Premier stands behind wind farm development

subscribe

Ontario's premier says the government is ensuring wind farms won't harm Ontarians' health as they provide jobs and clean energy.

"I have confidence in the standards, that we have struck the right balance between protecting health, protecting our natural environment, and allowing our economy to grow," Dalton McGuinty told reporters after his speech to the Rotary Club of Belleville.

"The demand is out there (to) create jobs," he said at the Ramada Inn, adding some residents are also demanding electricity without wanting to live near power plants.

"We're trying to reconcile those demands with our responsibility to make sure these things are safe and don't compromise our health," McGuinty said. "So we're relying on the best expertise that we've gathered from around the world.

"We have put in place now under the regulations of our Green Energy Act the toughest standards in North America and tougher than many they already have in place in Europe."

The premier also commended Belleville's high rate of entrepreneurship and its manufacturing base.

"This is a community that has its act together," he said. "It is remarkable — the kind of manufacturing that is taking place in a smaller centre. It just reaffirms this idea that anybody can do this as long as they have the determination, the infrastructure and the know-how."

McGuinty said advanced manufacturing is key to staying competitive.

"We just can't make brooms as cheap as they can in developing countries," he said.

"But they can't make the Blackberries we make in Kitchener-Waterloo or our Toyota Lexus we make in Cambridge.

"They can't make the E. coli 0157 cattle vaccine we're making here at Bioniche and the headlights they make in Decoma right here in Belleville.

"An important contributing factor to the success here is the relationship with Loyalist (College). The great thing about a community college is they can turn programs around, and often in a just-in-time way."

Colleges are also important in retraining people for second careers, he said.

Related News

downed trees and power lines

Hurricane Michael by the numbers: 32 dead, 1.6 million homes, businesses without power

FLORIDA - Hurricane Michael, a historic Category 4 storm, struck the Florida Panhandle early Wednesday afternoon, unleashing heavy rain, high winds and a devastating storm surge.

 

Here is a look at the dangerous storm by the numbers:

155 mph: Wind speed -- nearly the highest possible for a Category 4 hurricane -- with which Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach and Panama City. A hurricane with 157 mph or higher is a Category 5, the strongest on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

129 mph: Peak wind gust reported Wednesday at Tyndall Air Force Base, which is about 12 miles southeast of Panama City,…

READ MORE
hydro one logo

Hydro One announces pandemic relief fund for Hydro One customers

READ MORE

ontario legislature

Ontario Government Consults On Changes To Industrial Electricity Pricing And Programs

READ MORE

scotland wind farm

Community-generated green electricity to be offered to all in UK

READ MORE

DOE

Energy Department Announces 20 New Competitors for the American-Made Solar Prize

READ MORE