MAPLETON – Following a lengthy discussion on wind turbines at a Sept. 24 Mapleton council meeting, MPP Matthew Rae wrote a letter to Mayor Gregg Davidson and council regarding the province’s approach to renewable energy projects.
“Unlike the previous provincial government’s approach, municipalities must be willing hosts to any renewable energy projects,” Rae writes in the letter.
“Proposed projects would require the local municipality to pass a resolution of support,” he notes, and projects on or near farmland would also require an agricultural impact assessment.
“Ontario’s energy needs are projected to nearly double by 2050 as our economy and communities continue to grow,” Rae states, and the province is “focussed on securing the most reliable, efficient and affordable energy regardless of source.”
In rural communities like Mapleton, Rae said he advocates for the expansion of natural gas.
“There is no provincial mandate to expand wind turbines across rural Ontario,” his letter states.
“Local councils and communities can choose to decide to allow these specific renewable energy projects to move forward, if they meet all the criteria.”
The letter was in the agenda for Mapleton council’s Oct. 8 meeting, and during the meeting councillor Amanda Reid said she found the letter confusing and asked for clarification.
Reid said she has seen “a lot of articles that are showing that Doug Ford and his government is shifting the direction of wind power. I know this letter is here and it says there is no provincial mandate but that’s not what’s being told to us otherwise.”
Davidson said his take on the letter is that “yes the province is open for it but it’s not being mandated or pushed down to municipalities to actually do it. That’s what I’m understanding from it.”
