Many people came out to the public meeting held on March 22 by Northland Power to make their concerns known to company officials and the consultants contracted to work on the McLean’s Mountain Wind Project. At this meeting it was announced that the DEADLINE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO APRIL 29, 2010. Thank you to all who have written letters of support….we believe the letter writing is making a difference! Around April 8,2010 Northland Power received contract approval from the Ontario Power Authority for 60 MW of their proposed McLean’s Mountain project to proceed, (this represents about 35 of the 43 turbines thus far proposed) with another 40 MW pending approval and another 100+MW planned after that. Now is the time to act and write! The remaining approval that the company needs to obtain before beginning construction is the REA (Renewable Energy Application)…this replaces what would have previously been an extensive environmental assessment phase (which would have taken place but is no longer required under the so-called “Green Energy” Act). The next week (up until April 29) is one of the last opportunities you have to make your opinion known to company and government officials before the final go ahead is granted. This is a significant moment in island history, because if this first project is approved, 100’s of these mega turbines will likely follow on the heels of this first project (in various other locations throughout Manitoulin). The ombudsman has become involved with this project and is looking into the processes and the issues raised by concerned citizens. Please lend your support; SEND A LETTER to Northland Power and send this letter to each of the company and government officials listed in the attached Addresses document. (By sending a separate email to each person, rather than c.c.ing, it’s more likely that your letter will be read and responded to. Also, if you add even just a few sentences in your own words, preferably at the top of this form letter, this will greatly increase the impact of your correspondence and the likelihood of a response). Remember to SIGN YOUR NAME at the end of each letter before emailing it! We suggest this letter be sent to the chairman of the board of Northland Power Inc. (and distributed to all board members) so they get the message directly that the community of Manitoulin will not accommodate and bear the consequences of Northland’s corporate agenda without accountability for the damage done should the project proceed. Anyone can write as many letters as they like regarding this project. Unfortunately not everyone on the island who has an opinion is on line, so if you know of such a neighbour or friend, please make copies of the letter and the addresses and share these in hard copy. Included are mailing addresses and fax numbers as well as email addresses for this purpose. If you do not agree with all of the points made in the attached letter, feel free to use only some sections of it and write your own! The more letters they receive, the better. For additional info visit www.WindConcernsOntario.org and www.mcsea.ca Please keep copies of what you have sent and also retain any responses that you may receive from your letter writing efforts. Thank-you for your support! Raymond Beaudry mcsea.ca

Addresses to send letters
Here is a sample letter.