Speaking out on nuclear plans
Last week, the public had an opportunity to comment to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on two important projects. In Pickering, Ontario Power Generation is proposing to refurbish the aging Pickering nuclear power plant. This project will extend the plant's operating life to 2060. In Port Hope, Cameco is proposing a plan to rejuvenate some historically contaminated lands around its conversion facility on the waterfront.
For the Pickering plan, Lake Ontario Waterkeeper pointed out that the measures described aren't enough to control the contamination produced by a nuclear power plant. Ideally, the provincial government must be included in the evaluation and regulation process in order to best protect the interests, health and safety of Ontarians.
For the Port Hope plan, we stressed the need to return the environment to a truly clean state - not assume that some level of pollution is okay for this historically contaminated town.
“These two projects create an opportunity to stem the flow of nuclear-related pollution into Lake Ontario,†says Waterkeeper Mark Mattson. “If we listen to our communities and focus on restoring clean, green waterfronts, we have the chance to make amends for the mistakes of the past.â€
Typical environmental contamination from nuclear facilities like Pickering and Port Hope include Tritium, Strontium and Cesium. These isotopes have been linked to increased risk of bone cancer and leukemia, miscarriages, and genetic defects.
Full details of Lake Ontario Waterkeeper's comments on the Pickering and Port Hope development proposals can be found in our Newsroom.
This week's Living at the Barricades On the first show of the fall season Mark and Krystyn discuss 'The Rules of The Game": are we getting the information we need to make informed decisions? We then examine the recommendations for the future of Oshawa Harbour contained in the Crombie report that was recently released by the federal government after six months.
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More Information: See OPG's proposal here See Cameco's proposal here