Wind has a public relations problem

Ontario wind energy support remains high provincewide, with strong public opinion for renewable energy and clean power, but southwestern Ontario shows lower community acceptance and heightened health concerns around turbines, policy, and local impacts.

A year into the provincial government's efforts to drive investment in green energy, the wind industry commissioned a poll to determine the "high level reaction" of Ontarians to wind turbines.

Given that they did not ask whether people would support a wind turbine next door, but in their community or region, broad brush strokes is what they got. The results of the Ontario poll released in July, showed that nearly 9 in 10 Ontarians either "somewhat support" or "strongly support" the production of wind energy. This comes as little surprise given it is clean and renewable.

However, the results in southwestern Ontario – where the majority of wind turbines are currently clustered – should be given special attention, as a large public meeting recently drew strong turnout in the region to debate new projects. While there was still significant support, there was markedly less support in this region than everywhere else in Ontario.

This should concern not only the wind industry but Queen's Park, which sees a major role for renewable energy in keeping the lights on and creating jobs in a burgeoning green energy sector. According to the poll, 35 per cent of respondents in southwestern Ontario strongly support the production of wind energy in their local community. Elsewhere in the province strong support ranges from 44 per cent to 50 per cent. Similarly, the poll found that in southwestern Ontario 13 per cent of respondents mentioned health concerns as a main drawback of wind power. That was a concern of only 5 to 7 per cent of respondents in all the other regions.

While some people have honestly held health concerns, there is no scientific evidence to support claims that turbines make people sick. Ontario's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Arlene King was unequivocal in her report earlier this year stating: "There isn't any direct causal link between wind turbine noise and adverse health effects."

Still, this has had little effect on those, including noise protesters active across the region, who oppose wind turbines on health grounds and this poll suggests they may be having an effect on the perceptions of wind energy, in southwestern Ontario, at least.

It is particularly timely, then, that the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, an environmental group working alongside clinicians, and the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario have joined forces to help dispel the health fears being generated by a small but vocal group of wind critics.

The doctors and nurses have begun meeting with MPPs and others to ensure it is known that the medical community at large supports wind as a safe form of energy, unlike coal-fired plants, which can directly be attributed to respiratory illnesses and deaths.

For wind projects to play a significant role in our energy future, they must have the backing and confidence of Ontarians, so policymakers should stick to their guns on wind projects when challenges arise. This regional variation in support ought not to be ignored or glossed over, as Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association appeared to do, in stating that the results "clearly indicate that wind energy enjoys broad support across the province, regardless of where residents live."

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