Volume 73, Number 30 GST Included $1.25 Wednesday August 11, 2010 Orono Town Hall Publications Mail Registration No. 09301 Agreement No. 40012366 Serving Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle, Newtonville, Orono, Starkville and Tyrone since 1937 Residents question developer's spin on wind turbines by Sue Weigand The Orono Town Hall was filled to capacity (120 people) last month for a public meeting held by Zero Emissions People Inc. (ZEP) regarding its proposed development of a 20-MegaWatt, 10-turbine industrial wind farm in the Orono-Kirby area. The exact location of the wind farm was not disclosed at the meeting. Approximately 70 more local residents were lined up outside the hall after the venue reached its capacity by the 7 p.m. start time, with one police officer at the door, another on stage with the organizers, and a pair patrolling on foot outside on Main Street. The meeting fulfills one of the requirements of the Ontario government as part of the Renewable Energy Approval process for companies, like Wind Works Power Corp. (WWPC), awarded a contract through the Feed-In Tariff program. Founded in 2008, ZEP was acquired by WWPC in January 2010. The ZEP Ganaraska Wind Farm was one of seven power purchase agreements offered to WWPC by the Ontario Power Authority on April 8, 2010. ZEP's July 28th meeting followed a meeting held at the Orono Arena the previous week by Clarington Wind Concerns, a group working "to protect the health, safety TURBINES see page 3 Jacob Taylor thought he had found a machine that dispensed money out of the slot at the bottom when he saw this styrofoam box in the ditch near his home on the 5th Concession. What's Inside While Jacob and his mom went for a walk on the road outside their home on the 5th Concession east of Newtonville Road, on Monday night, they saw a white box in the ditch. When they picked it up they read the note attached which explained that inside the box was an instrument that measures ozone concentrations, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction. The instrument was mounted in a lightweight styrofoam container, then tied to a helium-filled weather balloon and launched into the sky. The instruments collect data from just above ground level to about two-to-three kilometers above the earth's surface and transmit it back to the ground-based scientists. The box was launched from a weather station in Barrie, on a ballon, the Taylors found out when they called the Environment Canada phone number in the attached letter. The balloon disintegrates and box floats on a parachute until it lands, they were told. As the instrument is re- usable, there is a return address label included in the box and a notification of a $25 reward for the return of the styrofoam box. Seven-year-old Jacob says he is going to put $5 away and spend the rest of the money when it comes. See page 4