July 25, 2007

Opposition to wind farms grows in Manitoba

WINNIPEG

In St. Joseph, south of Winnipeg, a citizens’ group is protesting a proposal by Bowark Energy Ltd. of Calgary to install 63 wind turbines across a 13-kilometre stretch of arable land. In Elie, just west of Winnipeg, some residents are demanding a study on long-term costs of a wind turbine proposal by Sequoia Energy.

Residents’ complaints about wind power systems include noise, bright lights at night, loss of property value and a perception that the turbines are eyesores. Applications for the next wave of wind turbines in Manitoba closed Tuesday. The province and Manitoba Hydro will approve three of about 30 proposals submitted.

Farmers in the area could receive $3,500 per year per turbine on their land. The area in question covers 32 sections, or about 83 square kilometres.

Todd Braun, who lives west of St. Joseph and runs a business that includes hosting open-air events, worries about the esthetics of wind turbines. The turbines may be fine for farmers, but “what happens to the people in the middle. All the neighbours put up with the machinery and noise and get nothing.’’

Maurice Bonin, a welder in St. Joseph, says the noise never stops.

“You can’t ignore the noise. The noise is constant, a kind of grinding sound (from the spinning propeller) all day and all night long.”

On windy days, the wind turbines can sound like a jet flying over, except the sound never stops. There is also a pulsing sound emitted by the machine.

Bonin said silence is one of the reasons people choose to live in the country.

The wind turbines are so high they must have lights all night long to warn aircraft. The propellers cause the lights to flicker, said Nathan Schmidt, also part of the anti-wind turbine movement near St. Joseph.

The 40-year agreements people in the area are being asked to sign also include a “confidentiality agreement.” The signee is required to keep quiet “any and all information and knowledge relating to the project.”

Braun and Bonin have refused to sign contracts with Bowark. They would not have received turbines but are asked to sign because they are in the path of the wind flow.

The contract would have only paid them several hundred dollars in exchange for subjecting any future construction on their property to the company’s approval.

Canadian Press

Print | Email | Comment