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The Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-06-08, Page 3Wednesday, June 8, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 3 Submitted A donation of war service memorabilia to Lucknow Legion Branch 309 was made at the general meeting on May 31, 2015. John McIntosh and Pam VanDyke, children of Bob McIntosh, Past President of Branch 309 presented the donation, including Bob's Air Force jacket, hat, medals and pay book. Also included was a 1899 Bible which belonged to a family member who lost their life in France in WW1. The Bible was part of the belongings returned to the family. (Helm photo) Lucknow Legion receives memorabilia donation Lucknow Legion Branch 309 elected its new executive recently. Back L -R: Jeff Taylor - Sgt at Arms, Beth Hayes - Treasurer, Executive members - Jeff Gammie, Patrick Ritchie, Bob Cranston and Mary Cranston, Dayle Taylor - Secretary, and Paul Finlay - Service Officer. Centre: Craig Crawford - Past President. Front: Linda Sharpin - 1st Vice, Jack Hayes - President, and Marilyn Scott - 2nd Vice. Absent: Executive members - Luke Cranston and Mike Whitcroft. (Helm photo) Ontario energy watchdog to hold government to its own wind turbine regulations Denis Langlois Sun Times staff Ontario's environmental and energy policy watchdog says she will be keeping a close eye on how well the province deals with wind turbines that it finds exceed Ontar- io's noise limits. "There have been a lot of issues where the government's response has been ineffective and we're looking to see it become more effective and quicker," Environ- mental Commissioner of Ontario Dianne Saxe said in an interview after her keynote address May 27, 2016 at the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation's biennial conference in Port Elgin. Saxe, an environmental lawyer who began her new role as the ECO earlier this year, said the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change recently released an updated compliance protocol for wind turbine noise and her office will be monitoring how well the government follows those guidelines. "We don't get to make anybody do anything, but what we can do is draw attention to issues and we can obtain information," she said. The Ontario Ombudsman's office, she said, has been working on the issue of compliance for sev- eral years and is the appropriate agency to deal with individual complaints about government conduct. "I'11 be co-ordinating with the ombudsman's office and commu- nicating directly with the ministry to make sure that they know we're both watching to see that they do follow the guidelines and enforce the rules on noise from wind tur- bines," she said. The new compliance protocol, which came into effect on May 1, does not reduce the sound level limits for wind facilities. It does, however, lay out clearer and con- sistent parameters for completing noise impact assessments of tur- bines after the ministry receives a complaint. One of the requirements, for example, is that noise calculations will only be recorded when the tur- bine output is greater than 85 per cent. Saxe said both she and Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dube have expressed concerns several times to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change about the issue of turbine noise compliance and the government's handling of complaints. Last month, Huron -Bruce Pro- gressive Conservative MPP Lisa Thompson and a delegation from her riding met with Saxe at her office in Toronto. "They wanted to share with the environmental commissioner the realities of wind farms being devel- oped throughout Ontario and there is a huge issue around noise th Warren Marian Zinn Your family would like to congratulate both of you on your 65th Wedding Anniversary. May God continue to bless you and fill your life with love & happiness. compliance and the negative impacts that that issue has on neighbourhoods in which the tur- bines are found," Thompson said in an interview at the conference. She said it is encouraging to know that both Saxe and Dube are aware of the concerns around noise compliance and plan to monitor the government's response. She said people should continue to voice any concerns about tur- bine noise. "We're going to keep holding the government's feet to the fire because people deserve to have this issue addressed," she said. Opponents of wind turbines have long said that noise from the machines cause a variety of health problems in people living nearby. A Health Canada study in 2013, however, found no evidence "to support a link between exposure to wind turbine noise and any of the self-reported or measured health endpoints examined." During her 50 -minute address to delegates at the Coastal Centre's "Is the Coast Clear?" conference, Saxe spoke about her role as environ- mental commissioner which includes serving as a watchdog over Ontario's environmental, energy and climate performance and serving as a guardian of Ontar- io's Environmental Bill of Rights. She also provided some tips on how to write effective comments on proposed government policies. Shades Whiter in 1 H *A cleaning appointment is recommended prior to whitening for optimal results. r L Z00M!50%OFF Whitening (Reg. $399) u,friVe(17;;; Over the counter whitening doesn't compare. Download our whitening guide online to learn more. �Q�o �m ental Fai/J/,0 m -,., , , i N.*,11,7.,,:, Lir DawsonDental.ca Hanover - 399 18th Avenue 1 226.277.0745 Lucknow - 693 Havelock St., North 1226.277.0740