Decline in residential property values will hurt Nation Rise Wind Farm leaseholders, too 

This is an updated open letter to the leaseholders of North Stormont, landowner participants in Nation Rise Wind Farm.

Were you aware that:

• North Stormont has marginal and unreliable wind yet EDPR expects to be paid a profit by Ontario regardless, even though Ontario has excess capacity already.

• Wind Turbines are bad for the environment. They require new gas plants for backup as Water turbines and nuclear are throttled back because of excess capacity and cannot respond quickly enough when the wind doesn’t blow. This adds to pollution and increases global warming by adding unnecessary additional CO2 to the atmosphere.

• It takes more fossil fuels to mine, smelt, manufacture, transport, construct and operate turbines than they will ever offset in generated energy.

• Nation Rise will directly add to Hydro costs for all Ontario energy consumers over the next 20 years; 40 with an option to repower. Expected cost – $1.8-million/month for up to 40 years.

• Ontario is paying as much as $10 million per day to subsidize wind companies first right to the grid even when the energy is not needed, which it never is as clean water and nuclear can provide.

• As Parker Gallant writes in on his research blog; if Ontario experienced just 32 similar days to Sunday, Dec 8th, 2019, where excess power was dumped below cost and turbines were paid to curtail, the approximately $400-million initial cost of Nation Rise would be erased. It’s cheaper to pay out EDPR.

• Intermittent wind leads to unbalancing of the grid, added costs, brownouts and dirty power for homes and farms that can damage appliances and costly electrical equipment on farms and businesses.

• Ontario dumps energy to the US Border States below our cost of production. Our industry is moving to the USA and we are paying for it because of wind turbines, further damaging the economy.

• Funds are being borrowed to artificially reduce energy costs adding to the burden on ourselves our kids and grandkids into the future.

• EDP Renewables selected a taller turbine to reach barely sufficient wind. They are amongst the tallest in the world. Turbines will tower over any building or trees at 200m/656 ft. A typical red maple is only 70 ft.

• Because they could, EDP Renewables chose to use outdated LRPI noise modelling criteria developed in 2016 rather than recognize the importance of lower noise levels to protect the health of people living near industrial turbines.

• Infrasound and Low frequency noise (ILFN) from wind turbines has been directly linked to human health concerns, still births and deformities in cattle and horses.

• Humans cannot hear infrasound but other mammals can. It can be detected over 20 km away.

• ILFN directly increases with turbine height. ILFN issues exist elsewhere with smaller turbines.

• Neither EDPR nor the Ministry has established tools, standards, processes or policy to detect, measure or address issues with ILFN.

• North Stormont is situated within the Vars-Winchester Esker; a major but fragile esker that provides water to Finch, Berwick, Crysler. Many private wells including yours may be at risk.

• EDPR has declined to set aside a decommissioning fund for at least 15 years, if at all. You may become responsible for removal and decontamination if the limited partnership were to dissolve before then, leaving you on the hook. Partnerships can take on other partners, be resold or fail and just walk away.

Through public discussion and newspapers, lease holders may now know that:

• Germany, Mexico, Australia and other countries who were once leaders in renewable energy now realize that it is neither renewable nor affordable and are dropping their subsidies and not approving new projects.

• Communities especially in the USA are fighting back and starting class action lawsuits. Landowners are implicated.

• Michael Moore has produced a documentary called Planet of the Humans that exposes the greed and scam as leading ‘environmentalists’ and ‘environmental groups’ profit from a gullible population.

• Ontario has amongst the worst setbacks in North America at 550 metres ; Quebec since 2013 has had 2,000 metres from homes, 1,000 metres from public roads to better protect families.

• Awareness of health issues created by shadow flicker, low frequency noise, and vibration is increasing. The issues are not subsiding. Public concern is rising.

• Current project areas have well water issues that cannot be resolved. Water has to be hauled-in. Temporary tanks are freezing. Victims may have pay for the hydro to heat and keep them flowing.

• There are well over 4500 unresolved complaints on issues regarding wind turbines in Ontario.

Through the community neighbours and family, lease holders may be finding out that:

• The vast majority of North Stormont residents do not want the turbines.
– There are thousands of signatures on multiple petitions, letters and notices of non-consent.
– Your neighbours and others directly contributed over $100,000 from their pockets to fight the turbines in the courts.

• The North Stormont Council voted twice as non-willing hosts but are now ‘partnering’ without a plan or commitment on how they will address the current and future issues.

• Council have been made aware of research completed by a land economist with the University of Guelph and published in Land Economics, that overall, the property loss for houses within 5 km of the then-33 planned turbines could be $87.8 million.

• Using other research that is less conservative, however, the property value loss could be more than $140 million.

• The loss of our property values will decimate Council’s hoped for $300K. $300K will not put a dent in the almost $1 million that Council voted to pull from reserves in 2020 alone.

• Other community councils have declined to Partner or accept what they call ‘bribe money’ voting instead to impose higher fees, fire suppression, ice fling warnings and other measures to protect residents.

• There are worries of potential health issues; impact on family, friends and animals.

• They worry of changes to our environmental and quiet enjoyment of their homes.

• They worry about reduction in property values. Real estate agents confirm it’s real. Who wants to come/live/build in a wind turbine area? Will this reduce the tax base in North Stormont in the long run?

• They are worried about their and your future.

Ruby and Joe Mekker
Finch