NIMBYism rarely amenable to civilized discussions

re. Community must band together for the environment's sake

Ah, the sweet naivity of youth. Huda Deen's suggestion for better communications with opponents of the proposed wind farm offshore from Scarbough relies on people being reasonable and willing to compromise. If only the world was like that.

Sadly NIMBYism is rarely amenable to civilized discussion. Wind Turbines are used throughout the world and have been for decades. Their properties and impacts are well known. To supporters they are quiet, majestic and graceful testaments to our concern for the environment. To detractors they are loud and ugly destroyers of property values.

While the engineering data confirms their silence, and the experience in sites around the world show that wind turbines can produce power at costs competitive with fossil fuel generation, beauty remains in the eye of the beholder. Even though studies show that nearby wind farms have no real impact on property values (never mind ones 2k offshore), to some people they will always be ugly demons that must be opposed.

The thousands of deaths annually in Ontario, not to mention the climate crisis, give us ample reason to prefer wind power even if it was more expensive than alternatives. Toronto Hydro has been given the mandate to switch to green energy and this project is one of the few they can directly implement. It's proximity to the point of use and the availability of the site for this purpose make it enticing.

If the winds prove reliable enough, the project must go forward despite the vocal opposition from some small number of residents. It will benefit everyone - working people involved in the construction and maintenance of the wind farm, local residents & others in Toronto, and people around the world as we win a small victory against pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Gary Dale