The Michaud family of Thamesville, Ontario is suing Kent Breeze Corp., MacLeod Windmill Project Inc. and Suncor Energy Services Inc. for $1.5 million CAD claiming they have suffered vertigo, nausea and sleep disruption caused by the Kent Breeze wind farm. The wind farm, which began operating in May 2011, consists of eight turbines, the closest of which is 1,146 metres from the Michaud's property. Interestingly, the same largely German made turbines, seem to cause adverse health effects only to Ontarians and Germans living much closer to the turbines seem to be unaffected. To put this lawsuit into perspective it may be useful to compare Ontario to Germany, the country with the longest experience operating wind turbines:
Setbacks
Ontario: 550 meters
Germany: 80 meters
Number of turbines in operation
Ontario: 900
Germany: 22,000
Approximate number of years utility-scale turbines have been in operation
Ontario: 5
Germany: 25
Area
Ontario: 1,076,395 sq. km.
Germany: 357, 022 sq. km.
Future development
Ontario: The incumbent in the current Ontario provincial election, Tim Hudak, has vowed to stop all future wind energy development in Ontario and tear up a $7 billion CAD deal to expand renewable energy manufacturing in Ontario.
Germany: just announced plans to further increase financing opportunities to quickly and efficiently promote further development of wind farms in the country.
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