And other families agree with that sentiment. The Dixon and Ryan families, who are fighting another wind project near St. Columban, close to Seaforth, Ont., worry that industrial turbines will harm their eight-year-old daughter who struggles with hearing hypersensitivity.
But the wind companies disagree, noting that stopping construction would cause serious financial woes, arguing that the projects underwent two years of planning and environmental assessment processes.
The Ontario Liberal government has been touting green energy since the Dalton McGuinty days, with Premier Kathleen Wynne championing the policy. But it’s a policy that isn’t well liked in rural Ontario, where the projects are being erected. Farmers and rural folk often picket and / or protest events where the Premier is present to vocalize their opposition to wind turbines. Recently, during the opening ceremonies of the International Plowing Match in Ivy, Ont., plowing match goers heckled the Liberal caucus during the parade portion of the event.
In an unrelated court case, the nine-turbine wind project near Picton, Ont., is being challenged in an Ontario court come December.