Toronto Hydro will study whether it is feasible to build a wind farm on Lake Ontario, similar to this one in Denmark. (Canadian Press)

Ontario's Ministry of Natural Resources has approved the first step in a controversial plan that could put dozens of wind turbines in Lake Ontario, just off the Toronto shoreline.

Toronto Hydro Corp. was given permission on Friday to erect a wind research platform, with an anemometer to measure wind direction and speed, about 1.2 kilometres off the Scarborough Bluffs.

Construction is set to begin Oct. 26 and is expected to be completed in about a month.

"The anemometer will provide factual information about the wind resource in this area," said the ministry in a news release.

The proposal to build the wind research platform on the lake has been opposed by some in the community who worry it could lead to a wind farm that would spoil the view, reduce property values or harm migratory birds.

The ministry acknowledges that the construction of a wind farm on the lake is a possibility.

"The research study will be conducted for approximately two years and the collected wind data along with other important factors will help determine whether an offshore wind project is economically viable," said the release.