A. C. Goddard Hill, B. Sc, MD, CCFP
Eastern Lake Ontario Environmental Research Group
306-210 Dundas Street East
Belleville, Ontario K8N 5G8
September 12, 2010
Hon Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario
Legislative Building, Queen's ParkToronto ON M7A 1A1
Re: Wind Power and Main Duck Island, Lake Ontario
Dear Premier,
Allow me to congratulate you and your government on the introduction of the 5 km minimum distance from shoreline rule for offshore developments of wind turbines in the Ontario portion of the Great Lakes.
Can you confirm that this rule will be applied to the proposed Trillium Corporation project at Main Duck Island in Lake Ontario, which has at least six miles of shoreline?
As a former biologist for the Government of Ontario (Conservation Authorities Branch) I am familiar with the issues regarding the impact of windfarms on wildlife populations. The recent data coming from the Wolfe Island development with respect to bird mortality has been instructive.
I have visited Main Duck Island many times over the past decade, most recently last week, when we observed a 300 foot multi level wind speed recording tower newly erected on the island, presumably in support of the proposed off shore wind farm. Last year we observed one consultant biologist on the island attempting to ascertain the potential impact of such a development on migrating bird populations.
Main Duck Island is a federal wildlife reserve under the jurisdiction of Parks Canada which is within the boundaries of Prince Edward County. The island is part of the Prince Edward Point (another national wildlife reserve)/False Ducks Islands/Main Duck/Galloo Island chain which stretches across the international border and which is well known to be a vital link in a north-south bird migration corridor. As the Parks Canada sign on the island indicates, “Main Duck Island and Yorkshire Island are part of a natural bridge of islands across Lake Ontario on a major migratory bird flyway.” A great deal of information regarding the vitality of this bird migration corridor has been collected over the years, initially by the Kingston Field Naturalists and Queen’s University/RMC, and more recently by others at the Prince Edward Point Bird Observatory in particular.
In my opinion if we consider these wildlife populations to be of any importance there should be no windfarm development at any location in that corridor at present. My impression is that currently there is not enough scientific information to say what the total impact of such a development on bird populations will ultimately be, although the information which is so far available is decidedly negative.
In my view in Ontario we have much more to do in the way of energy conservation measures, while at the same time gathering scientific data from existing wind farms, before we install more massive developments in these biologically sensitive migration corridors.
I thank you for your interest in this matter.
Sincerely yours,
A.C. Goddard Hill
cc. Lake Ontario Waterkeeper
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Facsimile of Reply
The Premier of Ontario
etc
September 15, 2010
Alban C.Goddard Hill
Eastern Lake Ontario Environmental Research Group
etc
Dear Dr. Goddard Hill
Thank you for your letter regarding wind turbine setbacks. Your views are important to me.
As the Honourable John Wilkinson, Minister of the Environment, would also be interested in this issue, I have passed along a copy of y our letter to him for his information. I trust that he will also give your views his careful consideration.
You may wish to contact the MoE by writing.... (etc)
Thank you again for writing to me. Please accept my best wishes.
Yours truly,
(signed)
Dalton McGuinty
Premier
c: The Honourable John Wilkinson