Burwell resident fights council on turbine issues
Posted By By Jeff Helsdon in the Tillsonburg News
Nov 4, 2009

A Port Burwell resident who is energy self-sufficient, butted heads with Bayham council over zoning issues.

Matthew Redsell erected a wind turbine on his property in Port Burwell two years ago and was given the necessary temporary zoning at the time. Since the zoning was about to run out, Redsell spoke to Bayham councillors at a recent council meeting in a sometimes-heated exchange about the turbine zoning and what he called his "natural garden".

Redsell made reference to the province's recently-released Green Energy Act that takes the approval process for wind turbines out of the municipal planning process.

"If the province lays down a decision then we need to come back and make a decision," said Coun. Mark Taylor while trying to keep Redsell from interjecting.
"Until that point, there's no point in another lecture of what the mental capacity of this council is to understand."

Redsell again pointed to the Green Energy Act and again said the municipality can't legislate wind turbines according to the Green Energy Act.

Administrator Kyle Kruger said, as Redsell indicated, the regulations released by the province last Friday have more information, but he hasn't been able to find the specific regulations pertaining to home-based turbines. "They make it clear that the planning act does not apply to the Green Energy Act and wind turbines," he said.

Ketchabaw asks if there is an approval process for small-scale turbines. Kruger said it isn't clear at this point it's not clear about small-scale turbines.

"I just don't feel I'm being listened to," Redsell said. "I've had to hire a lawyer and it's been expensive. Here, I'm trying to tell you what the answer is and you don't seem to be interested. "I'm not here being a fool. I do good research. We have to deal with windmills and issues other than cut lawns."

Mayor Lynn Acre countered that council is being supportive of Redsell's cause and gave him the two-year pilot, which she said seems to be a success. "The issue I feel that is coming back and forth here is the zoning," she said. "Now we've found out just Friday that's not an issue. Let's just sit back and wait and see."

Redsell said he feels as though he is wasting his time.

Speaking to the lawn reference – which deals with Redsell's natural garden and growing crops on his lawn – Taylor said he respects the concept, but it is upsetting the neighbours. "Your neighbours are ratepayers as well," Taylor said. "In town, in my mind, is not a place for a crop. It's not a place for livestock."
Taylor told Redsell he can dispute the matter with the Ontario Municipal Board, but he shouldn't ram his beliefs down his neighbour's throats and say that they don't understand.
Redsell countered that it's been proven in Toronto you can't deal with aesthetic issues through planning.
"The thing is you're trying to ram aesthetic issues down my throat and it's been proven in court that you can't do that," he said, before leaving the meeting abruptly.