Wind Turbine Visual Impact Study Report
By Jack Ellis

Since last spring a University of Guelph team has been busy studying the potential visual impact of industrial wind turbines in Tiny. The team is composed of leading experts in this field: Prof. James Taylor and Prof. Robert Corey of Guelph’s Landscape Architecture Program, assisted by Ms. Shirley Hall, a recent graduate student.

By the time you read this, their draft report should have been presented to Council and become available for circulation. The basic objectives of the study were to:

1. provide a community standard to protect the scenic beauty of Tiny Township,

2. base the analysis on sound principles of visual resource assessment,

3. provide the standard in a form that can be legally adopted and provide clear zones and guidelines to potential wind turbine developers.

The Guelph team undertook a thorough study of the township by land, water and air. They identified 15 different characteristic landscapes, and mapped the township accordingly. Each landscape unit in the township was assessed for visual quality and sensitivity to industrial wind turbine development.

The Guelph team held a well-attended public meeting last summer and conducted an all-day interactive workshop session in September. The public provided information regarding which landscapes, focal points and views are most highly valued and require the strongest protection from the visually intrusive turbines, indicating shorelines, inland waters and forests as the three most valued types of landscape.

Ongoing discussions were held with Township planners and the Official Plan Review consultants regarding how to incorporate the recommendations of the study into the Township’s revised Official Plan. The draft final report merges a huge amount of information on the landscape units, their value to the public, the potential to mitigate intrusion from turbines, and many other factors.

The final analysis led to the mapping of three types of zones:

1. Turbines are excluded from these zones,

2. Turbines may be permitted after proponent conducts a specific study to demonstrate their suitability to Council,

3. Turbines may be permitted subject to appropriate setbacks.

Unfortunately, the implementation of the Visual Impact Study will be complicated by the Ontario government’s efforts to pass its Green Energy Bill. This Bill, still under review by legislative committees, contains strong medicine indeed. It would strip municipalities of all planning controls on renewable energy projects and centralize them with the Province. Official Plans would be just so much empty paper!

The objectives of the Act are laudable: to provide “green jobs” for Ontario, to increase the proportion of our electric power from renewable sources, and to help to end our dependence on dirty coal.

But nobody wants to despoil beautiful areas and devastate local property values in the process. The proposed industrial wind turbines (40+ stories high) can do that in a heartbeat!

The Bill has attracted criticism from citizens, lawyers, municipalities and activists across the province. The Tiny Cottager suggests that all residents of Tiny should inform themselves about the proposed Green Energy Act and its potential to run roughshod over your rights. Make your opinion known to Council and to your MPP.