Wind farm provides chance to act locally, responsibly

Development in one's neighbourhood is a sure fire way to stir up emotions. I know mine were at the public meeting held by Toronto Hydro Energy Services to inform the community about an offshore wind anemometer they are planning to set up 2k offshore. This is an initial study to see if the site could be suitable for a wind farm.

My emotions weren't stirred up by the project itself but by the reactions of some members of the hundreds of people jammed into the Wilfred Laurier Collegiate auditorium. Despite the fact that this is only a study to monitor wind patterns out in Lake Ontario, some people felt they had the right to shout down speakers at the microphones who they disagreed with. And despite the fact that the microphones were set up to take questions and comments from the audience, these same people frequently interrupted speakers with calls of "what's your question?"

Moreover, they acted as if they were the only ones impacted by any potential offshore wind farm development. Yet as many people or more from the local area spoke in favour of the study as spoke against it. Moreover, the project quite rightly attracted interest from people all over Toronto who have been waiting for any sign of local action to combat air pollution and global warming. According to some members of the audience, these fellow residents of Toronto should have no voice in this meeting.

This is NIMBYism at its very worst.

80 Years ago, the Guild Inn was a centre for artists. The aerodynamic design of the modern wind turbines evokes the Art Deco movement of that era. A wind farm off the Scarborough Bluffs would stand not just as a testament to our desire to protect our natural environment but also as reminder of Scarborough's artistic heritage.

On a more practical note, thousands of people die every year in Ontario as a result of our reliance on fossil fuels for power. And both fossil fuels and the uranium used in places like the Pickering power plant are non-renewable resources. Wind however is constantly being renewed and is free.

It's ironic that people who live not too far from the rail lines and even closer to the busy Kingston Road would find cause to complain about the possibility of noise from a wind farm located two kilometres offshore, or complain that they disturb the view more than the commercial buildings and highrise towers in their neighbourhoods.

The best scientific estimates are that we have at most a few decades to curb global warming before it becomes unstoppable. The more pessimistic estimates say we may already have passed that tipping point. Yet here we have people acting like ill-mannered louts over the idea that they may, but almost certainly won't, be disturbed by this modest project to help reduce our carbon emissions.

It will take a better, more responsible class of people to resolve the challenges we face over the next few decades. Some of those people sit on Toronto City Council and gave Toronto Hydro the direction to move to greener energy. Toronto Hydro Energy Services have picked up the challenge in a responsible and thoughtful way. We in Toronto, and particularly in Scarborough, have been given the chance to "act locally". We should not turn it down.

Gary Dale