Garnet Wilkes | Jul 16, 2015


It has been extremely distressing to watch the whole process of wind power development unfold in my once friendly hometown of Denbigh and Slate Falls in Addington Highlands. I attribute much of the animosity and frustration that has developed to the bullying tactics and unreasonably short times frames imposed by the provincial government to allow for professional research and education and most importantly healthy and constructive debate on what is a significant multimillion dollar decision that has wide-ranging social, economic, health, legal and lifestyle implications.

This unhealthy situation has been made exponentially worse by the high-handed approach taken primarily by Reeve Hogg and the councillors from the lowlands southern portion of the township that have "no skin in the game" except to reap the financial rewards of industrial wind turbines placed in the northern Highlands. For example, responsible community leaders hosted a public education meeting in the community hall in Denbigh on wind turbines with internationally recognized experts in the health and financial community and only Councillor Fritch from the north demonstrated enough respect for the community to attend and listen with the people.

Another more distressing tactic has been the deterioration to schoolyard level name-calling, such as referring contemptuously to affected landowners in the north as Nimbys and Special Interest Groups, etc.

The community has never heard a well-articulated, reasoned position from either Reeve Hogg or the councillors from the south. Nothing but a deafening silence and votes that would enable wind power development. All the community has seen or heard of these three elected officials is for them to sit around the council table with arms crossed scowling at the rabble and then vote in favour of any motion that would enable wind power development. One southern councillor even conjured up some bizarre rationale to vote against a motion that would increase the developers contribution to the Community Vibrancy fund with no articulated reasoning.

A statistically sound survey of Addington Highlands landowners, sanctioned and scrutinized by council showed that an overwhelming 81% of respondents do not favour wind power development. Three southern councillors completely ignored the wishes of the people and, with no articulated rationale, voted against a motion to declare Addington Highlands a "Non Willing Host". Democracy?

This is not leadership in its best form and the northern residents of Addington Highlands deserve much better.

Winston Churchill was reported to have said, "Democracy is the worst form of government - except for all the rest". Perhaps this is a sad example of what he had in mind.

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