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—Stephana Johnston, Clear Creek, Ontario (10/22/10)

My neighbors & I are requesting a private member’s bill in the Ontario legislature, asking for fair compensation for our now unlivable homes because of Ontario government policies which allowed AIM Power Gen/IPC to erect the 18 Vestas 1.65 MW industrial wind turbines (IWT’s) in the Clear Creek/Cultus/Frogmore IWT ZONE, all jammed within a 3 km radius surrounding our homes.

Since November 2008, we have been suffering ill health from the vibrations emanating from the 18 IWT’s. Approximately 12 homes have been abandoned within this 3 km radius, about 9 houses are vacant/for sale, about 8 houses are occupied/for sale, and approximately 8 houses are only used sporadically on weekends.

We have also experienced both an unsuccessful as well as a successful suicide.

How many other communities of our size have had such a history within a 23 month period?

Please let us know the wording of the Bill and the date when our MPP will be reading it in the Ontario legislature.  As many as are well enough and able  (given the need to continue to earn a living) to be in the legislative building on that date will be there.

To all the recipients of this letter, not involved in the issue of the private member’s bill, the plea is to give written support to our MPP, Toby Barrett and to continue to press for Epidemiological Health Studies from all appropriate/possible agencies.

I built my own home for “aging in place” (AIP) and I have a drawerful of receipts for all the labour and materials that went into the property. . . . I do not get the restorative sleep I need in my own “aging in place” home.

For the first 6 months of 2010, I was able to rent (with the help of Nina Pierpont) an apartment about 40 km away, and was able to get that restorative sleep.  But as soon as I returned, the stuffed pressure in the ears, the buzzing like a million mosquitoes in my head started again.

The next strategy was to ask my son to let me sleep in his trailer, about 16 km away, since July 1.   Like a wandering rag-a-muffin, I drive to my sleep “den”, drive to my home to use the land telephone line (cell phones don’t work around here< and I can’t afford a second land line at the trailer), use my computer, make a meal and then daily drive away to escape the battering of the 18 Vestas 1.65 MW IWT’s all jammed within a 3 km radius around my home.

While winter camping was all right in my youth, I’m not sanguine about the prospects in Jan, Feb and Mar for an 80 year old.