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| Communities throughout Canada are welcoming wind energy projects. Installed wind capacity passed the 1000 MW threshold in June of 2006, and industry sources predict that Canada could reach 9,000 MW by 2015. Why so much growth and community support? The answer is job creation, landowner revenue and increased local property and provincial taxes without the generation of greenhouse gases or toxic waste. Wind energy is a sustainable source of electricity that has little impact on wildlife and does not require the use of water or fuel. |
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| The Canadian Wind Energy Association estimates that 1 MW of installed wind capacity is equal to about 10.5 person years of employment. The construction phase of a wind development project is very labor intensive. Engineering plans are created, access roads constructed, turbine foundations poured and excavation and trenching takes place to support transmission. Local hotels, restaurants and other service providers all have the opportunity to benefit. Communities with operational wind facilities have also found an increase in eco-tourism as people come to view the wind parks. |
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| A 10 MW Wind Energy project represents an approximate investment of $20 million dollars in a community. This investment contributes to the municipal tax base in terms of property taxes and provincial income tax collections. Local landowners also benefit from annual lease payments of several thousand dollars per turbine. These revenues do not require any additional effort on the part of landowners. Wind farms are designed to minimize the use of agricultural land and do not create a pollution risk, therefore allowing double use of agricultural lands. |
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