Wind Rush

The battleground for the pro- and anti-wind forces is southern Ontario. New large turbines, two and three times the size of previous generations, have led to chronic sleeplessness for many people living close to wind farms. And further health complications can follow, like diabetes, depression and heart disease. Other neighbours have been affected by inner ear and equilibrium issues. Doctors see patient after patient complaining of the same symptoms. And that's when people started to realize that neither government nor wind companies had done any significant human health studies before going ahead with turbine farms. Wind Rush takes viewers to southwestern Alberta, where wind has been an energy staple for more than 20 years. Here, plenty of room has been allowed for humans and windmills to coexist – a stark contrast to Ontario, where the same prairie technology was crowded into a dramatically different landscape. The film then moves to Denmark, a country long considered the poster-child for the wind energy movement. But as Wind Rush reveals, the relationship between the Danes and turbines has soured. Wind Rush talks to people on either side of the turbine divide, and then turns to scientists to try and determine what has gone wrong. In the next few years the turbines will double in size again – bigger, louder and more powerful. But without sufficient research, what will be the impact for people living nearby? Produced for Doc Zone by 90th Parallel Productions.



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