Ben Lansink on Property and Steven Cooper on Noise

Ben Lansink will join us live to talk about his recent case study regarding the impact of turbines on property values. Mr. Lansink is both a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and is an AACI - Accredited Appraiser Canadian Institute. His expertise includes the completion of appraisal and consulting assignments to assist in mortgage financing, power of sale, deemed dispositions, GST and capital gains issues involving Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), expropriation, insurance matters such as fire destruction, family law, environmental issues, assessment appeals, First Nation issues, and litigation support. Steven Cooper, Principal Engineer of The Acoustic Group Pty Ltd, in Sydney, Australia recently wrote a paper titled "Are Wind Farms Too Close to Communities." The answer is yes. Here is a bit of it: In the paper, "Currently, state planning legislation in Australia suggests separation distances of 1-2km from wind farms. Noise limits incorporated in the various State guidelines and used for assessment purposes have no scientific studies to support the basis of the limits. The use of a dB(A) limit set well above the natural ambient background level does not protect the health and well-being of the community. The noise concepts used for wind farms in NSW ignore the fundamental premise of not creating ‘offensive noise' as defined in The Protection of the Environment Operations Act. Examination of ‘noise levels' received by residents in proximity to wind farms reveals the presence of audible and inaudible sound that extends well past the nominal separation distances of 1-2km. The silence of the individual state Environmental Protection Authorities in addressing these issues is deafening."

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