nuclear-news

Canada’s nuclear operators to pay more, in the event of an accident

Federal government poised to raise nuclear liability cap The Canadian Press Jun 9, 2013 Federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver is set to roll out his plan to raise the amount in damages that Canadian nuclear operators would have to pay in case of an accident, the Canadian Press has learned.

He is expected to announce the details at a nuclear conference in Toronto on Monday morning, although he will likely hold off on tabling legislation until the fall.

The liability cap is now set at $75 million but that is widely considered outdated, especially in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster that has led to tens of billions of dollars of damage claims…….. ritics say anything except unlimited liability acts as a subsidy to the nuclear industry.

“Increasing the cap only decreases the subsidy; it does not eliminate it. The government of Canada should proceed with legislation that removes the liability cap entirely rather than legislation that maintains it, or increases it to be harmonious with other jurisdictions,” wrote Joel Wood, a senior research economist at the Fraser Institute, in a 2011 analysis.

In February, the federal government introduced new financial penaltiesfor companies found in violation of the law in an effort to increase pipeline safety. http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2013/06/09/pol-federal-government-poised-to-raise-nuclear-liability-cap.html

June 10, 2013 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | Canada, politics