Offshore Toronto Wind Farm Stirs Debate
Nov 25 - United Press International
A public hearing on building a 60-turbine wind farm offshore of Toronto in
Lake Ontario drew an overflow and divided crowd of 1,000 people.
The Toronto Hydro power utility had the meeting to outline the proposal that
would see 100-foot windmills spread over a 15-mile range about 2 miles
offshore where there is a natural reef, the Toronto Star reported.
The wind farm could generate up to 200 megawatts of electricity, sufficient
for 50,000 homes, without creating greenhouse gas emissions, Hydro officials
said.
Some residents voiced fears their view of the lake would be spoiled and
their property values will suffer, while others said migratory birds would
be killed or disrupted by the spinning blades.
Similar arguments have been heard in rural southwestern Ontario this year,
where a developer is seeking approval from villages and towns to erect a
$600 million wind farm beginning next year.
Monday, the province of Manitoba approved an $800 million project that will
use 130 turbines to generate 300 megawatts of power outside the rural
southern town of St. Joseph.
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