My family has a history with the CAW dating back generations. My wife was also once a card carrying member of the union and in 2005 we attended a family education session at the CAW Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, Ontario.
To say we believe in much of what the union stands for would be fair. It's done a lot of good for a lot of people throughout the years.
But what we saw from the CAW in Port Elgin last week gave us pause for thought. Erected in the parking lot of the CAW centre was a giant, green wind turbine. It's not that wind turbines are unheard of in Port Elgin, they're not. In fact they're scattered all over farmers' fields throughout Saugeen Shores. The winds coming off Lake Huron make it an ideal area for wind generated power.
Given the CAW's environmental policies a wind turbine fits in with the union's beliefs. However, their own wind turbine has one fatal flaw -- it's located in a highly populated neighbourhood, the closest house being 150 metres from the turbine and the CAW centre itself even closer. Even the Province's own safety conditions as set out under the Green Energy Act state turbines should be a minimum distance of 550 metres from the closest house. Why is the CAW turbine not set back further, you might be asking yourselves? Approval for this project came before the Green Energy rules were enacted.
Saugeen council has enacted its own bylaw measuring the minimum distance between homes and wind turbines at 2,500 metres citing health concerns. The CAW maintains its own studies indicate no harm can come from a wind turbine but there are countless other studies that contradict that claim. CAW President Ken Lewenza though has gone on record saying the union has spent too much money now to turn back. The wind turbine cost about $2 million and Lewenza said stopping the project mid-way would be like halting the build of a multi-million dollar house. The difference though is a house isn't required to be 550 metres from other homes and most, if not all, don't pose potential health and safety risks to its neighbours.
I believe there are cleaner ways to produce energy other than using coal fired plants and nuclear reactors. Wind turbines and solar power are good alternatives. Everything has its place though and if the residents, council, MPP and MP asked me to reconsider erecting a wind turbine or a bank of solar panels on my property I'd find another way to accomplish my energy savings. It's easier to work with your community than to spurn it.
The CAW has a social conscience and has always attempted to better the world around it. But not in this case. It's turned its back on its neighbours all for the benefit of powering its own facilities. Seems pretty selfish to me and I believe it's a decision that will come back to haunt the CAW.
Excellent thoughts Ian, but I need to clarify something. The common misconception and part of the deception that the CAW continues to deliberately deceive people with, is that this turbine is being used to power the FEC.
ReplyDeleteThat is an outright lie and a fallacy that the CAW is more than happy to have the public believe.
On the contrary, this turbine's sole purpose is to bring in money to the CAW through the FIT program. The Family Education Centre is millions in the hole and the CAW saw a chance to suck up more taxpayer dollars by building this turbine.
Health and Safety co-ordinator Ken Bondy was on Dale Goldhawk Fights Back (a radio talk show) and Dale pinned Ken to the mat about this issue. He got Ken to admit that the turbine does not in fact provide power to the FEC, but is only being used to line the coffers of the CAW.
What makes this even more reprehensible is that the CAW owns land some distance away in an area that would be equally viable to produce wind. However, that land has been slated for development and the CAW, of course, didn't want to miss the chance to make even more money.
So they decided to plunk their turbine in the most ill-conceived spot with over 100 homes, a day care, 2 children's soccer fields and their own office (with staff) under the 550m setback distance.
In FACT, the manufacturer of this same turbine, advises a minimum danger perimeter around the base of this turbine of 480 metres and suggests that no maintenance personnel be allowed within that zone unless the turbine is shut down.
The CAW leaders have lied, manipulated and deceived their neighbours in Port Elgin in order to stick their noses in the FIT subsidy trough. It's a travesty that this little town will never forget and has destroyed any good feelings between this community and the CAW, probably forever.
THAT is the CAW that supposedly cares about the little guy.
Great blog and good clarification from Lori. It was a shock to see this turbine so close to homes. What scares me is that this turbine sets a dangerous precident for proximity and I worry that this kind of exception will begin to happen throughout Ontario. Kudos to Port Elgin for fighting back. See you next summer.
ReplyDeleteIan thanks for your article. I live 400 m from the turbine freshly retired from corporate life in Mississauga to our home here just in time for my new life as founder of S.T.O.P. the residents group opposing the CAW industrial wind turbine. We've been good neighbours over the 22 years we've owned our home and in fairness to the CAW in 2005 they, like us had no idea turbines can negatively affect health. But that was then and this is now. Last November Ken Lewenza met with representatives of the town and the Beachers vowing our health was his #1 concern and if need be he'd shut the turbine down if it created health problems. To go farther he offered to set up a public Community Turbine Committee to openly monitor any turbine issues. Flash forward and the CAW terms of reference of this committee as submitted to the town is as follows:
ReplyDeleteCAW shall chair and have vote control
CAW shall not make info public unless majority votes so
CAW will own all submitted info
CAW shall prevent info from being used in court or hearings.
So if someone gets sick and came to the CAW's public Community Turbine Committee to report this that person would lose their democratic right to sue the CAW for harm. The Town has not accepted these terms.
We have done absolutely everything possible including offering to buy the turbine for $2M and selling it.
Although we have never been blessed with direct contact I have told Ken his get out of jail card is when people get sick you can say OMG and then do the right thing while saving your job.
Thanks again, Greg Schmalz
I also live in Port Elgin and had family visiting us last week from the Kitchener area. We spent several days down on the Gobles Grove beach. My aunt kept turning around and looking at the CAW turbine which sat still, even though it was extremely windy those days.
ReplyDeleteShe finally pointed this out to the rest of the family and asked why the turbine's blades were not spinning, in spite of the fact that the wind was very strong.
The entire group was STUNNED when I told them that the turbine can't turn because it's not yet hooked up and that the blades can't spin without power.
This was news to everyone. I think most people don't realize that it's not the wind that gets the turbine spinning. It's electricity.
Some experts believe that small wind turbines (like the CAW one) use almost as much power as they create....to run their internal computers, to spin the blades, to turn the blades into the wind, to pitch the blades at the correct angle, to warm the blades to prevent ice buildup, to run the safety lights and on and on.
I think it was Ken Bondy (CAW H&S coordinator) who stated on Goldhawk Live that it would take 17 years for the turbine to pay for itself. Considering the average lifespan for a turbine is 20 years, you have to ask yourself this:
Was it worth alienating an entire town and the years of good friendship that had existed for decades, for 3 years of profits from this turbine??
What a shame that the CAW leaders were so hellbent on ramming this thing through when there was so much opposition from their neighbours.
You're so right Ian. The CAW blew it big time.