Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
This is in response to your article entitled “Is Meaford in Danger of Becoming a NIMBY Community?”
The three issues that you reference in your editorial are all issues that the Meaford Area Community Association (MACA) has been very much involved in. For those that may have the impression that we are a NIMBY (Not in my back yard) group, I will go on to explain why we are not.
Members of MACA have been very involved in the Industrial Wind Turbine (IWT) issue, from the beginning, and continue to be involved in it today. It is not the fact that we don’t want IWTs in the municipality; it is that we really don’t want them anywhere. After doing much research on IWTs you will find that they are harming people (as they are no longer able to live in their houses due to the health issues that they cause), harming the environment (many birds and bats are being killed by them), and harming the economy (as the hydro rates in Ontario have skyrocketed, causing many industries to downsize or leave, as well as decreasing the disposable income of all Ontarians).
MACA was very much involved, and came into being, in response to the Waste-to-energy incinerator issue that arose in late 2011. Incinerators are detrimental to the environment, and the people within that environment. They spew horrible cancer-causing dioxins and furans, which nobody should have to live near. It is not only that MACA didn’t want it “in our back yard”, but we don’t believe that they should be in anybody’s back yard.
So what is MACA doing about these issues now? Our members are still involved in helping other people and communities in the fight against having IWTs in their municipalities. They have been at rallies and meetings, and providing the knowledge that they have gained from the research they have done. They are also doing research into alternative energy sources such as Thorium vs. Uranium nuclear power.
Members of MACA still have people from other communities calling and asking for help and advice on how we were able to have the incinerator issue dismissed in our municipality. We provide any information and contacts that we can to help other communities. The alternative to incineration is zero waste. MACA has been involved in pilot projects such as plastic film recycling, Earth Week and the Reuse Fair, as well as educating the public about zero waste (through presentations to council, and film showings).
In response to the placement of cell towers, it is a little different. MACA’s stand on the cell tower issue is not that they are not required; it is that they need to be placed in appropriate locations, to eliminate the potential for risk. There are a lot of studies that are currently being completed on the issue of radiation from cell towers, and it is very important to take the precautionary principle in this instance. That is why MACA was extremely pleased when council embraced the hiring of the Canadian Radiocommunications and Notification Service (CRINS), as they are the experts in this field.
In all three of the above issues, the proponents would tell you that there is “no harm”. But it is the people of the Municipality of Meaford who have come together to protect not only our friends, family and property, but our future generations from being polluted by whatever the proponents are “selling”.
If you would like to label Meaford, I think that Meaford should be labelled as a muncipality that embraces the amazing natural beauty of the landscape that it has, and wants to protect it and the people that live in it, now and for generations to come.
Thank you for your time. If you have any comments, please email macafeedback@gmail.com
Sincerest Regards,
Jenean Lush
MACA President
