I know that the taxpayers of Melancthon Township will benefit more than they know when Phase II of the Melancthon Wind Project is completed.

Commercial wind power is what is needed to help our province reduce the greenhouse emissions and cut acid rain. Some simple research into our present power sources will result in the public becoming aware that just one of those sources (the Naticoke coal refinery) burns a "ship load" of coal every day just to produce approximately 10% of our province's electricity. This has convinced me that that blue-grey haze that you drive though, when driving home from Toronto, the one that ends just before Caledon East, will only travel further north if we let it. This wind power project is a huge step toward changing our mindset and therefore our ways of producing energy.

This wind power project will affect thousands of people positively with the hope of clean air as well as envelope a philosophy of a cleaner environment for us and our children. Commercial wind plants do have a place in the rural skyline and they are very compatible with farming in a real, green sense.

These "Majestic Giants" will provide local farmers with the opportunity to expand their crops to include wind farming, allowing them to afford an easier life and possibly look to the future and see retirement as a real possibility.

The companies and governments involved have addressed the concerns presented by the local people. Here are some facts you may not be aware of that must surely appease a lot of the Nay Sayers:

1) Local citizens were concerned

about the wind turbines being too close to the How to spend the money road (specifically County Road 17). The new setback for turbines from roads has been increased to 120m in Phase II.

2) Local citizens were concerned about the power lines along County Road 17 being an "eye sore". Canadian Hydro has stated that all power lines for Phase II will be underground wherever possible.

3) Local citizens were concerned about the wind turbines being too close to adjacent land owners (people who live beside farmers that are to have turbines). The new setbacks for turbines from adjacent residences has been increased to 400m for Phase II.

4) Local citizens were concerned about the lights on the wind turbines being too intense and Canadian Hydro has invested its own resources in a GPS system for the lights to synchronously flash, reduced the intensity of the lights, and more recently has ordered LED lights to replace the existing Xenon lights which will assist in minimizing the strobing effect, while continuing to meet the regulatory requirements of Transport Canada.

5) The turbine assessment was set by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. The additional tax revenue for the township will be about $2,700 per turbine ($1400 to the province for education, $700 to Dufferin County, and $600 to the Municipality). The federal incentive to Canadian Hydro Developers will be $43,333 per turbine. This money is an incentive to support and promote the development of renewable energy programs to help reduce greenhouse emissions, benefiting not only the local tax payer but the whole province.

6) The wind is here! When I moved to Melancthon Township, four years ago, I was horrified to realize that if I shovelled my driveway and left a four foot snow bank then I could expect a four foot snow drift within a few hours. I built a barn last year and putting the roof on was a real challenge in the fall. Melancthon Township is known for our wind and this is why companies are willing to invest millions of dollars in wind energy here!

7) Power output of the turbines is now almost stabilized (Canadian Hydro is still working out the bugs) and therefore we are still waiting to see the results of our Melancthon wind on these majestic giants.

The estimates mentioned by Dennis Sanford in his letter to the editor dated May 4th 2006 are just that, estimates, and they are premature and I resent the fact that we are labelled as simple farmers by Dennis Sanford.

8) Property values have not been affected. Take a look at the properties for sale in the area.

There aren't many available in the Township itself and those that are available sell quickly. I know for a fact that my farm is worth much more than I paid for it just four years ago.

In fact when I approached our local bank, speculating the purchase of additional land in Melancthon, the bank was more the receptive in approving financing.

9) There are fifty-six property owners involved in Phase II and not all of those will actually have a turbine placed on their property, due to adjacent land owner's objections.

There are twenty-one property owners that do not live in the township but many of those are farmers and/or children of local farmers who do care about our environment.

And yes, for some of those, Phase II is strictly a business deal, but it is a deal to provide us (the township and the province) with clean green energy.

To summarise, farmers are not going to participate in this debate as they are afraid to make waves and loose this opportunity. Melancthon Township is a

farming community and it has always been a farming community. There are very few businesses in our Township.

No other industry will provide our farmers with additional income and our province with green energy helping to reduce our greenhouse emissions.

Our local farmers need your support, so call your councillor today and support Phase II of the Melancthon Wind Project, a green energy project. Chris Sheppard,

Melancthon

Township