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Wednesday, February 14, 2007 · Page 5 Tax hike expected CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 A shortage of family doctors, specialists and long term care beds were also noted as being challenging issues for the upcoming year. "A lack of beds causes great grief," said Brian Bildfell, director of land ambulance services, adding that long-term care residents are often sent to hospital, taking up more beds. Levels of care have also undergone drastic changes in the past decade, with 80 percent of residents now needing the highest level of care ­ up 50 percent from 1997. Bildfell also said a lack of effective funding for mental health is holding up police and ambulance services. "There are no mental health services to deal with these people," he said. Infrastructure upgrades While the federal and provincial governments announced plans last month to invest up to $467,000 in the county for infrastructure improvements, the county budget outlined a $1.2 million increase in transportation services. There are plans to improve eight bridges and nine roads projects, said county engineer Tom Bateman. A preliminary design for the widening of County Road 22 from Manning to Patillo Road has recently been completed, he added. The 2007 budget can be accessed through the county's website. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Seeing through the hype on wind turbines Over-subsidization and tax avoidance, not the environment, have become the prime motivation for building industrial wind factories. The corporations who build them are not environmentalists. They build them because our provincial government has guaranteed them huge profits from our tax dollars. Industrial wind turbines only produce when the wind is blowing at the right speed range. Their output is intermittent and unpredictable and is typically useless on a hot, muggy day. Average capacity factor in Ontario: 22.3% (Energy Probe Nov. '06). Advocates fail to acknowledge that fossil fuel generating plants must be kept online and running near peak capacity to overcome the intermittent, unstable nature of wind. During daily peak (high usage) hours, as determined by the Ontario Power Authority, uncontrollable fluctuation of wind generation is in fact a detriment to electricity demand. Fossil fuel plants are therefore ramped up and down to guarantee that supply meets demand. The result is little or no overall reduction in CO2 emissions. For these reasons, claims of environmental benefits are misleading and exaggerated. No fossil fuel plant in the world has, or ever will be, displaced by wind generation so why hasn't our government installed the best technology available in our existing generating plants? Wind factories have significant adverse environmental, scenic, economic and health impacts that supporters simply dismiss or choose to ignore. These associated impacts are real. They include noise (high and low frequency), loss of property values; bird kills; interference with migration animal habitat, and destruction of natural scenery, blade flicker and possible health effects. Wind factories produce few local economic benefits such as taxes or jobs. The "NIMBY" (not in my back yard) reaction to wind turbines may seem a trivial joke for a city dweller like Minister of Energy Dwight Duncan, but for rural people whose homes and lives have been built up, there is a huge environmental and economic cost. Wind energy has not been a great success in Europe. Denmark and Germany have exorbitant electricity costs and are experiencing serious prob- SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL MERCHANTS Quality Service and Value Since 1962 HELP SUSTAIN YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY... lems with their supply. Opposition to new turbines, especially in the UK, is fierce and growing. In 2005 Germany's own government energy agency stated, "Wind farms are an expensive and inefficient way of generating sustainable energy." Their report concluded that instead of spending billions on building new wind turbines, the emphasis should be on making houses more energy efficient. Even a tiny effort toward fuel conservation would be far more effective. Global warming must be tackled with real, viable solutions. Don't buy into the multi-billion dollar scam taking place in Ontario. See it for what it is...an attempt on our government's part to appear green and buy your vote with your own tax dollars. See through the hype. Bill and Maureen Anderson Amherstburg MEAT MARKET LTD. 68 Talbot St. N., Essex, Ontario N8M 1A2 · Phone 776-7541 FEB 15 -21 HOURS: Mon., Tues., Wed. 8-6; Thurs., Fri. 8-8; Sat. 8-6; Closed Sun. BEEF 1 10 LB. $ BULK BAG SEMI BONELESS GROUND FRESH DAILY LEAN GROUND $ 99 5 - 7 BOXES $ 99 $ T-BONE $ LB. /LB. 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