Council won’t declare Chatham-Kent unwilling wind farm host

Chatham-Kent councilors have rejected a motion to declare the municipality unwilling to host future wind projects.

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North Kent Coun. Rhonda Jubenville, who entered the motion Monday, said people living near existing turbines report considerable impact on their lives due to noise, health and clean water risks.

“There’s a lot of unanswered questions,” she said.

The motion asked council not to support “establishment of any new wind turbine projects within the municipality; and that administration be directed to advise the IESO and any potential applicants who approach the municipality about wind projects, of this resolution.”

The motion was defeated 11-3.

Jubenville represents the ward where some residents reported water well issues amid construction and operation of the North Kent Wind project.

Chatham-Kent has had no response to its May 2023 letter to the Health Ministry calling for more tests, she said, following a 2021 all-hazard probe of the project’s impact after some residents reported wells clogged by sediment.

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While some residents don’t want wind turbines, the municipality shouldn’t remove the option for those who do, several councilors said.

North Kent Coun. Jamie McGrail didn’t support the motion, but said council does have a role on a case-by-case basis.

“I want to make it very, very clear that if a (proposed) project does come to North Kent, I will not be supporting it, because of what we learned in North Kent,” she said. “But I need to learn more right now to properly proceed in going with the next steps.”

Bruce McAllister, Chatham-Kent’s community development general manager, said if the municipality didn’t back a specific project, it would not meet procurement criteria.

“They need to have municipal support as a requirement under the RFP (request for proposal),” he said.

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Tomo Matesic, Entegrus’ vice-president of engineering and operations, told council wind turbines are seen as a “net benefit to the environment and . . . the electricity grid.

“It is one of the cleanest forms of energy. Solar and wind are seen as the future,” he said, noting wind is also the cheapest electricity per kilowatt hour.

Gord Quinton, Chatham-Kent’s chief financial officer and treasurer, said wind projects bring in about $2 million a year in tax revenue.

“That’s equivalent to one per cent of our budget revenue,” he said. “There’s also the financial benefit to the farmers directly.”

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