When is a bribe a benefit?

Wolfe Erlichman | Mar 31, 2016

In a story published in the March 3, 2016 issue of the Frontenac News, the opponents of windmills in Addington Highlands Township complain that the township council only supported the windmill projects because the companies offered to pay the township $500,000 a year for 20 years. What's wrong with a community benefiting from hosting windmills? Many people complain that hosting communities have all of the problems associated with renewable projects but none of the benefits. Calling a benefit a bribe doesn't change the fact that this is welcome income for many communities. I didn't realize that Addington Highlands or North Frontenac were so rich that they could turn down that kind of income.

The opponents of renewable projects have a number of reasons for opposing them. The main one mentioned in the BEARAT (Bon Echo Area Residents Against Turbines) website has to do with the environment and species at risk. While it is true that building turbines will have a disruptive affect on the environment, it is also true that impacts can be mitigated through careful planning and remediation. The projects will have to undergo an environmental impact study, which will help determine the impacts and whether they can be mitigated. It is important to remember that everything we do has an impact on the environment and that we will have to use more nuclear power if we do not increase our renewable energy sources. Nuclear power also has impacts on the environment and this has to be remembered in our discussion.

Finally, opponents of windmills claim that windmills will spoil the natural beauty of the area and will harm the tourism business. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I would like to make a personal observation in that regard. I visited Prince Edward Island last summer and had wonderful time. I would gladly go back. Of course, there are windmills there and my guess is that they have little or no effect on the tourism business.