In 2008, Toronto Hydro proposed installing an anemometer in Lake Ontario near the Scarborough Bluffs. The anemometer would measure wind speeds and assess if the area could be a potential site for wind turbines. Below is a letter which TEA distributed to Toronto residents. 

October 27, 2008

Dear Torontonians,

For 20 years the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA) has been advocating for, and helping build a green Toronto. Today, I’m asking you to help us continue this important work by supporting Toronto Hydro’s proposal to test wind speeds in Lake Ontario, near the Scarborough Bluffs. If Toronto is to benefit from the renewable power revolution taking place across the planet, we at least have to know whether Lake Ontario is a possible site for wind turbines. To be clear, we are asking you to support Toronto Hydro testing wind speeds, not installing wind turbines. The Toronto Hydro proposal is for a 15 metre tall structure, 4 metres of it would be above the water, the remainder below the water line. This structure would simply test wind speed.

This is part of a larger effort by Toronto Hydro to determine whether there is sufficient wind off the eastern shores of Toronto to possibly install wind turbines in the future. Should Toronto Hydro determine that the wind and economic potential is there, Toronto Hydro would then develop a project proposal. This proposal would have to go through an environmental assessment to determine whether the proposed project and location are appropriate. The public would play a key role in this assessment.

Some residents in the area are opposing this proposal to test the wind. While we appreciate that some people have concerns with where the wind turbines should be located, we strongly believe these concerns should not stop Toronto Hydro from gaining valuable information about wind speeds.

Put simply, we very much encourage a public discussion about whether wind turbines should be off the shores of Toronto. But let’s have it when we have a proposal in front of us.

To ensure Toronto Hydro gets a chance to test wind speeds, please call or mail or fax a letter of support to: Mark Patterson, Ministry of Natural Resources 50 Bloomington Road West Aurora, ON L4G 3G8 Phone: 905-713-7386; Fax: 905-713-7361.

If you have any questions about this issue, do not hesitate calling me at the TEA office or email me at [email protected].

Thanks for helping us support local renewable power here in Toronto and taking a step closer to curbing climate change and smog.

All the best,

Franz Hartmann
Executive Director