Residents of Chatham-Kent (CK) were disappointed as councillors tabled conversations about wind turbines.
During Monday night’s meeting, Councillor Amy Finn’s motion for council to reconsider its previous decision not to become an ‘Unwilling Host’ for IESO Wind Energy Procurements was brought forward.
Since council had previously voted on this during the current term, the motion required support from two-thirds of the councillors to pass. The motion failed with an 11 to 6 vote.
Lauren Aziz, a resident of rural CK, spoke during the meeting, bringing attention to some of her concerns surrounding turbines.
“At the last meeting, I spoke about how rural residents are already underserved and overlooked, and that argument still stands,” said Aziz. “We have no trash pickup, limited road maintenance, no water or gas lines, and no nearby fire hall or library, yet we're the ones being asked to live beside industrial turbines that offer no direct benefit to us.”
Aziz was frustrated with the vote as well as the fact that her ward councillor, Morena McDonald, wasn’t in attendance for the meeting.
“I had hope and I had faith that our council actually heard us and took us into consideration, and then to see that we were one vote off was honestly devastating, and I think the part that was even more devastating is that my ward councillor wasn't even there to vote,” Aziz continued.
Aziz does not want what happened in Dover to happen to her community.
“We bought this home and we've worked so hard for it, and then to find out within a year that our well water could be disrupted, it broke my heart,” she said.
Another resident, Derek Melnick, expressed his opinion, reminding council of the over 1,000 residents who signed petitions opposing the wind projects.
“Chatham Kent already has over 400 turbines, one of the highest totals in Ontario. That's more than our share. Meanwhile, the residents of North Kent are still trucking water years later, their lives have been forever disrupted,” said Melnick.
He felt that the council wasted the time of a lot of people who care deeply about the issue.
“I'm just very frustrated and disappointed, I guess heartened that the majority of council wanted to have a vote on it, but extremely disappointed in the mayor,” Melnick added.
Melnick took to Facebook, saying he would be a ‘thorn in the side’ for council the next time wind turbine proposals are brought forward, even if the turbines will not directly affect him.
After the vote, residents attending the meeting proceeded to walk out with one member shouting out “shame on you” to councillors.
Councillor Melissa Harrigan was one of the councillors who did not support the motion because she thinks the process they have right now works "really, really well."
“Chatham Kent is very large and certainly there have been concerns in North Kent and South Kent, there's also been far less concerns with some of the windmills in West Kent, and so I just want to be appreciative of the diversity of opinions that people have,” said Harrigan.
She added that it’s distressing when people yell or scream at council, but she is confident people are bringing their best of intentions when engaging with council.
“I think especially as a female councillor, it's very distressing when that happens because we have as councillors been personally threatened or people have done not kind things,” said Harrigan.
Other councillors opposed to Finn’s motion included Trevor Thompson, Brock McGregor, Marjorie Crew, Aaron Hall, and Mayor Darrin Canniff.
