A recent decision by the Ontarian regional government in Canada has thrown the province’s ambitious offshore wind plans into apparent meltdown. In an unforeseen move, the province’s Liberal administration has cancelled offshore wind turbines over concerns about a lack of data, claiming there is insufficient information available about the technology’s proven success capability. PES investigates a surprising and potentially far-reaching decision …
The shock decision by politicians in Ontario puts on hold some 141 offshore projects, including Toronto Hydro’s proposal to erect about 70 wind turbines in Lake Ontario stretching from the Leslie Street Spit in Toronto all the way east to Ajax. Attempting to justify the surprise decision, Environment Minister John Wilkinson said: “Offshore wind on freshwater lakes is a recent concept that requires a cautious approach until the science of environmental impact is clear.” Nevertheless, residents and activists who had been fighting the Scarborough Bluffs development were surprised by the news. “It’s a bittersweet victory, feels good and in a way anti-climatic,” said Sherri Lang, director of Toronto Wind Action, which has been fighting the proposal for the past two years.
