Wind farm lease remains

City councillors spent several hours behind closed doors last Monday discussing the proposed Big Thunder Wind Park, and while concrete details of that meeting aren't known, it appears most decided not to make any changes to the controversial lease agreement with Horizon Wind Inc.

Details of the discussion are confidential at this time, but city solicitor Rosalie Evans confirmed that as of Friday afternoon no changes had been made regarding the lease of city-owned land on the Nor'Wester mountain range.

She adds that if any changes are made, those details would have to be made public. The 25-year lease will see the city paid about $275,000 a year in rent and taxes, in exchange for allowing Horizon Wind to set up 18 wind turbines in the area around Loch Lomond.

Members of the group opposing the wind farm say the battle is far from over. Sam Bachinski, a member of the Nor'Wester Mountain Escarpment Protection Committee, says the group plans to make a deputation at city hall in the next month or two.

The goal of the group’s deputation is to convince city council to break its option agreement with Horizon Wind.

Bachinski says council needs to hear more about the potential health impacts of the wind turbines, before making any final decisions.