As a result of the 2022 Ontario provincial election, the cabinet of Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government saw a significant change. One of the ministers with a new portfolio is Sylvia Jones, who was appointed the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.
First elected in 2007, Jones is a veteran MP. In 2009, she noted the health effects of wind farms on residents in rural Ontario in a speech to the Ontario legislature when the Progressive conservatives were in opposition. The MPP for Dufferin-Caledon stated, “Let me be clear, however, as to my deepest concern. Adverse health effects are occurring as we speak.”
Jones also noted the abusive behaviour leveled at rural residents by wind turbine companies and, on occasion, even the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, in their emphatic denial of the adverse health conditions caused by the turbines stating, “All this victimizes them a second time.”
Finch, Ontario, resident Ruby Mekker knows something about being victimized by wind turbines. Ever since a wind farm went up around her idyllic Ottawa Valley home, Mekker says she hasn’t had a decent night’s sleep. Her country abode, where she planned to spend the rest of her life, has become a nightmare due to the adverse effect of this “sustainable” alternative energy industry. Ottawa Life spent the day with the Mekker family and wrote about it in our article “No recourse: Ontario’s green energy dream has turned into a nightmare.” Mekker continues her activism against Ontario wind farms along with a group of concerned citizens living in the Finch area.
ABOVE: Ruby Mekker holds a map showing the locations of the 29 turbines.
In a recently published letter to Robert Lerch, Director of the Health Protection and Surveillance Policy and Programs Branch at the Government of Ontario, Mekker brings attention to newly researched risks attached to wind turbines and wind farming.
Mekker’s letter references an August 2022 Remix News story by John Cody that sites wind turbines emit hexafluoride, a highly poisonous greenhouse gas that the article states is 26,000 times more harmful than carbon dioxide.
The toxic gas is used as an insulator on circuitry in the tight confines of the turbines. Using this form of insulation, more parts and machinery can fit into the confined spaces of turbine structures. Consistent exposure to this gas is hazardous to humans and interferes with the ability to exhale carbon dioxide, which can lead to respiratory arrest.
In her letter, Mekker also points out that the lifespan of this gas is extremely long. “Once this substance enters the atmosphere, it takes more than 3,000 years for SF6 to decompose again and become inert,” according to a report from German media outlet Taggeschau.
Mekker’s letter also focuses on other areas of concern regarding wind turbines, including the epoxy used in the construction process, which contains Bisphenol A, also referred to as BPA. According to the Mayo Clinic, this is a toxic substance linked to cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and conditions of the prostate glands and the brain in fetuses, infants, and children.
With ample video evidence of wind turbine collapse and malfunction, Mekker worries that the chemicals used to manufacture the turbines for this “green industry” will affect her land.
In addition to the newly found concerns regarding the turbines seeping toxic gas, Mekker continues to be irritated by the consistent humming from the turbines across the street and behind her home. Her letter claims that the government did not do its due diligence before going ahead with the turbines and that under the Health Protection and Promotion Act of Ontario, section 11, a duty to determine whether a health issue exists was not carried out by the Ministry of Health.
The European Environment Agency has studied the data and ruled that noise pollution causes 12,000 premature deaths yearly in Europe. European courts have already litigated damages over disruption caused by wind turbines.
The news of highly toxic greenhouse gasses being released by wind farms is another citation in a growing case against the use of wind turbines for power generation in Ontario, especially given their limited contribution to the total net power generation in the province. The irony is not lost that the government is allowing the use of climate-killing gases to produce “green energy.
Mekker believes the Ontario government is failing in its duty to protect citizens. As governments at all levels reject traditional forms of fuel and pivot to so-called “green energy, Mekker asks, “who in the whole government of Ontario is there to protect the health of the people of Ontario as pertains to the negative health impacts of industrial wind turbines.”
The Ontario government knows about the dangers. Thirteen years ago, Minister Jones raised the issue of adverse health effects in the provincial parliament; now that she is Minister of Health, it's time for her to act.
The municipality of Finch, with its 29 turbines, is located approximately 45 kilometers Southeast of Ottawa. Mekker encourages Ottawa residents and politicians to visit and learn about this form of power generation before wind turbines within the City of Ottawa limits become a reality.
When you go, consider taking a gas mask.
For more information on industrial wind farming, visit https://www.windconcernsontario.ca or https://www.wind-watch.org
