Ontario citizens want wildlife protected from wind power plants

TORONTO, Feb. 20, 2014 /CNW/ - Ontario citizens expect government to protect wildlife, according to a recent poll. Results of an online public poll hosted by Wind Concerns Ontario showed that 97.38 percent of the more than 1,300 people responding said they did not support the killing of birds and animals for wind power development.

"We think Ontario citizens are unaware of the government's policy on wildlife, even endangered species, and wind power," said Jane Wilson, president, Wind Concerns Ontario. "They don't know that wind power developers are allowed to show that the 'overall benefit' of their projects trumps the need to protect birds and animals."

At the Ostrander Point wind power project to be built on Crown land, the developer proposed to build a "compensation area" for endangered Blanding's turtles, Wilson said. "We're not sure how the turtles were going to get the message about that," Wilson said. "The real message is, this government supports wind power developers, no matter what the cost."

SOURCE: Wind Concerns Ontario

Jane Wilson 613-489-3591/613-725-7120/www.windconcernsontario.ca