Water Wells First members have hung the Canadian flag upside down to make a statement during Tuesday's protest in Dover Centre.
Water Wells First (WWF) is an activist group in Chatham-Kent protesting against the installation of wind turbines in the area, which they believe is the cause of contaminated water wells.
Three WWF members chained themselves to a weight tied to two tractor trailers during the protest on Bush Line in Dover Centre Tuesday morning. They also had several displays and signs as part of the demonstration, including a Canadian flag purposely hung upside down with a sign labelled "Stop The Killing" beside it.
Yvonne Laevens, one of the protesters, owns a farm in between two turbine areas being built and a large substation. She says in the 60 years she has owned her farm, she has never had water troubles until now.
"We hope that it draws the attention of all those who are responsible for this and they realize what a serious situation it is and stop the pile driving and stop the building of turbines in the area. Our area is on kettle point black shale and it contains lots of things, including lead, uranium, mercury, all things poisonous to the human body," explains Laevens.
Joined by Laevens was Lee Montgomery, who claims a wind turbine is being installed a half a mile east of his property. He fears his water will soon turn black and says he plans to sue property owners, the wind turbine company, the provincial government, and the municipality, if it does.
"These governments we've got today are so inconsistent. They don't stand up to anything or anybody," says Montgomery.
The third protester, Richard Ball, has five grandchildren living near the turbine construction zones and worries what will happen to them.
"I would like the MOECC [Ministry of Environment and Climate Change] to do their job-- at least check the sediments and the wells for heavy metals, instead of just looking at the color of it. I mean... any idiot can grab a bottle of water and check the colour," says Ball.
All three protesters say they will sit for as long as it takes for their concerns to be heard.
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