Environmental Review Tribunal Finds Settlers Landing Wind Project will Cause Irreversible Harm

TORONTO - Nov. 23, 2015 - PRLog -- The Ministry of Attorney General office released the decision of the Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) on the appeal of the Settlers Landing Wind development project. The ERT found that engaging in the Project will cause serious and irreversible harm to plant life, animal life or the natural environment as defined by the Environmental Protection Act (EPA.)

Specifically, the Tribunal finds that construction and decommissioning of two of the turbines and the access roads to three of the five turbines will cause harm to a significant woodland identified as Woodland 11, including the habitat it represents. The Hearing was held in Pontypool, Ontario on the Oak Ridges Moraine during the fall, 2015.

Save The Oak Ridges Moraine (STORM) grassroots base made it clear to its Board of Directors that they are concerned that the increasing number of industrial scale green-energy projects proposed and being approved on the Oak Ridges Moraine signifies a retreat away from the spirit and intent of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (ORMCP). These concerns prompted STORM to participate in five Environmental Review Tribunal Hearings dealing with industrial scale energy projects on the Oak Ridges Moraine, - Settlers Landing , Illumination Solar, Sumac Ridge, Ganaraska and currently Snowy Ridge.

“STORM is delighted to learn that the Environmental Review Tribunal (ERT) recognizes the importance of this significant woodland and habitat. We applaud the Tribunal on their decision that will ensure significant woodlands and habitat on the Oak Ridges Moraine will remain preserved,” said STORM Chair, Cindy Sutch.

“STORM favours the adoption of green measures including the development of scale appropriate green energy” added Debbe Crandall, Director-Policy. “At the same time, we are deeply concerned by the loss of natural habitat and the increasing encroachment that would result if these industrial scale developments proceed, especially in the context of Provincially protected landscapes and countryside areas in southern Ontario”

The Ontario government's vision for the Oak Ridges Moraine is that of "a continuous band of green rolling hills that provides form and structure to south-central Ontario, while protecting the ecological and hydrological features and functions that support the health and well-being of the region's residents and ecosystems.” – Introduction to the ORMCP, 2002.

About STORM

Save The Oak Ridges Moraine (STORM) is an advocacy group that supports citizens across the Moraine.

STORM was established in 1989 to raise awareness of the sensitivity of the moraine’s ecology to impacts from urban development and other land uses such as forest destruction, aggregate extraction and infrastructure projects (roads and pipes) and to secure better planning and management governance for the ORM.

STORM’s years of experience in policy and planning on the Oak Ridges Moraine and its well-developed network of local and regional contacts were critical to the campaign that saved (legislatively) the Oak Ridges Moraine. In 2001, the Ontario Legislature unanimously enacted the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act and in 2002 the province established the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan. The primary purpose of the legislation is to protect the ecological and hydrological integrity of the Oak Ridges Moraine.

The Oak Ridges Moraine is a landform unique to southern Ontario. One of Ontario's largest moraines, the Oak Ridges Moraine extends 160 kilometres from the Niagara Escarpment in the west to the Trent River system in the east, and is on average 13 kilometres wide. One-hundred-and-fifty metres deep, the moraine stands out as one of the most distinct landscapes of southern Ontario. Its height above the flat lands to the north and south, its rolling hills and river and stream valleys and large blocks of mixed forest provide solace and a sense of connection to the people who live, work and play on the moraine, natural and wild habitat for flora and fauna, and untapped recreational opportunities.