Farmers and business owners near Hawkesbury, east of Ottawa, are fighting plans to build a massive solar plant on what they call prime real estate for agriculture.
"We're not against solar energy, we're just against it being built on prime farm land," said dairy farmer Jeff LeRoy, who offered up his farm to area residents to protest the 30-megawatt solar power plant on Monday.
The project is slotted to be the second largest of its kind in North America, using about 120,000 solar panels.
But farmers and business owners say they're worried the initiative will have a negative impact on their livelihood and insist the company should find a more 'appropriate' place to build the project.
We don't know the effects of this on our health, said Linda Kunz, a dairy farmer who just recently paid a huge cost for a brand new barn in the area.
"Why should we be the guinea pigs?" she asked.
But Solaris Energy Partners says it plans to graze sheep on the land -- so it will still be used for agriculture.
The proposal is now dividing farmers and families. One of the farms in the area is owned by the father-in-law of Solaris' vice-president -- and the brother of Harvey LeRoy. He says he's concerned about the impact the solar farm could have on his lifestyle.
The Ottawa-based company has already put a conditional offer on 260 acres, which covers two farms and is conditional on municipal approval.
Although the municipality is neither for nor against the proposal, it has passed an interim control bylaw that would prevent anything from being built on the site for one year while it studies the project. However, Solaris is fighting the bylaw and is waiting for a hearing before the Ontario Municipal Board scheduled for March 23.
In the meantime, Solaris warns any delays to the project could have an impact on its success. The company has already made a commitment to the Ontario Power Authority to have the plant finished by 2011.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnurr
