As an employee of ED, I hope I can clear up the question as to what we are defending.
1. We do defend farmland. ED was one of the leading organizations campaigning for the Greenbelt in 2005 (1.8 million acres of protected farmland and green spaces) and we now coordinate the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance. Farmland and green space are incredibly important to us.
2. Farmers are also important, and it's important to note that the windmills placed in rural areas are on farmland because the farmers agreed to have them there. These windmills are a source of revenue for the farmers. They are not incompatible with farming, but complimentary to it.
3. The commenter above is correct in that there were plans to build a wind farm off of the Scarborough bluffs. Unfortunately, a small but vocal constituency didn't support it, and offshore wind is now in a holding pattern. In general, however, we supported that plan and support offshore wind in the Great Lakes. In fact, through Blue Green Canada, our alliance with labour unions and other ENGOs, we have been actively campaigning in support of offshore wind. Other than offshore, however, it is difficult to find much room for windmills in urban areas.
4. We would love to see solar panels on top of every highrise, every house, every public building throughout the GTA and even across Ontario. But the Green Energy Act cannot tell anyone they must do it, just as it didn't tell any farmers they must put windmills on their land. Instead, it provides a financial incentive.
5. We support action on climate change, and a transition away from fossil fuels towards green energy. And to that end, the Green Energy Act is the best renewable energy policy in North America: it is helping us close down polluting coal-fired power plants and positioning Ontario as a leading green energy manufacturing centre.
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As an employee of ED, I hope I can clear up the question as to what we are defending.
1. We do defend farmland. ED was one of the leading organizations campaigning for the Greenbelt in 2005 (1.8 million acres of protected farmland and green spaces) and we now coordinate the Ontario Greenbelt Alliance. Farmland and green space are incredibly important to us.
2. Farmers are also important, and it's important to note that the windmills placed in rural areas are on farmland because the farmers agreed to have them there. These windmills are a source of revenue for the farmers. They are not incompatible with farming, but complimentary to it.
3. The commenter above is correct in that there were plans to build a wind farm off of the Scarborough bluffs. Unfortunately, a small but vocal constituency didn't support it, and offshore wind is now in a holding pattern. In general, however, we supported that plan and support offshore wind in the Great Lakes. In fact, through Blue Green Canada, our alliance with labour unions and other ENGOs, we have been actively campaigning in support of offshore wind. Other than offshore, however, it is difficult to find much room for windmills in urban areas.
4. We would love to see solar panels on top of every highrise, every house, every public building throughout the GTA and even across Ontario. But the Green Energy Act cannot tell anyone they must do it, just as it didn't tell any farmers they must put windmills on their land. Instead, it provides a financial incentive.
5. We support action on climate change, and a transition away from fossil fuels towards green energy. And to that end, the Green Energy Act is the best renewable energy policy in North America: it is helping us close down polluting coal-fired power plants and positioning Ontario as a leading green energy manufacturing centre.