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Monday night's meeting in Guildwood to discuss plans for a wind anemometer, a machine that will measures wind speeds in Lake Ontario as part of required environmental assessment, did no one any favours.

What should have been a chance for Toronto Hydro to explain what would be happening with the installation of the anemometer to local residents was instead turned into a three-ring circus complete with national media in both official languages.

The entire process was hijacked into a debate about wind farms, and Monday was not the time or place for that to happen.

Yes, we understand that Toronto Hydro wants the anemometer as the first stage towards possibly building wind turbines about two kilometres off the Lake Ontario shore between roughly Ajax and the Leslie Street Spit.

However, that was no reason for Monday night's event to be turned into a political and ideological debate.

Bused-in supporters of wind farms really had no business being at this particular meeting. The meeting was supposed to be about the anemometer plans and how they would specifically impact Guildwood, not whether wind farms are good or bad. That is an extremely important debate, but it should have been a discussion for another day.

In their attempts to quash opposition to the possibility of the wind farm ever being built, its supporters have instead come across as bullies intent on shoving this project down the throats of the communities that will be most affected.

Calling somebody a NIMBY (Not in My Backyard) can't be taken seriously when the person making the accusation lives nowhere near the backyard in question. It was also extremely unfair to Guildwood residents who are being insulted because the anemometer meeting took place in their neighbourhood. It could just as easily have been Pickering, Port Union, Cliffside, Birchcliff or Beach residents being insulted on Monday night if the anemometer meeting had been held in their communities.

We want wind farms to play a key role in future power plans for Ontario, as we are sure solar, natural gas, nuclear and (probably most importantly) conservation also will.

However, there are good and bad locations for wind farms. Where they are built needs to discussed and studied in an honest and reasonable manner. We need to be careful as to who is entrusted with the responsibility of building these giant turbines and exactly where they are going to be located.

Turning this important debate into finger-pointing and sign-waving does no good at all.