(A Note from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper – As a hopelessly addicted newspaper reader, one of the first sections of any newspaper I turn to is the editorial section, and what I often check out first, even before I read the paper’s editorial opinions, are the letters to the editor.
To me, and as a columnist whose faults at least sometimes include being too wordy or long-winded, there is nothing I enjoy more than a letter to the editor that, in more than two or three paragraphs on an issue, just plain nails it.
Such is the case with the following letter to the editor, in my view, from the July 13, 2012 edition of The Globe and Mail, one of the last great daily newspaper left in Canada and, thankfully, not owned by Sun Media.
Without resorting to personal attacks or any gratuitous use of crude language, which too often pollute commentary these days – especially that posted on too many blog sites in the internet universe – this Letter to the Editor pins the tail on the perverbial donkey when it comes to Canada’s Harper government recently announceing plans to fund a scientific study on the possible health impacts of wind turbines on nearby residents, while at the same time ignoring or cutting research that might interfere with its ideological support for more punishment for law breakers, lowering the GST and expanding dirty oil/tar sand enterprizes at any cost to our rivers and lakes, to fish habitat and to air and other life-sustaining resources of this planet at large.
I am posting this column from the Globe below, hoping that the paper will accept my sincere plug for it and not come after me for reposting one of its letters to the editor. I may make ‘Letters To the Editor Worth Another Read’ a regular feature on this site if enough of you like it. You may even wish to share the odd letter to the editor you come across that you feel is worth another read. If so, punch it out, along with the paper it came from, the date it was published and the name and town for the individual who wrote the piece and send it to drapers@vaxxine.com .)
Referring to the government’s sudden interest in the possible health effects of wind turbines, Conservation MP Pierre Poiliervre says: “In all cases, science and facts should rule our decisions.”
Taking Mr. Polievre at his word, I rejoice that there will be no repetition in Ottawa of past evidence-free policy-making, such as lowering the GST (advice of economists ignored); abolishing the mandatory long-term census (avice of statisticians ingored); abolishing the mandatory sentencing and duration of incarceration (advice of statisticians ignored); restricing health care for refugee claimants (advice of the medical profession ignored); and closing the Experimental Lakes Area (advice of environmental scientists ignored). – Mark Bisby Ottawa (Ontario).
Niagara At Large 
I must admit I am not against wind power ,used in the proper setting! As it is now the cost is to high and the forced acceptance on unwilling jurisdictions is to heavy handed. Because we are trying to adapt to a intermmitant power source (wind) to a non flexible existing generation system the true costs must include gas CO-GENS and upgraded power lines to bring this power from far flung locations. The cost to the enviroment will be huge because of the need to burn greenhouse producing natural gas in the many plants being constructed around the Province. A much more cost effective way to use wind would have been to not hook them up to the grid (thus eliminating the need for expensive CO-GENS) and use them in willing host jurisdictions to produce Hydrogen Gas . These wind farms if located near pipelines could generate the enormous amounts of electricity needed to produce hydrogen , but the beauty is that as a gas it can be stored and used when needed! Not only can this gas be transported to market through existing gas pipeline infrastructure but its end product ,as you know is H2O. Therefore clean 0 carbon prducing wind producing a storeable , useable, and a 0 polluting gas!!
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http://www.davidsuzuki.org/blogs/science-matters/2012/06/germany-recently-reached-a-renewable/
The con obsession with dirty tar and foreign oligarch investors (i.e China) is ruining the fabric of this country. It’s also blinding us to alternative innovations and productivity. We’re a textbook case of a race to the neo-liberal bottom and rocky shoals. Evidence-based policy making is not what this supine government is about.
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John, I’ve long thought the idea you put forward could prove to be what you might call a wind power killer app. I only wonder if it’s feasible.
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Mike I would like to explain your idea in a little more detail if you don’t mind taking the time—–Take Care —John–
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