The Collingwood Enterprise-Bulletin reports that, “Blue Mountains (mayor Ellen Anderson) is predicting the area could see some massive demonstrations if Bruce Power’s plans to ship decommissioned (100-tonne radioactive) steam generators from the nuclear plant near Tiverton through Owen Sound’s harbour (and the Great Lakes, the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Atlantic ocean) to Sweden is approved.”
“The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative — a bi-national coalition of 70 mayors from Quebec, Ontario and the eight Great Lake states of which Anderson is a director — formally announced it’s opposition to the plan on Tuesday. The Council of Canadians has also taken a strong stand against the measure, as has Greenpeace and ‘other voices’, Anderson said.”
Anderson adds, “Our concern is the water, the lack of transparency, the lack of information (about containment plans in the event of an accident). There are already enough environmental problems on the lakes with such things as pipeline (spills). Do we really want to look at something else that could be a potential environmental risk in the years to come, not tomorrow, not next year, but in 20 years? I believe that if this is approved that large organizations, notable organizations that do make their points clear, I imagine they would certainly be visiting Owen Sound. I can’t speak on their behalf but I do know how they behave and how they take these responsibilities on.”
In August, the Council of Canadians sent out ‘ACTION ALERT: Stop the shipment of radioactive components through the Great Lakes’. You can take action through it by going to http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4410.
On September 29, likely at 9 am, Emma Lui of the Council of Canadians will be presenting our concerns to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s public hearings on this issue in Ottawa. There will be 77 presentations heard during the September 28-29 hearings.
If the CNSC decides to approve the shipments of radioactive materials on the Great Lakes, we will also join the “massive demonstrations” that Mayor Anderson describes.
For an overview of the threats we see to the Great Lakes, please go to http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=3796.
