Residents worried that the turbines in a $60 million wind farm near Moosomin, Sask., will be too close to their homes are applying to the courts for changes.
Work is already underway on the Red Lily Wind Farm but stopped Aug. 27 under an interim injunction.
On Sept. 1, a Saskatoon judge allowed work to resume because construction of the turbine towers hadn’t actually started, said Brad Jamieson, the lawyer representing the landowners.
An application for a permanent injunction will be heard in mid-September, he said.
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Resident Doug McKinnon has filed the complaint and is seeking certification as a class action lawsuit. Under Saskatchewan law, all affected residents are part of the class unless they opt out.
“They have no interest in completely shutting down this project,” Jamieson said.
But they are concerned about potential health risks if the turbines are too close to their homes.
The original proposal called for setbacks of 400 metres. That was later increased to 550 metres.
The residents now want assurances the turbines will not be within two kilometres of their homes.
The Red Lily Wind Farm is a 25-megawatt wind power project owned by Algonquin Power Inc. and Gaia Power.
The 16 turbines will be built in the Rural Municipalities of Martin and Moosomin.
Earlier this year, the RM of Martin established a committee to study the proposed project. Fourteen of the turbines will be located in that municipality.
The RM council eventually approved the project and increased the setbacks at that time.
SaskPower has signed an agreement with Red Lily to buy the power.
