched the nest being chain sawed from the tree on Saturday, and in all honesty it was a very sad experience. Our provincial govern- ment is in the throes of destroying the natural environment with accuracy and expedience. ',here is no tine to stop and consider the rami- fications of wind development; there is only time to rush through the approvals for many more projects, which will result in many more destructive activities like the one witnessed on Saturday. If this irresponsible management of Ontario's natural environment at the hands of a company from Florida bothers you, it's time to speak out against this. 'Ihe destruction won't stop at the eagles, or the migratory birds, or the wildlife that will be displaced—it will extend to the displacement of rural residents. Property values are dna concern to NextEra, neither is your family's health. Wind Development isn't green, and if the destruction of an active eagles' nest is what this company and our Provincial Government calls 'green, then they need a very big wake up call. Stand up for your community, for your rights and for those—like the eagles—who cannot speak for themselves. Stop the industrial Wind Turbines. Muriel Blair a "tower free zone" in Port Franks? Why have they not petitioned the Ontario Health Minister to commission studies into the health effects of over-exposure to RF/EMF? Why has a resident health survey not been completed to serve as a base level from which new resident health issues may he compared in future? Bell Canada seems to have lost sight of the "Ma Bell" sense of community. When so many residents and visitors to Port Franks have voiced their opposition to such a tower being constructed in the region, why would Bell con- tinue to go ahead with construction? It seems to be blatant corporate greed has lined a few pock- ets of influential people! Where is my "Choice" to live in a reduced RI: environment? Laureen Maurizio LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Lakeshore Advance welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include the writer's full name, address, daytime phone number and signature (for verification. Anonymous letters will not be pub- lished. We reserve the right to edit all editorial submissions including letters for clarification, style and length. betters must be signed and be in good taste and follow the laws of libel and slander. column OUR POINT OF VIEW: Ineffective Drive Clean should be pulled off road Greg VanMoorsel OMI Agency Except for enduring needs, such as health care and income support, gov- ernment programs set up to tackle spe- cific problems should have a defined end. Too many linger well beyond their natural expiry date, which thickens bureaucracy and thins taxpayers' patience. That said, can there be any justifica- tion for Ontario clinging to its vehicle - emissions testing program? Created a generation ago, Drive Clean was a specious attempt to curb pollu- tion from the start. Employing the same logic that would lead to peeing and non -peeing sections of public swimming pools, Queen's Park never subjected the entire province to the compulsory tests — only the most heavily populated south. Rural areas, the north and east were off the hook. Nor are all registered vehicles covered; the worst -polluting older jalopies are exempt. Now, Ontario Auditor Jim McCarter has suggested it's time for a rethink. In his latest annual report, the independ- ent government spending watchdog says vehicle emissions have fallen so sharply "that they are no longer among the major domestic contributors of smog in Ontario." Yet, it's not ,)rive Clean, but other factors — such as better cars and cleaner fuel — that have driven those gains, his report notes, citing the Envi- ronment Ministry's own figure saying 75% of the reduction in vehicle emis- sions can be chalked up to other explanations. Make no mistake: Air pollution kills and vehicles add to the deadly mix. But Ontario's worst pollution has never come out of vehicle tailpipes. It's filth that blows in from the U.S. Midwest or spews from homeg- rown sources, such as heavy industry and Ontario's remaining coal-fired power plants. Drive Clean spares vehicles built before 1988, lets thousands more through each year without the full repairs they need and is about to start using new diagnostic testing technol- ogy the auditor says doesn't work — the government Says it will deal with that — on pre -1998 vehicles. It's a program of questionable value, fraught with inconsistencies but netting the province a tidy profit of $11 million a year on the hacks of motorists. Sounds like it's time for a clean break from Drive Clean.