11:30am | Linda Lee, Canadian Identity Theft Support Centre
12:15pm | Vic Fedeli , PC Energy Critic and Nipissing MPP
12:30pm | Jane Wilson , President, Wind Concerns Ontario

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GUEST – Lindsay Lee, Director, Canadian Identity Theft Support Centre

TOPIC – The Canadian Identity Theft Prevention Association
INFO – OTTAWA – Canada’s fastest growing crime may have bank robbers reconsidering their options.
Fraud researchers and police say identity theft – which can range from credit card misuse to more serious violations such as impersonating someone to take out a mortgage – has led to an increase of organized crime in Canada.

“What’s easier and what’s safer – sitting in a basement somewhere, with a computer, stealing somebody’s identity and all the funds out of their bank account or walking in with a gun into a bank?” said Kevin Scott, president of the Canadian Identity Theft Prevention Association. “This is obviously where a lot of criminals are migrating right now.”

Scott says children are now also becoming victims because some criminals manage to steal social insurance numbers from infants.

“This is really one of the issues that is starting to happen throughout North America,” he said.
To combat these problems, a new centre for identity theft victims was officially launched in Vancouver Thursday.
The Canadian Identity Theft Support Centre, funded by the feds and private partners, has been set up to help victims dealing with the fallout of identity theft. It has a help line – 1-866-436-5461 – and four employees who can provide step-by-step support on the phone.

The centre began its work back in April but it did not officially launch its operation until now. Canada’s Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart applauds the move to open the operation but she says there are existing legislative gaps which continue to pose hurtles.

Stoddart says the passage of two key pieces of legislation – including an anti-spam bill – would help to reduce concerns.

The RCMP, which is also working to crack down on identity theft on the enforcement end, says it difficult to crack down on the crime once it is committed, especially due to technology.

“The people using that information, they can use it globally,” said Sgt. Luce Mormandin, the national identity fraud co-oridnator for the force. “The crime has become one without boundaries.”

The RCMP recommends tips for Canadians to protect themselves, including hiding banking PIN numbers, using a shredder to destroy personal documents, and not carrying SIN cards in wallets.

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GUEST – Vic Fedeli , PC Energy Critic and Nipissing MPP

TOPIC – Wind turbines & Health Canada
INFO – IMMEDIATE MORATORIUM NEEDED ON WIND TURBINES.
QUEEN’S PARK – PC Energy Critic and Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli today called for an immediate moratorium of further wind power development in Ontario in light of a study announced by Health Canada.

Health Canada, in collaboration with Statistics Canada, will conduct research into the relationship between wind turbine noise and health effects reported by people living near wind power developments. The results of the study are expected in 2014.

“The fact the federal government feels this study is necessary is reason enough to put a halt to any more wind turbines being built in Ontario right now,” said Fedeli.

“I’ve been to dozens of town halls across the province and have heard the painful stories of those who’ve reported these adverse health effects,” Fedeli added.

“Dalton McGuinty needs to do the right thing and implement an immediate halt to further wind power development in Ontario.”

This past session, the Ontario PC’s put legislation before the House calling for a moratorium on wind turbines, which was rejected by Liberal and NDP members.

Fedeli reiterated the concerns with wind power go well beyond health concerns.
“Wind power is helping drive up the cost of Ontario electricity to second-highest in North America, killing jobs and our competitiveness,” said Fedeli, noting wind producers are paid twice what it costs to produce the power through the Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) subsidy.

“It also is generated at times we don’t need it creating surplus power we have to sell at a loss, and isn’t there when we need it, as was seen during last week’s heat wave,” added Fedeli.

“Wind power, quite simply, has been a dismal failure for Ontarians.”

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GUEST – Jane Wilson , President, Wind Concerns Ontario

TOPIC – Wind turbines & Health Canada study announcement.
INFO – HALT LARGE-SCALE WIND POWER DEVELOPMENT NOW, CITIZENS’ GROUP DEMANDS – OTTAWA
Wind Concerns Ontario president Jane Wilson called for an immediate halt to approvals for large-scale wind turbine projects in Ontario, subsequent to an announcement by Health Canada that it is undertaking a large study of reports of health problems due to turbine noise.

“We have been saying this for years as people in Ontario exposed to turbine noise and infrasound are being made ill. We have demanded health studies, we have demanded research to back-up the province’s assertion that its setbacks are safe, and yet, the province issued approvals for these projects with no scientific evidence to prove they were safe,” Wilson said. “Now, Health Canada’s admission that research is needed is confirming that,” added Wilson, who is a registered nurse.

“It is unacceptable for the Ontario government to continue to approve projects when government staff refuse to acknowledge the problem, are not able to measure the noise, and cannot ensure compliance with their own regulations, which are clearly inadequate.

It is time for this fiasco to stop,” Wilson concluded.
Health Canada, in its announcement today, admits there are “knowledge gaps” in the area of measuring turbine noise and exposure to rural citizens. They say that there is “limited research” on the health effects being reported by people exposed to turbine noise and infrasound which is not factual. There is ample evidence from Ontario and around the world. Now this evidence base needs to be strengthened and acted upon. -30-