Ian Hanna, 56, operator of a wine importing business, argues in his lawsuit that the provincial government wasn’t fully informed when it concluded industrial wind turbines could exist 550 meters away from the nearest home.
Hanna and his supporters say there is no medical evidence to support the decision and are asking a Superior Court judge to halt all wind development until a full medical study is performed.
The case will be heard in Toronto (Canada) on 31 January.
“They didn't look at the dangers, at what these things can do to people,” Hanna told the Ottawa Citizen newspaper. “We maintain they had an obligation to seriously consider the health of Ontario citizens before they allowed companies to come in and stick these things so close to their homes that they make them sick. So we've asked the court to declare those four sections of the act void.”
Anti-wind activists contend the low-frequency noise emitted from turbines leads to chronic sleeplessness, stress and even hypertension causing heart disease.
Over the weekend, Hanna spoke to about 125 people at a public meeting organized by the North Gower Wind Action Group, the newspaper said. He is represented by Eric Gillespie, a Toronto-based attorney with considerable experience in environmental lawsuits.
The legal challenge has been funded through the efforts of APPEC, the Alliance to Protect Prince Edward County and CCSAGE, the County Coalition for Safe and Appropriate Green Energy. To date, more than $200,000 of the $250,000 target has been raised from donations, mostly by county residents, but also through Wind Concerns Ontario, a province-wide organization of more than 50 citizens’ groups.
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