It’s OK to kill 900 birds/year in Bornish?
Basically the Ontario government is trying to make a certain ‘number’ of dead birds killed by a wind turbine acceptable (or ignorable).
• 2 raptors/windpower project (<10 turbines).
It makes me absolutely SICK that they are clearly acknowledging there will be a bird kill rate, and further, it would be acceptable as a guideline for the wind industry to follow the bird kill rate for monitoring purposes only. If the industry exceeds that rate, there is no means of ‘punishing’ the industry. All they are required to do is monitor. Also, the monitoring rates are in terms of per turbine/per year – so what if they kill 180 birds flying through a group of 10 turbines – they’ll get over it?!! Death is considered a “potential negative effect”?? That is supreme arrogance as far as I am concerned.
If the federal government is charging companies like Syncrude in Alberta for killing >400 ducks, taking them to court, and forcing them to pay millions in damages towards conservation efforts, why is it OK in Ontario to do essentially the same thing, and get away with it completely?? What happens with contraventions to the federal Migratory Birds Act – who is accountable – the Ontario tax payer? Is this part of their Open for Business Plan – kill off as many birds as possible, hire a slew of conservation officers to figure out how to re-establish the loss, and let it be known to Ontarions they have now created an extra 100 jobs?
The end date for the comment period is Dec 20, 2010.
In my humble opinion, it is on this issue alone that a vote of non-confidence should be entered against the current government.
Posted on November 30, 2010, in Take Action. Bookmark the permalink.	Leave a comment.