Clearview wind turbine resolution heading to Queen’s Park 

Clearview council has passed a resolution outlining concerns it has with the Wpd Canada wind turbine project that is proposed for just west of Stayner.

A similar resolution was recently passed by the Town of Collingwood and the Town of Wasaga Beach.

Clearview council passed the resolution at its meeting last Monday night and is forwarding a copy of the document to the Ontario Ministry of Environment, which holds approval authority for green energy projects.

In the resolution, Clearview states the Wpd application “does not comply with Transport Canada’s standards and recommended practices and will seriously negatively affect the Collingwood Regional Airport.”

The Clearview-based airport is owned by the Town of Collingwood and located just to the north of where Wpd wants to set up its turbines.

The township also states the applicant “produced inadequate assessment of the negative environmental impacts that may result from engaging in the [wind turbine project] in general…”

Clearview also claims that Wpd did not conduct appropriate consultation with the Town of Collingwood or the Collingwood Regional Airport Services Board, which oversees the operation of the airport.

The municipality also says Wpd ignored comments from the township.

Clearview officials don’t believe the eight-turbine proposal is a good fit for the municipality and that the turbines pose a danger to planes using the Collingwood Regional Airport, a concern the airport board and Town of Collingwood share.

Clearview noted in its resolution that if Wpd were to move turbines “1, 3, 4 and 8 farther away from the airport [this] would significantly reduce the negative impacts to the airport.”

The Clearview resolution passed with the full support of council, except for Deputy Mayor Alicia Savage.

The deputy mayor believes green energy projects have a place in Ontario, a position she has voiced time and again when the Wpd issue has come before council.

She noted that if some of the turbines were to be moved that would just open another can of worms with other property owners in the area.

Kevin Surette, a spokesperson for Wpd, responded to the Clearview resolution.

He said Wpd has tried to meet with the airport board on 12 occasions since the project was announced but the board has indicated “they have no intention of meeting with us.”

Surette added the company has consulted with Transport Canada and Nav Canada, the not-for-profit provider of air navigation services in Canada.

“We also engaged an aviation expert, with over 30 years’ experience as a professional pilot, regulatory inspector, aviation accident investigator, safety analyst, safety evaluator, and safety policy advisor who has previously worked for Nav Canada, Transport Canada, the Transportation Safety Board and the Canadian Aviation Safety Board and was a pilot with the Canadian Forces,” he said. “We trust the direction and guidance given to us by these aviation safety professionals. The experts assure us the…project meets all Transport Canada regulations and standards that apply to the Collingwood Regional Airport.”

This is not the first time that Clearview has voiced concerns about the Wpd project.

At a June 10, 2013 meeting, council passed a resolution stating the municipality is not a willing host to the Wpd Canada project.

In December, Wpd said the province deemed its application for the wind turbine project complete.

The application was then posted to the province’s Environmental Registry so that people could comment.

The deadline to comment is Feb. 1.

Wpd officials said in December the province can take up to six months to rule on its application.

If the project gets the go-ahead, the company plans to erect turbines just west of Stayner, on leased land north and south of County Road 91.