The Saugeen Ojibway Nation (SON) and Enbridge Ontario Wind Power have signed an agreement on heritage and environmental issues regarding Enbridge's 181.5 MW wind farm under construction in Kincardine, Ontario.
About 25% of the project's 110 turbines are expected to be operational by the end of 2008, with the rest supplying energy to the province's power grid by the end of that year.
Highlights of the agreement include ways in which the SON's rights and interests in the area are protected, including identification and protection of heritage sites and protection of ecological components valued by First Nations.
The SON and Enbridge agreed to a monitoring program over the life of the project. At certain intervals during the 20-year project, the parties will re-measure the baseline data collected at the start of the project. In this way, data will be collected on the true impact on fish and wildlife of a large wind farm over a span of time.
‘We're very pleased at how responsive Enbridge has been to our concerns for the environment and to our need to ensure our rights are protected for future generations,’ says Saugeen First Nation Chief Randall Kahgee.
