Green law to restrict location of wind turbines
The law, to be introduced in the Legislature, is aimed at bringing more renewable energy projects onto the grid as well as pushing conservation, including incentives to retrofit buildings to reduce electricity consumption, he told reporters.
Smitherman again took aim at opponents of a proposed Toronto Hydro project to put a string of wind turbines in Lake Ontario two to four kilometres off the Scarborough Bluffs, saying they are far enough away from homes not to be "impactful."
"People are raising questions," he said in a nod to area residents concerned about the impact turbines could have on human health, migratory birds and other natural concerns.
"We have done a lot of work looking at the evidence... we're always reviewing the literature," Smitherman added, suggesting polluted air from coal-fired electricity plants poses health dangers that outweigh concerns about wind turbines.
Bluffs resident Roger Bywater said he's not convinced the scientific literature on "wind turbine syndrome" is as clear as Smitherman portrays, because of concerns low-frequency sound can aggravate people sensitive to migraines, for example. Bywater previously accused the government of losing its ability to discuss the turbine plan in a "fair and rational" manner.
New Democrat energy critic Peter Tabuns (Toronto-Danforth) suggested the government's recent habit of releasing hints about the green law is designed to distract Ontarians from the fact the government is planning to build a new nuclear plant at the Darlington site.
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Ontario takes constitutional challenge of its global adjustment electricity fee to Supreme Court
TORONTO - The Ontario government wants the Supreme Court of Canada to weigh in on a constitutional challenge being brought against a large provincial electricity charge, a case the province claims raises issues of national importance.
Ontario’s attorney general and its Independent Electricity System Operator applied for permission to appeal to the Supreme Court in January, according to the court’s website.
The province is trying to appeal a Court of Appeal for Ontario decision from November that said a legal challenge by Hamilton, Ont.-based National Steel Car Ltd. should be sent back to a lower-court for a full hearing.
Court reinstates constitutional challenge…
