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A group of southwestern Manitoba landowners opposed to the creation of a 200-megawatt wind farm in their area say they’re ready to fight the multimillion-dollar project, which the Manitoba Métis Federation says will help meet the province’s energy needs.
The Manitoba Métis Federation plans to build 30 to 35 windmills just north of Neepawa as part of the Fleury Winds project, in partnership with U.K.-based Renewable Energy Systems Limited.
The project is contentious, says Matthew Atkinson, whose family has been farming near Polonia — about 65 kilometres northeast of Brandon — since the 1990s.
Residents are concerned it will disrupt the beauty of the rolling hills and the UNESCO-designated Riding Mountain biosphere by turning it into an industrial setting, and will hurt property values.
“This area’s a real gem,” Atkinson said. “To potentially see this sort of development in here I think is really tough to swallow.”
Jack Park, the Manitoba Métis Federation’s minister of energy and infrastructure, says the project offers “a guarantee of … power for [the] long term.”
“We’re going to need the power eventually,” said Park, who serves as the vice-chair of the Red River Métis Power Corporation — the MMF entity in charge of the wind farm project.
The wind farm is intended to meet a Manitoba Hydro call for 600 megawatts of new wind energy in the province from Indigenous majority-owned projects, Park said.
Manitoba Hydro says dams are at capacity. In 2023, the Crown corporation said it won’t build new hydroelectric dams, but will instead rely on wind farms and other more environmentally friendly sources to generate between 10,000 and 16,000 megawatts by the 2040s.
The Métis Federation signed a memorandum of understanding in January with Renewable Energy Systems. The U.K. company has been securing land in the Neepawa area for windmills over the last two years, he said.
The project team has met with the rural municipalities of Minto-Odanah and Rosedale, and is in discussions with Treaty 2 government. An open house about the project was held in Polonia in April.
The Manitoba Métis Federation is proposing a wind farm that would see 30 to 35 turbines built in the Polonia area. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)
The proposed wind project could be as much as a $500 million investment in renewable energy, depending on what is approved by Manitoba Hydro, Park said.
There has been some opposition to the project, but that’s not unexpected, he said.
“At the end of the day, the majority have already agreed,” said Park.
He said there’s already been research on wind turbines that indicates “it doesn’t affect the wildlife or the environment.… Migrating birds are not affected.”
And no one will be forced to have a turbine on their property if they don’t want one, he said.
Park says he expects to have a response from Hydro by fall, and if given the go-ahead could get shovels in the ground on the project by 2028.
Renewable Energy Systems said in a statement the project is focused on developing renewable energy “responsibly, in partnership with communities and with a focus on long-term benefits,” and said it “will be an example of community-focused development.”
Residents concerned
But Polonia resident Trish Ciglar said she has concerns about light and noise generated by the wind farm disrupting wildlife and residents.
Her family moved to the area two years ago to get away from the city and immerse themselves in nature on about 35 hectares of nature for their retirement, she said.
Last week, she saw 50 migrating whispering swans in a farmer’s field — the kind of moment she fears wouldn’t happen if the wind farm goes ahead.
Trish Ciglar says she worries a wind farm would disrupt wildlife and residents. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)
She’s disappointed some people in the area have already agreed to having turbines on their property.
“It was just heartbreaking, because I really didn’t think people in this area would be wanting to go down that route,” Ciglar said.
She’s still hopeful residents can organize and stop the project.
Trevor Bennett, who moved to the area with his family a year ago from Neepawa, is also concerned about the proposal.
He worries about property values— while his retirement is far off, the land he bought was an investment, and he can’t afford for property values to deteriorate.
Trevor Bennet is concerned the wind farm would lower property values and affect quality of life in the area. (Chelsea Kemp/CBC)
Based on the map he’s seen, he could have a wind turbine next door to his property.
“I would have a wind tower that I potentially could be hearing, I could potentially be feeling, all the time,” he said.
Bennett hasn’t lost hope for finding a solution, since there’s still a long process before the project can be approved, he said. He said he intends to be there each step of the way to protect the land he loves.
For now, Polonia-area farmer Atkinson wants more transparent consultation.
It feels like a race against time, because there’s a strong push for more power generation in Manitoba, he said.
The proposal has “created a very visceral reaction.… That’s obviously not something that makes any of us feel very good,” Atkinson said.
“We will be prepared to push as hard as we can to prevent this from happening.”
WATCH | Neepawa-area residents concerned about wind farm proposal:
Proposed wind farm meets opposition in southwestern Manitoba
A group of people living north of Neepawa, Man., say a proposed windmill farm is not the right fit for their community. The proposed 200-megawatt project, a collaboration between the Manitoba Métis Federation and Renewable Energy Systems, could break ground as early as 2028 if Manitoba Hydro gives the go-ahead.