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Volume 73, Number 22 GST Included $1.25 Wednesday June 2, 2010 Newcastle Town Hall Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 Agreement No. 40012366 Serving Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle, Newtonville, Orono, Starkville and Tyrone since 1937 Wind group forms A new local group, Clarington Wind Concerns (CWC), aims to raise awareness of possible wind farm developments in the area. Heather Rutherford and Jane Greenwood met with the Orono Times on Thursday afternoon to discuss their concerns with industrial wind turbines in their area and the need to create a local group of concerned residents. While they don't know who in their area has signed a contract with wind farm developers, they have heard that someone has. Rutherford said she became aware of the wind farm issue in April when the government announced they had issued 184 large-scale renewable energy contracts. When she researched the company that had been awarded a contract for a Clarington wind farm, she saw a dot on a map indicting a wind turbine right where her house is located on Regional Road 9. "Alarm bells went off in my head," she said. Greenwood who lives one kilometer south of the Rutherfords, said she was not paying a whole lot of attention to the issue until she realized the wind farm was earmarked for her area. "Our home is our retirement Kirby residents Jane Greenwood (left) and Heather Rutherford, shown here holding her 22-month-old daughter Avery, have formed the Clarington Wind Concerns. home," she stated, "We are older and concerned about our health; we want to enjoy our retirement and don't want to be incapacitated in any way." Rutherford and Greenwood have formed CWC and hope to educate the community on the negative effects industrial wind turbines can have on human health, the environment, and property values. Rutherford claims she is a NIMBY (Not in my back yard) because she doesn't want wind turbines in her backyard nor in anyone else's backyard until independent clinical health studies are conducted to determine reasonable setback limits which would protect human health and well-being. "Aside from our concerns with our health, the wildlife in the area, the Oak Ridges Moraine, we're very concerned about the decrease in our property values resulting from these turbines," Rutherford stated. "In other areas, property values have plummeted 30- to 40-percent within a five-kilometer radius of wind farms," she said. Current allowable setbacks from homes is 550meters.Rutherford says a wind turbine 550-meters from her home would make portions of her property unsafe. Ice buildup on tur- bine blades can be thrown hundreds of feet, as can turbine blades that detach from the tower. "Because of the Green Energy Act, projects are being moved ahead at an accelerated pace, despite the warnings from experts around the world," said Rutherford. Two wind farm companies have been offered contracts from the Province for WIND see page 4 What's Inside Standardbred horseshow is off the beaten track by Sue Weigand Some of the locals might think they've seen it all when it comes to Standardbred horses at the Orono Fairground. But Standardrama organizers say they ain't seen nothin' yet. Those familiar with the breed and its racetrack abilities may be surprised to see Standardbreds performing in a dressage class, or under Western tack, pole bending and barrel racing, but that's exactly what's in store for visitors to the first annual Standardrama horse show at the Fairground on Sunday, June 27th. Sarah Hirtle of Peterborough is head of the Standardrama show committee along with Tammi Hughes of Oshawa. Hirtle says the horseshow is the first of its kind in the area, and meant to demonstrate how versatile the Standardbred is by showing it in traditional horse competition. "We feel the Standardbred is the undiscovered charm of the show world," she states. And the Orono Fairground seems like the perfect venue for the event, she says, because of its history with Standardbreds. "It used to be a racetrack," says Hirtle. "Tammi's grandfather used to race there. It's also a really nice place, and it's a good, central location for the area east of Toronto." Hirtle -- who is married, and the mother of two boys, one 15-months, the other fouryears old -- works as a stable groom. It's a job she's done for 10 years, working at all the Ontario racetracks such as Kawartha Downs and Woodbine. But she says it wasn't until a few years ago, when she got her first Standardbred for riding, that she became hooked on riding them, showing them, and promoting them for adoption. HORSE see page 5 Places I've Done Time See page 9.