Bruce Beach Cottagers' Association

Dear Bruce Beachers,

The Bruce Beach Executive has been asked by many Cottagers when the Executive, on behalf of the Bruce Beach Cottagers Association, is going to take an official position regarding the implementation of Wind Turbines offshore in Lake Huron and West of Highway 21. In a previous email to the Cottagers, we had indicated in order to take an official position regarding the Wind Turbines we would need to have a clear mandate from the Cottagers in order for the Executive to take a position.

Over the last three weeks Cam Spooner and sixteen canvassers went cottage-to-cottage handing out a Wind Turbine Survey to gauge the opinions of the Cottagers regarding the Wind Turbines. Based on the overwhelming response to Cam's survey, the Bruce Beach Executive will be taking the next step by sending out a second Wind Turbine Survey that has been constructed by a professional marketing research company, Erin Research, on behalf of Bruce Beach who will independently compile the results of the survey. This second Wind Turbine Survey will be officially sanctioned by the Bruce Beach Executive to determine the Beach's position or stance on the Wind Turbines.

We certainly understand the Beach has been very forthcoming by responding to Cam's Wind Turbine Survey and we beg your indulgence to take the time to fill out this second survey. The reason for the second Wind Turbine Survey is to provide an officially sanctioned Bruce Beach survey that will stand up to challenges internally on the Beach and by external organizations who would question if the Bruce Beach Executive represents opinion of the Bruce Beach Cottagers. In order to meet this criteria, the second Wind Turbine survey of the Cottagers needs to be:

• Neutral
• Should not presume a predetermined position
• Credible
• Statistically relevant

In any official survey in which a decision is to be made on behalf of the majority of an association or group, the survey needs to be able to be valid and have statistical relevancy. The survey needs to be stated in neutral terms -- the survey should not presume any position, and should therefore be acceptable to Cottagers with any opinion on the Wind Turbine issue. Neutrality is a critical issue in any legitimate survey -- you can't ask leading questions and you cannot indicate what you hope or expect the outcome to be. Neutrality is also important to those who review the results, such as the Government of Ontario.

To complete the survey, click on the link below. Please do the survey before FridaySeptember 24th, as time is of the essence.

http://survey.erinresearch.com/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=94KHnn8
(If clicking the link does not work, copy it and paste it into the address bar of your browser. If you are unable to connect, call ERIN Research at 519 833-2449 during business hours for assistance.)

Based on the results of the new Wind Turbine Survey, the Bruce Beach Executive, on behalf of the BBCA, will take an official position on Wind Turbines offshore in Lake Huron and West of Highway 21. Our targeted date to take the official position on the Wind Turbines is October 1.

Thank you again for all or your assistance and patience in responding to the Wind Turbine Survey. We greatly appreciate your time and effort in filling out the survey.

Note: BBCA does not have email addresses for some cottages. These members will receive a paper copy of the survey by surface mail.

Respectfully yours,

David Tiernan
President
Bruce Beach Cottagers Association
email: tiernanfam@aol.com
Mobile: 248-330-4151 (best number to reach me)
Cottage: 519-396-6668