Candidates running for the Ward 43 seat seem to have a different spin when it comes to the proposed wind turbine project off the Scarborough Bluffs.

Paul Ainslie and John Laforet are against the installation of wind turbines in Lake Ontario; while Benjamin Mbaegbu, Bhaskar Sharma and Samuel Getachew support them. Mbaegbu, though, said the Scarborough Bluffs isn’t the proper location.“I am completely against them,” said Ainslie, the incumbent councillor. “I have always been completely against them from the first day they came out.”

A wind testing study is currently being done at the site. In June the Ministry of Environment announced that the province has decided on a five-kilometre setback for offshore wind farms. Since the lake bed off the Scarborough Bluffs drops off after four kilometres it likely means the proposed wind turbines off the Scarborough Bluffs won’t be viable.

”I would like a scientifically based health study done on the effects of wind turbines on local population, the human population, animal population,” Ainslie said.

“We don’t know the effects of putting concrete structures like this on the lake bed and how it affects fish spawning grounds. There’s also an issue of migratory birds. As a city councillor there’s a huge issue on overspending taxpayer dollars to build wind turbines on Lake Ontario. A lot of jurisdictions are looking at them as outdated technology now for saying you’re green and respecting the environment.”

Laforet, president of Wind Concerns Ontario, said he’s been fighting wind turbines for more than two years.

“There’s overwhelming opposition,” Laforet said. “There’s a lack of scientific protocol. It’s alarming. There’s known to be a real health impact and environmental impact. This city and this province are pretending there aren’t any issues and it’s not worth studying to prove or disprove.”

It’s also a financial issue, he added.

“It’s a billion dollars of our money on a project that will never see that return. How much debt do you want a City of Toronto agency to take on? It’s probably the worst way to generate electricity on a grand scale. Toronto Hydro is supposed to be providing our houses with reliable, affordable energy, not generating energy – that’s not their mandate.”

Mbaegbu said he supports the green use of generating electricity,

“Wind turbines are a very good project for the city, but not the location (off the Scarborough Bluffs),” he said. “It will create employment, but it’s a health hazard to the people around it.”
Sharma said he thinks the wind turbines would be good for Scarborough and the environment.

“Of course more detailed study must be done to look at its full usefulness. I know it’s a turn off for people who think it might be taking away from landscape, but I feel when we look at going back to nature and beauty and the environment it will be good for future generations and people at large,” he said.

Getachew said turbines will offer a great source of alternative energy.

“I support the wind turbines,” he said. “I’ve travelled to so many places, including Norway, Denmark, Africa, and I’ve seen what’s happening in Alberta and they do use them. We can’t depend on the same source to produce energy over and over again. I think they’re a great alternative.

“There hasn’t been any signs telling us they’re bad for the environment or someone’s health. The only thing people have is fear. We have to be conscious. There might be problems in the future, but as of now I don’t see any problems with them. I think they would be a great source of energy for us.”

Getachew said he also supports development on Kingston Road and infill developments that have popped up in the ward. “We need more developers,” he said.

“We need more business owners. We need more people creating jobs. There are issues. People have discussed them with me. I want different conversations to take place. It’s an issue that can be solved.”

Mbaegbu agreed that development in Ward 43 isn’t an issue, while Sharma said he will look into it.

However, Laforet said the infill on Kingston Road is squandering the opportunity to restore the area.

“My issue is that Ward 43 doesn’t suffer from a lack of housing,” he said.

“There’s many communities where folks can live (in the ward) and there’s very few places where people can work. The reason we have such high poverty in Ward 43 is because the job market is inaccessible based on poor infrastructure and even before the recession our employment rate was considerably higher than the rest of the city. I think Kingston Road and the used car lots and motels present excellent development opportunities for commercial endeavours. I would like to see Kingston Road become a localized job market and a place where people can get work and residents can get services. I think housing squanders that opportunity.”

Laforet said the current state of Kingston Road is a “patchwork of half-empty plazas, old gas stations and seedy motels. The city has a role to play in cleaning that up because it has a very negative impact on the community and we could have something we could be truly proud of and have a great urban feel to it.

“This is the gateway to Toronto from the east. There’s a very good reason to make it so Kingston Road is something people can be proud of and make their living and folks can stay.”

Ainslie said Kingston Road has been on an upswing.

“I can point to a number of different properties throughout that strip where the strip motels, car lots and gas stations have left,” he said.

“Kingston Road’s biggest problem is the economy needs to recover and the neighbourhood needs the economy to recover.”

He added there are six or seven low-rise condominium applications that are ready to go.

“Right now the property owners are sitting on the property because they don’t think they can sell the units so they’re waiting. Once the economy improves – three or four years down the road – you’re going to walk down Kingston Road and see a world of difference. Kingston Road is really going to be someplace for people to go.”

- Michele Mclean

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