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Windfall of donations for Plympton-Wyoming/Suncor court battle
Credit: Heather Wright | Sarnia-Lambton Independent | March 21, 2013 | heatherkokwright.wordpress.com ~~
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Translate: FROM English | TO English
They’re putting their money where their mouth is.
The anti-wind group WAIT in Plympton Wyoming is accepting donations to help pay for the municipality’s court battle against Suncor Energy.
Suncor is in the final planning stages of the Cedar Point Energy Project which will place about 28 industrial turbines in Plympton-Wyoming.
But Plympton-Wyoming Council balked at the project and its lack of input because of the Green Energy Act. Council passed its own bylaw under the Municipal Act to “protect the health of our people,” according to Mayor Lonny Napper. The bylaw called for turbines to be 2 km away from homes instead of 550 meters mandated by the Green Energy Act and placed large fees on each turbine for decommissioning.
The municipality was served notice of a court challenge by Suncor earlier this month.
Plympton-Wyoming has vowed to fight the move, hiring lawyer Eric Gillespie who is known for his work with anti-wind activists.
The move was applauded by WAIT and now it will be supported financially as well. “The council is meeting next week to figure out how they are going to pay for the legal battle, says WAIT spokesperson Elizabeth Bellavance “in the meantime, WAIT is going to accept funds on behalf of the municipality.”
WAIT has a bank account set up at the Southwest Credit Union in Wyoming to accept any donations. Donations can also be sent to WAIT at Box 219, Plympton Wyoming, N0N 1T0.
And Bellavance says the money is already coming in.
“In one of our town hall meetings, people were standing up and pledging money. One of those people came up immediately when Suncor presented its lawsuit to the municipality,” she says adding the man handed the group a $500 cheque.
Bellavance says it is proof the community is behind council in its court fight against Suncor. “This municipality has a strong, passionate community behind them,” she says. “This isn’t just about the 2 km set back; this is about the bigger issues such as the loss of our democracy.
“We’re not going to lay down and play dead…We’re planning to fight this and bring it to the public’s attention because this will be something that will affect all Ontario residents on their electricity bills.”
Mayor Lonny Napper, who has had about 20 people approach him asking where donations for the legal battle can be made, is amazed. “It is overwhelming the support we’re getting,” he says adding the support is coming from people from all walks of life. “I’m getting people saying ‘Normally, I don’t get involved in these things but we feel strongly about this.”
Meantime, WAIT collected 2,500 signatures on a petition opposed to the Cedar Point project. Sarnia Lambton MPP Bob Bailey hopes to present the petition in the provincial legislature.
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