Bruce County Senior Planner Monica Walker-Boulton provided comment on the Multi-Municipal Wind Turbine Working Group recommended setbacks for Wind Turbines. The first recommendation from the working group regarding imposing a 2000 meters from any wind turbine and any noise receptor, including homes, schools. places or worship, and locations where citizens go for relaxation, such as parks and community centres. Monica noted that perhaps primarily intended to address new wind turbines, regulations designed to address impacts between turbines and sensitive uses would likely need to be applied reciprocally; i.e. if there’s a need to regulate setbacks from new turbines to existing sensitive receptors, there is also a need to regulate setbacks from new sensitive receptors to existing turbines. Application of these setbacks through zoning could result in large numbers of existing sensitive receptors that are less than 2000m from an existing turbine becoming nonconforming uses, with a corresponding requirement to process any extension / addition to such uses, or change to the use, through a Committee of Adjustment application under Section 45(2) of the Planning Act.
The second recommendation from the Working Group was to implement a 1200 metre setback to lot lines of non-participating lots, or places where a citizen can access including public roadways or waterways .Bruce County Senior Planner Monica Walker-Boulton stated that a 1200m radius from a turbine to any non-participant lands would cover approximately 450ha / 1150 ac of “participating” lands. While this does not specifically require the lands be under the same ownership, The application of this setback requirement to lot creation proposals would reduce opportunities in the countryside to consider severances of dwellings surplus to farm operations, non-farm lots in rural areas, or severance / transfer of 20-40ha rural / agricultural lots.
Monica stated that the County report was for information purposes and that they do not have a recommendation at this time.
Council commented that the Township has good policies in place to protect property within the Township including having adopted some policies from the Green Energy Act with many of the current wind turbines in the Township coming due on their life expectancy. It was suggested that a report be brought back to the future Council regarding the lease status.