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[For those of us who have been following federal Indian policy for a long
time the proposal to place a nuclear dump on First Nations lands sounds
like folks in the Privy Council Office want to continue the policies they
spelled out in the 1969 White Paper but which have roots running to the
tail of the ghost of Mackenzie King. mp]
OTTAWA PUSHING PLAN TO BURY NUCLEAR WASTE, SAYS CTV
Canadian Press, March 8, 1999
[S.I.S.I.S. note: The following mainstream news article may contain biased
or distorted information and may be missing pertinent facts and/or context.
It is provided for reference only.]
TORONTO (CP) - Ottawa wants to fast track a plan to bury tonnes of
nuclear waste in the Canadian Shield, CTV News reported Sunday. The plan by
the Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to bury the deadly waste in tunnels
deep in the North was sent back last year for another three years of
consultations and study to build public support.
But a cabinet document obtained by CTV News says three years is too long
and the nuclear waste management agency should start work on the disposal
concept as soon as possible.
It also called for as little public consultation as necessary.
The network said Natural Resources Minister Ralph Goodale was not
available for comment but an official in his department said the document
is a "discussion paper for senior bureaucrats." The environmental
assessment panel headed by Blair Seaborn said in March 1998 that the plan
to bury nuclear waste appeared to be technically safe but didn't have the
public support it needed to proceed.
AECL had spent $575 million over 15 years to verify the safety of the
deep-rock disposal concept. The plan called for cutting a shaft deep enough
to swallow Toronto's CN Tower, with sealed vaults at the bottom and capable
of holding deadly radioactive waste without significant leakage for
centuries. The panel recommended conducting further consultation and to
"build and determine" public acceptability over the next three or four
years. "Safety is a key part, but only one part, of acceptability," said
the report. "Safety must be viewed from two complementary perspectives:
technical and social."
The panel recommended more input from aboriginals. The most likely site
for a deep-storage facility is Northern Ontario where there is a
substantial aboriginal population.
At the end of 1996, there were about 29,400 tonnes of used nuclear fuel
bundles stored at Canadian reactor sites, enough to fill three hockey rinks
up to the top of the boards. Even after 500 years, some of the waste could
be harmful to health and the environment if it got into air, water or food.
The current storage sites are above ground and have always been
considered temporary. They require surveillance and maintenance and one
concern is what would happen if there were a disaster or breakdown in
social order in coming centuries.
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NO MORE CANADIAN TOXIC ECOCIDE AND GENOCIDE: NO TO RADIOACTIVE COLONIALISM
Minister of (stolen) Natural Resources Ralph Goodale:
mailto:GoodaR@parl.gc.ca
mailto:remote-printer.Ralph_Goodale@16139925098.iddd.tpc.int
Minister of the Environment Christine Stewart:
mailto:Stewa@parl.gc.ca or
mailto:remote-printer.Christine_Stewart@16139957536.iddd.tpc.int
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is
distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed
a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and educational purposes only.
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S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty
P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2
EMAIL : <sisis@envirolink.org>
WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html
SOVERNET-L is a news-only listserv concerned with indigenous
sovereigntist struggles around the world. To subscribe, send
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