Health News
Comments to the Ministry of the Environment by APPEC members
Many people from Prince Edward County have directed comments to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) on the planned wpd White Pines Project. These are only a few of the written comments submitted to MOECC last spring. APPEC members wanted to be clear to the Ontario government that they do not want monstrous industrial sized wind turbines in areas that need heritage and environmental protection. Concerns over health and the economy persist as more evidence becomes available on the harm to people’s lives. Please read these comments from your neighbours and friends along the South Shore that have expressed their concern and are willing to stand-up and be vocal as part of the Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County. APPEC thanks you.
From Gord Currier: We wish to register our strong objection to the application by White Pines Wind Project (WPD) for a Renewable Energy Approval (REA).
We own the single family home directly north across the road from Mount Tabor. From this vantage point our view of this cultural and Designated Heritage historical building, constructed in 1865-67, will be totally overwhelmed by the monstrous scale of one of the proposed industrial size WPD wind turbines. Read the full letter by clicking here …
From Sophia DeFrancesca, Visual Artist: Being a newcomer to Milford, I have many concerns about the proposed White Pines Wind Project that is currently in the approval process.
When I first looked out on to the beautiful vista of the town from my new home, I just could not believe that our government would defy their own laws, and ever allow this picturesque heritage sight to be blighted by industrial wind turbines. From my perspective, this place is paradise! It’s peaceful and serene, with quaint homes, and lovely nature all around. I don’t take for granted at all the breath taking views from my vantage point. This is an incredibly gorgeous place in this world, there’s no doubt about it! As a visual artist who understands aesthetics, I’m not ashamed to say that certainly, I do not underestimate what could be lost. Some may consider this kind of concern frivolous, but I’m sure they said the same thing when they tore down so many of our heritage buildings in Toronto in the name of progress. It was a travesty, and there’s no changing that now. Read the full letter by clicking here …
From Franco DeFrancesca: The prospect of having the White Pines Wind Power industrial wind turbine development in South Marysburgh/Milford would be devastating and disastrous. As a recent owner of a property in Milford, and after researching the many issues resulting from Industrial Wind Power Development, I cannot believe that the knowledge and concerns of people from the region and all over the word are not being taken into consideration. Read the full letter by clicking here …
From Jim McPherson: … Because I live in the neighbourhood of Prince Edward County where this project would be located, I have followed its development with great concern, and I have attended all “public information events” sponsored by the proponent.
This proposed project was recently posted to the Environmental Registry as a proposal that is “deemed complete”. I respectfully submit to you that this proposal is incomplete. The proponent has failed to meet many basic criteria of your own Ministry of the Environment, and has even failed to adhere to the advice that OMAF gives to Ontario farmers on its web site. The proponent has also failed to recognize and respond to assurances that have been publicly announced by Premier Wynne, and to the basic citizen guarantees in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Read the full letter by clicking here …
From Bryan and Kate Muir: Our home, “Prince Edward County” is made up of good people, fantastic wild life and birds, with unique countryside, different from other areas of Ontario. I am very proud to tell anyone where I live and what Prince Edward County has to offer.
Wind turbines do not belong in Prince Edward County!
Read the full letter by clicking here …
From Inge and Caspar Radden: As residents of Prince Edward County we object to installations of White Pines turbines that will obstruct familiar views from many places, e.g., driving or walking Old Milford Road and Scott’s Mill Road above the Mill Pond, playing sports on the grounds, attending the fair or participating in the Easter parade and other events, where we always make professional pictures and send them all over the world. Read the full letter by clicking here …
Posted in Economy, Environment, Health, Heritage Edit
Yet More Challenges to Health Canada Wind Turbine Noise and Health Study
Here are three recent Goldhawk Fights Back Podcasts analyzing the Health Canada Wind Turbine Noise and Health Study.
GFB Podcast: Joan Morris – November 13th Posted on November 13, 2014 by Valerie Massie Epidemiologist Joan Morris offers her thoughts on the Health Canada’s wind turbine and noise health study
GFB Podcast: Carmen Krogh – November 20th Carmen Krogh, a researcher, retired pharmacist and a founding member of the Society for Wind Vigilance, offers her criticism of the Health Canada report on the health effects of wind turbines.
GFB Podcast: Dr. Robert McMurtry – November 12th Posted on November 12, 2014 by Valerie Massie Dr. Robert McMurtry, the founding director of Wind Concerns Ontario, comments on the Health Canada Study of industrial wind turbines.
And other references related to the Health Canada report:
Prof disputes wind turbine report – By Elliot Ferguson, Kingston Whig-Standard. Amherst Island’s own Dr. John Harrison, a Queen’s University professor emeritus in physics
Bad science – The Wellington Times by: Rick Conroy
Wind turbine opponents reject study – By John Miner, The London Free Press
Health Canada Wind Turbine Noise and Health Study – Being Challenged
Anti-wind groups in Ontario, across Canada and internationally say they will respond to the flawed Health Canada “research” and that condemnation will follow. APPEC is one of many groups that denounce this $2 million dollar Canadian taxpayer funded report and the management of the study by Health Canada.
Here is a list of references of how the opposition to the HC “research” is quickly growing.
Grey-Bruce Medical Officer of Health Dr Hazel Lynn commented Friday on the Health Canada turbine noise study, saying ” much more” work needs to be done, but the “preliminary” results show significant “annoyance” which, the doctor says, should properly be termed “distress.”
Click here to read the interview with Dr. Hazel Lynn about the Health Canada Wind Turbine Noise report.
Read the short article from Blackburn News here.
Dr. Robert McMurtry offers the following statement:
“I have just had the opportunity to review the Denise Wolfe DOCUMENT, and appreciate its obvious quality, reinforced by knowing something of her background. The paper is a powerful statement that casts serious doubt on the recent Health Canada and CanWEA preliminary announcement, the background paper and related media statements. I am deeply saddened that the Ministry whom I was so proud to work for, appears to have fallen.”
“In addition, ongoing efforts will be made with our international network to evaluate all elements of the Health Canada conduct and management of this research. Click here to read the complete statement from Dr. R.Y.McMurty.
Note: CanWEA (Canadian Wind Energy Association) is a federally registered lobby organization funded and directed by the wind industry
Click here to review the Denise Wolfe draft document reviewing the HC Wind Turbine Noise & Health Study
Sherri Lange – CEO North American Platform Against Wind Power (NA-PAW)
“For a watchdog federal health branch to suggest that there are no health effects from Wind Turbine Noise, when Ministry of the Environment Officials with firsthand knowledge have confirmed the problems and so too has the Environment Review Tribunal itself, is completely astounding,” said Lange of the North American Platform Against Wind Power (NA-PAW). “Try telling this to a family with family members who are chronically sleep deprived and unwell, unable to live and sleep in their own homes, that has lost 30% or more of its livestock, or who has for eight years been living in the shadow of multiple installations, and perilously near to a clearly dangerous substation. Try telling this to folks who have left their homes after being bought out and gagged by the developers.” Citizens are not being taken OUT of harm’s way, but increasingly placed directly in the line of fire.
Dr Sarah Laurie of Australia’s Waubra Foundation states:
“There is growing clinical and acoustic field evidence that despite the efforts of some state governments to deny or ignore these serious adverse health problems, that they do exist, and that the current wind turbine noise regulations and guidelines do not protect people from serious and predictable harm. Professor Hansen’s critique of the SA EPA noise guidelines with respect to his recent Waterloo acoustic survey is worth reading to understand why this is so.”
Click here to read the full NA-PAW News Release on the Health Canada Study Summary
Click here to review the Health Canada Wind Turbine Noise & Health Study that is causing strong opposition and anger
Posted in Health, Uncategorized Edit
APPEC Letter to Hastings and Prince Edward County Medical Officer of Health
Dr. Richard Schabas, Hastings and Prince Edward County Medical Officer of Health
The following open letter was sent to Dr. Richard Schabas, Hastings and Prince Edward County Medical Officer of Health. It is to inform Dr. Schabas of recent medical literature on adverse health effects in the environments of industrial wind turbines. The articles can also be found here:
Diagnostic criteria for adverse health effects in the environs of wind turbines Industrial wind turbines and adverse health effectsAlliance to Protect Prince Edward County
P. O. Box 173
Milford, ON
K0K 2P0
October 20, 2014
Dr. Richard Schabas
Prince Edward Hastings Medical Officer of Health
179 North Park Street
Belleville, ON K8P 4P1
Dear Dr. Schabas:
This letter is public and may be shared.
As our Medical Officer of Health you no doubt want to be kept appraised of the most current information available on the effects of wind turbine infrastructure on human health and well-being.
It may interest you to know that the October 5, 2014 Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine (JRSM Open) includes a new reference: “Diagnostic criteria for adverse health effects in the environs of wind turbines”. We encourage you to share this article with colleagues in order to inform their consideration of diagnostic criteria and for the purposes of peer reviewed references.
You may also be interested in the report in The Canadian Medical Association Journal of Rural Medicine entitled: “Industrial wind turbines and adverse health effects.” This report acknowledges the impact of wind turbine infrastructure on those living in the environs of these projects.
Both of the aforementioned reports are attached.
With a few notable exceptions medical authorities in Ontario are not as well-informed on this topic as they are in other jurisdictions in North America and abroad. We are concerned that this lack of awareness is putting members of the public at risk. The APPEC board would be delighted to meet with you at your earliest convenience to discuss what is being done by those who are entrusted to protect our health.
I look forward to meeting with you to discuss the concerns.
Regards,
Gord Gibbins
Chair, APPEC
contactus@appec.ca
APPEC Presents DownWind at The Regent Theatre July 10, 7PM
The Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County
Protecting What We Love
is presenting the movie
DownWind
at the Regent Theatre on July 10 at 7pm.
Admission $10.00
This movie is about communities and people who are living with wind turbines.
It is an opportunity to hear what Prince Edward County may expect if wind turbines are built in South Marysburgh and Athol.
Come and educate yourself.
Posted in Events, Health, Uncategorized Edit
Carmen Krogh – Harm from Wind Turbines: What Has Been Known for Decades
April 29, 2014
When: Wednesday, May 7, 2014 – 3:30 pm ; Location: University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario
Topic: Harm from Wind Turbines, What has been known for Decades. A review of research on the effects of Low Frequency/Infrasound on people and animals. If you are interested in attending, here is the link to the University of Waterloo event website, a more complete description of the event and more details on the venue. Click the poster to enlarge.
Bio: Carmen Krogh is published in peer-reviewed scientific and medical journals and has presented papers at scientific noise conferences. She is an independent, full time volunteer and for almost 6 years has researched health and other effects associated with industrial wind energy facilities and shares information with individuals, communities, authorities, wind energy developers, industry and others.
Posted in Health, Uncategorized EditLegal – APPEC Report (Part 2) on Jan 23, 2014 ERT Appeal Hearing on health
APPEC’s case is being heard by Justices Nordheimer, Linhares de Sousa and Whitaker of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (Divisional Court).
To give some background APPEC appealed the Environmental Review Tribunal’s Decision of last July (2013) to dismiss APPEC’s appeal based on its findings that:
[627] The evidence in this proceeding did not establish a causal link between wind turbines and either direct or indirect harm to human health at the 550 m set-back distance required under this REA.
[628] The evidence in this hearing did not establish that engaging in the Ostrander Point wind turbine project in accordance with the REA will cause serious harm to human health.
[629] For these reasons the Tribunal finds that the Appellant has not established that engaging in the Project in accordance with the REA will cause serious harm to human health
The grounds for appeal are narrow: the Court will only consider whether errors of law were committed by the Environmental Review Tribunal (Robert Wright and Heather Gibbs) in arriving at their decision to dismiss APPEC’s case. Continue reading …
Health – Oct 24, 2013 – University of Waterloo Research Chair
At a recent symposium in Toronto facilitated by former Toronto Mayor David Miller titled Symposia of the Ontario Research Chairs in Public Policy, a poster entitled ‘Wind Turbine Noise, Sleep Quality, and Symptoms of Inner Ear Problems’ was displayed by Claire Paller, Phil Bigelow, Shannon Majowicz, Jane Law, and Tanya Christidis.
The research indicates statistically significant results for sleep, vertigo and tinnitus (excerpt): “All relationships were found to be positive and statistically significant.” Continue reading
Click on the Poster below to enlarge for viewing:
Health – May 30, 2013 – Adverse health effects of industrial wind turbines
Canadian family physicians can expect to see increasing numbers of rural patients reporting adverse effects from exposure to industrial wind turbines (IWTs). People who live or work in close proximity to IWTs have experienced symptoms that include decreased quality of life, annoyance, stress, sleep disturbance, headache, anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction. Continue reading
Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County 