By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A bid by North Kent Coun. Rhonda Jubenville to designate Chatham-Kent as an “unwilling host” for future wind turbine projects has been turned down.
In a 11-3 vote July 15, Chatham-Kent council defeated the motion that would have seen the municipality join 155 other Ontario communities that aren’t allowing construction of wind farms.
Jubenville told council she was encouraged by the example of other communities.
“Plympton-Wyoming was recently added (to the list) and that inspired me as well,” Jubenville told council, noting fouled wells in North Kent were the main reasons for putting the motion forward.
“There has already been too much damage to hundreds of families in North Kent,” Jubenville said, noting she’s also hearing about the negative effects of wind farms from residents in South Kent.
Many can’t talk about the downside of wind turbines, she added, because they’ve signed non-disclosure agreements with wind companies.
Jubenville pointed out that no future wind farm should be in C-K’s future as Ontario’s Ministry of Health hasn’t responded to a 2023 request from the municipality to undertake a comprehensive health hazard study to examine the potential toxicity of sediment within affected wells in North Kent.
An all-hazard study carried out by the province in 2021 only examined water quality, not sediment, and only targeted wells in the former Chatham Township, not in Dover.
The meeting saw Dover area resident Christine Burke also ask council to designate C-K as an unwilling host for wind farms, as she held up a jar of murky grey water from her well.
Geo-scientist Dr. Keith Benn, who sat on the MOH expert panel of the ministry’s all-hazard well study, echoed Burke.
Benn said the sediment poses “significant” health risks that need to be determined, saying it would be “highly irresponsible” for Chatham-Kent to “not close the door now” to additional wind turbines.
But other councillors disagreed on the idea of giving a hard no to future wind projects, as other C-K wards benefit from wind turbines in their wards.
In speaking to the motion, both West Kent councillors mentioned the contributions made by Romney Wind to the Ward 1 community.
“So, it’s challenging for me as a councillor to provide support to something that’s more of a blanket policy statement when I see that there is an opportunity for us as a municipality to really look deeply at individual applications should they come knocking on our door,” Coun. Melissa Harrigan said.
Coun. Lauren Anderson said she was not willing to “completely shut that door” to future wind projects as council has the opportunity to examine and approve each project, unlike in the past.
In speaking to the motion, C-K general manager of community development Bruce McAllister said new wind projects require municipal approval, meaning council will have the final say about what projects can move forward.
“From the standpoint that council has ultimate control, I don’t see why council wouldn’t want the benefit of all the information available before making a decision on a project,” McAllister told council.
Jamie McGrail, Chatham-Kent’s other North Kent councillor, said she didn’t want to rule out all wind farms but she would not support future wind turbine builds in Ward 4.
McGrail said she couldn’t support Jubenville’s motion, “but going forward I want to make it very, very clear that if a project does come to North Kent, I will not be supporting it because of what we already learned in North Kent.”
According to chief financial officer Gord Quinton, Chatham-Kent receives $2 million per year from taxes on wind turbines amounting to about one per cent of C-K’s budget. Plus, farmers who allow turbines on their property are compensated directly.
