Yah, life is complicated and politics are even more complicated, especially when governments go where the wind blows.
There is a new government in the province of Ontario and the Progressive Conservatives campaigned against a bunch of stuff, including alternative energy projects. Sadly, the former Liberal government made a mess of what could have been a huge step away from fossil fuel dependency. The Microfit program was not part of an over-arching plan and poorly executed. Still, promising to dispense with new projects and cancelling existing ones is another example of negative governance playing to a certain disgruntled group.
Now, here is were it gets intriguing. The PC's have committed to cancelling the White Pines wind turbine project in Prince Edward County, an initiative which probably shouldn't have been approved in the first place. This is a sensitive area for migrating birds as well as being habitat for other creatures and there has been a determined fight to get the turbines cancelled. So, the government may be helping protect an important ecosystem but for the wrong reasons and at the wrong time. As the CEO of wpd describes the situation: “The footprint of the project is 100 per cent in — so all the access roads, the concrete for the base foundations, much of the electrical infrastructure. The sub-station is nearing completion.”
The project includes nine wind turbines meant to produce enough electricity to power just over 3,000 homes annually. The original proposal was for 27 turbines but a review resulted in a reduction of the footprint. All of the turbines are expected to be installed over the next three weeks, with testing scheduled for the following month. In other words it is nearing completion. The company claims that cancellation will cost Ontario taxpayers $100 million.
What a mess for a government in power all of two weeks. Little wonder that Jesus got a little cagey when he was asked about rulers and powers-that-be.
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