Ontario’s Green Energy Policy vs. Social Justice ()
ABSTRACT
Objectives: To explore the development
and implementation of Ontario’s Green Energy Act and the outcomes on social justice
and risk of harm to Ontario residents. To provide examples of government
actions taken to achieve its goals and the
occurrence of consequences, whether intended or unintended. Methods: In
Ontario, many legal cases have been filed due to concern
regarding the impact of industrial wind turbines on people and the environment. The contents of this article have primarily
been taken from the documents filed during an Application for a Judicial
Review that examined the process of approval
of industrial wind turbines in Ontario. References to support the
content of this article also include: evidence derived from other legal cases, government communications including
records obtained by Freedom of
Information requests, peer reviewed literature, and other sources. Results: Evidence is presented that suggests the
government erred by creating an inflexible policy/statute that ensured
that industrial wind turbines would be approved, erected and become operational
at any cost. It provides examples of government actions taken to achieve this
position that are contrary to widely held
fundamental principles of administrative law and governmental legitimacy.
Recommendations are provided for mitigating some of the outcomes of a
government policy and preventing impacts on social justice from happening
again.
Share and Cite:
Whiteley, A. and Dumbrille, A. (2021) Ontario’s Green Energy Policy vs. Social Justice.
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
9, 447-486. doi:
10.4236/jss.2021.91033.