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Despite the anti wind energy bluster, wind energy is the best deal for Ontario

Wind energy is
the smarter long-term choice based on cost, environmental protection,
and wider sharing of benefits to rural communities.

At its current rate of 11.5 cents per kWh in Ontario, wind energy is
cost-competitive with virtually all other new sources of electricity
generation.

While some politicians and a group of highly motivated anti-wind
activists have worked hard to discredit wind energy, the benefits and
attributes of the world’s fastest-growing major source of electricity
speak loud and clear.

Wind energy is a better deal for Ontario than new nuclear
http://www.thespec.com/opinion/columns/article/863783–wind-energy-is-a-better-deal-for-ontario-than-new-nuclear
Chris Forrest  Jan 04 2013  Last year, 2012, saw wind energy’s
contribution of clean power to Canada’s electricity supply grow by
nearly 20 per cent to just over 6,200 megawatts (mw) of installed
capacity, maintaining Canada’s position as one of the world’s leading
wind energy markets.

Every 1,000 mw of new wind energy drives $2.5 billion in investment,
creates 10,500 person-years of employment, and provides enough clean
power for more than 300,000 Canadian homes. New wind energy projects
have been commissioned in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec,
Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia in 2012. Ontario
continues to lead the country with more than 2,000 mw of installed
wind energy capacity now in place. Continue reading →

January 5, 2013 Posted by | Canada, renewable | Leave a comment

Idle No More – indigenous movement spreads beyond Canada

 Why Idle No More matters, Montreal Gazette, The aboriginal protest
movement fits into a pattern that suggests we are entering a new era
of collective action
 By Celine Cooper, Special to The Gazette December 30, 2012 MONTREAL —
In a teepee on Victoria Island in the Ottawa River just a stone’s
throw from Parliament Hill, Attawapiskat First Nations Chief Theresa
Spence is engaging in a hunger strike. Her actions have come to
represent the growing social movement known as Idle No More.

Set into motion and founded by four women from Saskatchewan — Sheelah
McLean, Nina Wilson, Sylvia McAdam and Jessica Gordon — Idle No More
(#idlenomore on Twitter) has gained momentum as an indigenous-led
protest against the mammoth omnibus Bill C-45 tabled by the federal
Conservative government this month. Critics of the bill have taken
particular issue with its amendments to the Indian Act and the
Navigable Waters Act, arguing that it disrespects treaty rights and
aboriginal sovereignty and erodes protection of the environment. Continue reading →

December 31, 2012 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues | Leave a comment

$2 billion to shut down Quebec’s nuclear plant, but $4 billion to keep it open

The Parti Quebecois  also announced it will set aside another $200 million in a
“diversification fund” to help the surrounding communities retrain
their workforces and spur alternative development opportunities.

Shutdown of Que. nuclear plant to cost $2B, Ifp
QMI Agency
December 28, 2012 MONTREAL – The licence for Quebec’s only
operational nuclear power plant expired Friday, and the provincial
government said it will spend hundreds of millions of dollars over the
next 50 years to dismantle the reactor.

The Parti Quebecois campaigned against refurbishing the plant,
claiming that the $4-billion price tag was financially unjustifiable, Continue reading →

December 29, 2012 Posted by | Canada, decommission reactor, Reference | Leave a comment

Quebec’s nuclear power plant will be gone – but the radioactive problem lingers on

antinuke-badgeNon Nukes: Québec Shutters Its Only Nuclear Power Plant http://www.7dvt.com/2012non-nukes-qu-bec-shutters-its-only-nuclear-power-plant
BY KEN PICARD [12.26.12] “….. Seven Days reported in May, “G-2” is closer to northern Vermont than any American reactor, including Vermont flag-canadaYankee. And, like the Vernon plant, G-2 got a new lease on life when its owner, Hydro-Québec, announced plans to refurbish the reactor and keep it operational for another three decades.

Canadian antinuke activists have fought for years to shut down G-2. Since going online in 1983, the plant has experienced problems eerily similar to those at Vermont Yankee — but worse. G-2 releases more radioactive tritium into the air and water each day than the tritium estimated to have leaked from Vermont Yankee in all of 2011.

Yet despite those problems and overwhelming opposition from Québécois — 320 Québec municipalities adopted resolutions calling for G-2’s closure — Canadian regulators earlier this year gave the plant approval to continue splitting atoms. In October, Hydro-Québec announced it would close G-2 at the end of this year — specifically, on December 28.

Why the change of heart? The company cited “increased production costs” — $6.3 billion compared to $1.8 billion to decommission the plant — combined with “falling market prices” for electricity.

Politicians, too, were against the plant. During last summer’s election, Québec’s newly elected premier, Pauline Marois, promised to shutter the province’s only nuke when its license expires at the end of 2012.

Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, hailed the decision, saying “Québecers are proud that ours will be the first jurisdiction in North America to phase completely out of nuclear power.”

But even after G-2’s electricity is long gone, its radiation will linger. HQ plans to leave the facility dormant for 40 years before removing its spent fuel and radioactive equipment, dismantling the facility, and restoring the site. That work won’t be completed until 2062.

December 27, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | Leave a comment

Great lakes nuclear threat is greater than all its other pollution problems

Nuclear power: The ultimate near shore threat to the Great Lakes? Great Lakes Echo
DEC 21 2012 GARY WILSON 

Commentary

“I hope you rethink your really scary plan to bury radioactive waste located only half a mile from Lake Huron…”

That’s a concerned citizen responding to a Canadian nuclear power company’s proposal to store radioactive waste underground near Lake Huron for 100,000 years.

The best-known near shore threats to the Great Lakes are raw sewage and algae blooms. Both receive considerable attention from government agencies and accounts about them are regularly reported in the popular media.

The threat posed by the nuclear power plants that dot the region could easily trump both. It may be the ultimate near shore threat. Continue reading →

December 22, 2012 Posted by | Canada, environment, USA | Leave a comment

Cree Nation stand against uranium mining in Quebec

many concerned groups and individuals are now joining the Crees in urging the Quebec government to conduct an independent and comprehensive assessment of the long-term environmental, social and ethical challenges presented by the uranium industry

When the mining is done and the profits have been taken, these tailings will be left behind in my people’s backyard, where we have lived for thousands of years, and where we hunt, fish and trap, raise our children and bury our dead.

It is indisputable that these uranium tailings will remain radioactive and highly toxic for hundreds of thousands of years.

The Cree Nation will not be intimidated or silenced

 Quebec should support Cree moratorium on uranium mining http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Opinion+Quebec+should+support+Cree+moratorium+uranium+mining/7695600/story.html By Matthew Coon Come, Montreal Gazette December 13, 2012 This summer, my people, the James Bay Cree Nation, enacted a permanent moratorium on uranium exploration, mining, milling and waste emplacement in our territory on the east shore of James Bay, Eeyou Istchee. I was

mandated to take all necessary steps to ensure full recognition of our stand. Continue reading →

December 14, 2012 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues, Uranium | Leave a comment

Canadian govt abandoning environmental protection

When yet another omnibus budget bill passed through Parliament this week, it ushered in a new era in Canadian history. The “Navigable Waters Protection Act” no longer protects “Water”. The “Fisheries Act” no longer protects “Fish”. The “Environmental Assessment Act” no longer requires “Environmental Assessments” be done before important decisions are made. If you are looking to federal environmental law and policy to protect Canada’s environment, you’re a dinosaur. A throwback. A relic of the 20th Century.

“No need to worry,” the federal government says, “the provinces will protect you now.”

Everything’s changed, Northumberland View ca Dec 06, 2012 –    Krystyn Tully, Waterkeeper.ca Weekly“……. It’s no secret that the Government of Canada’s been undergoing some kind of post-environmentalism re-envisioning exercise. You’ve seen the stories about massive layoffs in federal environmental departments, heard about scientists being “muzzled”, listened to members of parliament debating sweeping changes to federal laws.

The exercise is over. The “new normal” is here.
For the last thirty years, Canada was a rule-of-law kind of country. Our environmental laws spelled out what you can’t do (pollute or block a river, for example). They spelled out how decisions had to be made (major projects were reviewed by independent panels, with input from qualified experts, for example). Those who wanted to develop or dump on the water had to prove to a decision-maker that their actions would not harm other people’s abilities to safely swim, drink, or fish those same waters. With a few notable exceptions, the federal rules were generally the same across Canada.
This is no longer true. Continue reading →

December 8, 2012 Posted by | Canada, environment | Leave a comment

Debate over nuclear power plant on the shores of Lake Ontario

flag-canadaNuclear power debated: Darlington plant’s critics line up at hearing, Macleans, 
by Nick Taylor-Vaisey , December 3, 2012 Hope Fellowship Church. It sits on Bloor Street in Courtice, Ont., a small town east of Oshawa, and it’ll be packed with people for the next few days. That’s because the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is holding hearings about the future of the nuclear power plant five kilometres away, nestled against the shores of Lake Ontario. Many don’t much care for the nuclear plant, and they hope to throw a wrench into proposals to keep that plant chugging for years to come. Some are even suggesting Parliament should investigate various elements of nuclear safety. Others support the plant, and intend to tell the commission as much.

What’s on the table, specifically? Ontario Power Generation, the crown corporation that manages the province’s nuclear plants, wants to refurbish the plant, extend its licence until the end of 2014, and renew its waste management facility’s licence, too. The CNSC hearings are part of that application process. The commission received an abnormally high number of interventions, many of which were submitted by individuals, and it was forced delay hearings by several weeks. (By the way, you can request a copy of interventions at the CNSC website. Why they’re not available for download is puzzling.)

Who is opposed? Continue reading →

December 4, 2012 Posted by | Canada, environment | Leave a comment

Nuclear industry sees the writing on the wall, – and attacks renewable energy

nuke-spruikersSmThe Canadian Nuclear Association and the Ontario Power Workers Union have recently been vocal in promoting nuclear power, labelling renewables such as wind and solar as “intermittent” and expensive, and encouraging more investment in nuclear.

Solar industry urged to push back against nuclear ‘attack’ RICHARD BLACKWELL Toronto — The Globe and Mail, Dec. 03 2012,  Canada’s solar power industry needs to market itself more aggressively to counter “misinformation” spread by the nuclear power business, the head of the country’s solar association said Monday.

Claims by the nuclear industry that it is more economical and just as clean as renewable energy sources are essentially an “attack” on solar and need to be countered, said John Gorman, president of the Canadian Solar Industries Association.

“Make no mistake about it, renewable energy, and increasingly solar energy, is under attack,” he told delegates to a solar energy conference in Toronto. Misinformation “is being spread by a small number of short-sighted politicians and by competing industries that see the writing on the wall.” Continue reading →

December 4, 2012 Posted by | Canada, spinbuster | Leave a comment

Cameco and AREVA ‘s deal with indigenous people, to silence criticism of uranium mining

censorship-blackThe agreement would prohibit Pinehouse from criticizing the companies now or in the future, a measure that amounts to an indefinite “gag order”

  • Pinehouse promises to “fully support” Cameco and Areva’s current, proposed and future projects in public, to investors, to regulators and with other groups. Pine-house leaders must make reasonable efforts to ensure community members “do not say or do anything that interferes with or delays” the companies’ operations. 
  • Pinehouse agrees to not make any future financial requests or claims against the companies.

Uranium firms offer deal to Sask. community Agreement sparks opposition By Jason Warick, The StarPhoenix November 27, 2012 An offer by uranium giants Cameco Corp. and Areva could soon deliver jobs, cash payments and other benefits to the northern community of Pinehouse, but some residents worry it’s a thinly veiled attempt to buy their silence. Continue reading →

December 3, 2012 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues, Reference, Uranium | 1 Comment

Call for General Electric to remove uranium processing facility from populated area

“The question is, is this the right kind of operation that should be in the middle of people’s backyards?”

Councillor asks uranium plant to shut down Facility on Lansdowne has been quietly processing nuclear fuel for decades Toronto NOW, 23 Nov 12 By BEN SPURR Amid mounting concerns from his west downtown community, a city councillor is asking controversial uranium plant on Lansdowne Ave. to pack up and move out of his ward.

 In a motion that will go before council next week, Councillor Cesar Palacio is requesting that the city work with General Electric-Hitachi on a five-year plan to phase out the production of nuclear fuel pellets at the company’s Davenport Village facility. Continue reading →

November 25, 2012 Posted by | Canada, opposition to nuclear, Uranium | Leave a comment

Corporate investors asking hard questions about economics of nuclear power

hard questions have to be put about new nuclear units.

Challenging Ontario’s new nuclear plants By Staff Torstar News Service, 20 Nov 12,  A new nuclear debate is starting to percolate in Ontario. At industry conferences and in the corridors of Queen’s Park, energy activists are questioning whether Ontario should invest billions in new nuclear energy units.

But these activists aren’t the long-time foes of the nuclear industry, who based their arguments on moral and environmental grounds.

They’re working for corporate clients, and asking hard questions about the economics of nuclear power, given the alternatives like plentiful natural gas. Continue reading →

November 22, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | Leave a comment

Close uranium plant – call from Toronto rally

Large crowd calls for closure of uranium plant, Inside Toronto, 17 Nov 12   The GE-Hitachi facility at 1025 Lansdowne Ave. presses uranium powder into the pellets used to power Ontario’s nuclear reactors. The plant releases tiny amounts of radiation into the air and water each year …by Lisa Rainford
Following a march from the GE-Hitachi uranium plant at Lansdowne Avenue and Dupont Street, a capacity crowd of protesters filled the Davenport-Perth Neighbourhood Centre sanctuary for what organizers are calling the first of many meetings to come about the nuclear facility.

Decked out in costume, the “Raging Grannies,” a group of older women who use song to protest and raise awareness of environmental and social justice issues, kicked off the Nov. 15 meeting that brought out local politicians from all levels of government, as well as several guest experts.  “If you love your neighbourhood, no uranium… Kick GE out for good, no uranium,” sang the trio to rousing applause.
Facilitated by the Ontario Clean Air Alliance’s Angela Bischoff, the meeting brought together a host of speakers,  Continue reading →

November 17, 2012 Posted by | Canada, opposition to nuclear, Uranium | Leave a comment

Wake up America, to Great Lakes nuclear waste threat – says Sarnia Mayor

“I do not believe on the American side that there’s very much knowledge what’s going on, on this side of the border.”

Let U.S. comment on Canada’s nuclear waste plans, says Sarnia mayor The Star.com, November 15, 2012 John Spears Business Reporter The Canadian mayor who helped stall transport of radioactive equipment on the Great Lakes is pushing for an “international debate” on Canada’s plan for storing nuclear waste.

Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley has asked fellow mayors on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border to take a “strong position” on Canadian proposals for nuclear waste.

He has written to the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative to get the ball rolling. Continue reading →

November 16, 2012 Posted by | Canada, USA, wastes | Leave a comment

Canada gives up on nuclear non proliferation, in deal with India

Canada joined the queue of nuclear suitors by concluding its own bilateral cooperation agreement with India in June 2010. Article V of this agreement formalized Canada’s turning a blind eye to India’s nuclear weapon programs,

India and the meltdown of Canada’s nuclear non-proliferation policy  http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/1288649–india-and-the-meltdown-of-canada-s-nuclear-non-proliferation-policy  Paul Meyer   15 Nov 12,    Canada and India both want to start a new chapter in the history of our bilateral nuclear relations. This new chapter is meant to put behind us the bitterness of the past, when a Canadian-supplied research reactor was exploited to produce India’s first “peaceful” nuclear explosion in 1974 and subsequently to help create India’s nuclear weapon arsenal that was made overt through a series of nuclear tests in May 1998.

Also to be erased in this revisionist history is reference to UN Security Council Resolution 1172 of June 1998, which demanded that India and Pakistan foreswear further tests and reverse their nuclear weapon ambitions. Despite the resolution’s unanimous adoption and threat of sanctions, states led by most of the Security Council’s Permanent Five were soon privileging their own bilateral relations with India over any effort at maintaining a united front to counter this blatant act of nuclear proliferation. Continue reading →

November 16, 2012 Posted by | Canada, politics international, weapons and war | Leave a comment

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