COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO WIND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN ONTARIO

The Province of Ontario has one of the most radical jurisdictions in the developed world for supporting and promoting renewable energy development. Legislatively, the Green Energy and Green Economy Act, 2009 is aimed at making Ontario a global leader in renewable energy development. Wind energy in particular represents one of the integral and controversial parts of these commitments. Several new installations have been built or announced and yet community opposition grows. Utilizing a media content analysis of national, regional and local newspapers circulated within the province of Ontario, this study documents and analyzes issues motivating community resistance to and/or support for wind energy development in Ontario. While most literature on public responses to wind energy development has blamed resistant attitudes on responses to wind turbines, this study argues that major roadblocks to wind energy development in Ontario are more related to the wind energy development process. Overall, the study also highlights the importance of employing broad conceptualizations for understand public responses to wind energy development