Monstrous

Turbine components roll steadily through Cherry Valley

Photo: Graham Davies

ANotice to Proceed handed to wpd Canada by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) during the provincial election campaign has left many County residents with a bad taste in their mouths.

Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith vowed his government will take action after the Progressive Conservative party was sworn into power last Friday.

“It’s completely unacceptable and wrong that this decision was made by the Independent Electricity System Operator during the election. This should never have happened and breaches every convention or longstanding practice during the period of an election campaign. Our PC Government has not yet taken office, but when it does, I will be seeking immediate action to address this issue. It is an affront to democracy. We need to stop this project from proceeding,” said Smith.

Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County (APPEC) member Paula Peel says the IESO issued the approval despite the importance of the issue province-wide during the campaign.

“Residents of Prince Edward County have been stunned by the discovery that the IESO has given a Notice to Proceed to the much-contested White Pines wind power project during the election campaign. This means that the IESO has waived its right to cancel the Project’s FIT Contract without liability,” said Peel.

In 2016, an Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) ruled the project would cause serious and irreversible harm to animal life and the natural environment.Late last year, the ERT removed 18 of the remaining 27 turbines from the project, leaving many residents to think the project was squashed. wpd Canada has pushed forward and has been delivering turbine components to the sites for the past couple of weeks.