A local MPP is once again voicing his concerns about wind turbines in our area.
Speaking during Question Period earlier this week, Lambton-Kent-Middlesex Conservative Monte McNaughton asked the Minister of Energy what it will take to make the government stop and think about the repercussions to local communities.
“Since the start of construction of the North Kent Wind project, 14 water wells have become turbid and undrinkable”, said McNaughton. “Mr. Speaker – we’ve seen the impact of pile driving into black shale from the North Kent project. Why is the Minister allowing construction to continue there, and why is he jeopardizing the drinking water of another community by going forward with the Otter Creek project?”
For his part, Minister Glenn Thibeault said concerns over groundwater are taken seriously, and reiterated the provincial science-based regulations that wind projects must go through.
“The proponent, in this case, has done extensive monitoring prior to construction and we’re going to require them to continue to monitor the vibration data closely during construction and operation of the wind turbines”, says Thibeault. “We require the company to conduct additional water quality assessments, and we’ve been keeping an eye on this”