Albertans First founder George Clark has turned his attention to protecting the environment with an anti-windmill campaign.
Opposing green energy is the movement’s latest effort to criticize the NDP government and encourage people to sign petitions opposing the province’s carbon tax plan and farm safety bill.
Clark said scientific studies show that for every windmill the NDP government allows, a minimum of 10 birds — possibly some on the endangered species list — would be killed annually from the spinning blades.
“Birds are a very important part of our environment and they’re at risk if the province puts 15,000 windmills up,” said Clark, 59, before he spoke to an audience of about 70 people at Red Deer Quality Inn on Thursday afternoon.
A YouTube video he posted on the AlbertansFirst Twitter feed Wednesday morning of a bird being killed by a wind turbine had almost 52,000 views as of Thursday.
“If (the provincial government) is not going to listen to logic and reason and science, they have to understand this. This is not acceptable in this province,” said Clark, of Calgary, holding up his smartphone to show the video clip of an injured bird crashing to the ground.
“I’m not prepared to be part of the Alberta that builds 15,000 (wind turbines) and literally condemns 150,000 of our birds. They’re such an important part of the ecosystem.”
He said more and more people are going to see the video clip and they will not allow the NDP to come in and build windmills.
“If they do, then everyone that supports it is responsible for the blood and death of the ecosystem and we cannot allow that.”
He said over the years the oil and gas industry has bent over backwards to accommodate wildlife habitats.
“What’s happening with this green energy push is endangering the wonderful work of all of these Albertans over the last 40 years.”
Clark said more than 80,000 signatures have been collected on Albertans First petitions addressed to the lieutenant governor to stop Bill 6 and carbon tax plan.
“We have a government that’s attempting to bring in legislation that they know the majority of Albertans don’t want. That’s not how our democracy works.”
Albertans First want plebiscites on carbon tax and the farm safety bill.
The grass-roots movement calls the carbon tax a provincial sales tax in disguise and argues that the farm safety bill will take away the rights of injured workers to sue farmers rather than protect workers.
He said the consultation process announced this month by the province to develop regulations for Bill 6 is too late.
“If they have to go into consultation now to try and figure out how to do what they already passed, perhaps they should just stop, rescind the bill, go into consultation.”
Clark said in the last three weeks he has visited 30 towns and cities to promote the petitions.
“Thousands of Albertans are coming in and signing, getting behind us. It’s big and it boils down to one thing. People want to be governed by the will of the majority of Albertans. They do not want to be governed by the ideology of a party.
“And that’s what’s happening right now.”
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com