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Indigenous peoples fight against nuclear waste dumping on their land

No nuclear Northwest: Grand Chiefs Kenora Daily Miner and News, By Jon Thompson, 10 Jan 12 Grand chiefs representing every inch of Northwestern Ontario are publicly taking a hard line against burying nuclear waste in their traditional territory, claiming it would violate international law. Continue reading →

January 11, 2012 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues, wastes | Leave a comment

An “under-performing investment” – Cameco uranium company

Cameco (CCJ) Downgraded by Zacks Investment Research to “Underperform”, Localised USA, Jan 10th, 2012 Cameco (NYSE: CCJ) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a “neutral” rating to an “underperform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday.

Cameco Corporation (Cameco) is a Canada-based company. The Company and its subsidiaries are primarily engaged in the exploration for and the development, mining, refining, conversion and fabrication of uranium for sale as fuel for generating electricity in nuclear power reactors in Canada and other countries. Cameco has three reportable segments: uranium, fuel services and electricity.

The company has a 31.6% interest in Bruce Power L.P. (BPLP). Cameco’s uranium joint venture interests are comprised of McArthur River, Rabbit Lake, Cree Extension Millenium, Moon Lake, Dawn Lake, Read Lake and Virgin River. Cameco’s projects include Kintyre Uranium Exploration Project (Kintyre) and GoviEx Uranium (GoviEx). Kintyre project is located in the East Pilbara region of Western Australia. Cameco holds 12% interest in GoviEx. Its wholly owned subsidiary is Global Laser Enrichment LLC (GLE).

January 11, 2012 Posted by | business and costs, Canada, Uranium | Leave a comment

Canada’s chequered history on nuclear safety

A closer look at Canada’s nuclear plants CBC News Canada: Jan 9, 2012 Reports of two radioactive spills at the nuclear power plant in Point Lepreau, N.B., late in 2011 have raised concerns with the head of Canada’s Nuclear Safety Commission.

Michael Binder, the president of the commission, called the news “unsettling.”…….

Some notable nuclear accidents in Canada

Chalk River, 1952 and 1958

A power surge and partial loss of coolant led to significant damage to the NRX reactor core in 1952. It was the world’s first major nuclear reactor disaster, and it resulted in 4.5 tonnes of radioactive water collecting in the cellar of the building. In 1958, a fuel rupture in the reactor led to a fire and complete contamination of the NRU building. The military was called in both times to aid in the cleanup.

Pickering, 1974 and 1983

The most serious nuclear accidents in Canada happened at the Pickering facility east of Toronto, in 1974 and in 1983. In each case, pressure tubes — which hold fuel rods — ruptured. Some coolant escaped, but was recovered before it left the plant, and there was no release of radioactive material from the containment building.

Darlington, 2009

In 2009, more than 200,000 litres of tritium, the radioactive isotope of hydrogen, spilled into Lake Ontario after workers accidentally filled the wrong tank with a mixture of tritium and water. The level of the isotope in the lake was not enough to pose harm to residents. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/01/09/f-canada-nuclear-reactors.html

January 10, 2012 Posted by | Canada, safety | Leave a comment

Radioactive shipments: Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission did not consult First Nations

The Council of Canadians is calling on the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to hold another public hearing on the matter before renewing Bruce Power’s permits to ship the nuclear waste across the Great Lakes to Sweden.

the CNSC has not fulfilled its duty to consult with First Nations by obtaining free, prior and informed consent.

Bruce Power cannot ship nuclear waste until permit is renewed, Rabble Ca, BY EMMA LUI | DECEMBER 30, 2011 Bruce Power will not be able to ship 16 radioactive steam generators until they renew their permit with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) As of tomorrow, December 31, 2011, the Welland Canal is officially closed to all vessels, preventing Bruce Power from proceeding with the nuclear waste shipment until the spring.

Bruce Power had planned to ship 16 bus-sized radioactive steam generators from Owen Sound, through Lake Huron and Lake Erie, then along the Welland Canal and

through Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence Seaway. The shipment would end up in Sweden where Studsvik, the Swedish company contracted by Bruce Power, would decontaminate the waste in order to sell the scrap metal back onto consumer markets.

On February 4, 2010, Bruce Power had received the necessary CNSC permits to ship the nuclear waste to Sweden. However, the permits are only good for one year and will expire on February 3, 2012 — before the Welland Canal re-opens again for the shipping season. The Canal generally re-opens for shipping sometime in March….. Continue reading →

December 31, 2011 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues | Leave a comment

Uranium’s radiation danger: Port Hope and Huntington

“Contrary to statements provided by federal government agencies, no level of radiation is safe and it is cumulative — each dose adds to the risk of cancer. Children are 10 to 20 times more radiosensitive than adults, and fetuses are extremely sensitive,”

Port Hope Uranium Plant Contamination Circumstances Contain Similarities to Huntington’s Buried Uranium Plant, December 29, 2011  BY TONY RUTHERFORD HUNTINGTON NEWS Port Hope has a water treatment plant supplying its drinking water. Incredibly, adjacent to this water treatment plant, is a huge factory which emits uranium gas and dust into the air and Lake Ontario. Continue reading →

December 30, 2011 Posted by | Canada, environment, Uranium | 1 Comment

Secrecy as Canada transports weapons grade uranium to USA

Canada shipping bomb-grade uranium to U.S.: memo Andy Blatchford, The Canadian Press, 27 Dec 11 MONTREAL — Weapons-grade uranium is quietly being transported within Canada, and into the United States, in shipments the country’s nuclear watchdog wants to keep cloaked in secrecy. Continue reading →

December 28, 2011 Posted by | Canada, safety, secrets,lies and civil liberties, Uranium | Leave a comment

Canadian tribes say NO to nuclear waste

No nuclear waste here, North Shore Tribal Council says,SooToday.com, December 20, 2011    Chiefs of the North Shore Tribal Council say no! to a multi-billion dollar nuclear waste disposal project in their territory CUTLER, ON – The First Nations of the North Shore Tribal Council strongly reject the prospect of the North Shore of Lake Huron becoming a site for the long-term storage of nuclear waste for the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO). The City of Elliot Lake has publicly expressed interest in possibly becoming one of the sites for the long-term disposal of nuclear waste for Canada’s nuclear industry.

Elliot Lake has a long history of uranium mining that resulted in the boom and bust of the city, as well as significant and lasting environmental damage to the local watershed and nearby ceremonial grounds.  In addition, there are dozens of tailings ponds surrounding Elliot Lake currently waiting for a solution for their safe disposal.

“We cannot idly stand by and watch as they inject Mother Earth with this cancer,” says Chief Lyle Sayers, chairman of the North Shore Tribal Council. “We must ensure that the future natural resources of this area are there for our children, generations to come, and businesses alike.”

The half-life of this material is hundreds of thousands of years old and could impact generation after generation.  No site can ever be totally safe for nuclear waste storage. “Natural disasters sometimes happen, such as we’ve seen in Japan. It could make this whole area a nuclear wasteland suitable for only that industry,” says Chief Sayers.

Our statement to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and to the Nuclear Waste Management Organization is: Do not waste your financial resources if you plan to conduct a study in this area because a nuclear waste dump is not going to happen here.

The North Shore Tribal Council represents seven First Nation communities across the North Shore of Lake Huron.Chief Lyle Sayers is the chief of the Garden River First Nation and also the chairman of the North Shore Tribal Council. http://www.sootoday.com/content/news/details.asp?c=37141

December 21, 2011 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues, opposition to nuclear, wastes | 1 Comment

Shipping dead nuclear reactors across Great Lakes – a dangerous precedent

One of the major concerns is that if this transport goes ahead, it will pave the way for further similar shipments with little government or environment oversight.

Hundreds of municipalities across Ontario, Quebec, U.S. and the U.K. and Sweden have publicly opposed the shipment, citing concerns over the potential for radioactive material to leak into water systems.

Controversial nuclear shipping plan remains on hold Vanvouver Sun, By Linda Nguyen, Postmedia News December 20, 2011 TORONTO — A controversial plan to ship 16 decommissioned nuclear steam generators across Ontario’s Great Lakes and eventually to Sweden for recycling continues to remain on hold, nearly two years after it was first proposed. Continue reading →

December 21, 2011 Posted by | Canada, safety | Leave a comment

The world’s 240,000 tonnes of intensely radioactive civilian waste

Nuclear’s environmental costs No nation has come up with a permanent, safe way to dispose of radioactive waste Montreal Gazette, By IAN MACLEOD, Postmedia News December 17, 2011 “……More than 240,000 tonnes of intensely radioactive civilian waste has piled up around the globe since the dawning of the atomic age.

Sixty years on, no one is sure yet how to safely and permanently dispose of the stuff, much of it harmful to living organisms for thousands of years. Canada’s share of the highlevel heap stands at 44,000 tonnes. Virtually all is spenturanium fuel bundles – 2.3 million of them – that powered the commercial and research reactors that made Canada a leading nuclear nation…..
Spent fuel bundles are just one piece of fallout from the nuclear fuel cycle. Continue reading →

December 19, 2011 Posted by | Canada, wastes | Leave a comment

Stop uranium exploration and all nuclear activities, demand Northern Quebec communities

Northern Quebec Communities Demand End of Uranium Prospecting by
Uracan, MarketWatch, Dec. 18, 2011    “…..All eight municipalities in Minganie, a
region of Northern Quebec, have already voted in favour of a resolution against uranium prospecting on their territory. On November 23rd, the Regional County Municipality of Minganie also adopted a resolution outlawing all uranium-related activities within an area of
50 kilometers north of the coastline. Clearly, there is no social support for uranium mining in Minganie.
Uracan’s drilling sites are located in the area covered by the resolution. This is why we ask that Minister Gignac act immediately and tell Uracan to pack its bags and leave. We will not tolerate more drilling. We demand that the company cease all its activities and move its installations, equipment and machineries elsewhere. If it fails to do so, actions will be taken.

We also ask that Uracan provide compensation to those who have been negatively affected by its activities. Continue reading →

December 19, 2011 Posted by | Canada, politics, Uranium | Leave a comment

Anxiety in Ontario at the prospect of nuclear waste dump

Peabody said Walkerton’s tainted water tragedy a decade ago should be
reason enough to stay out of the radioactive-waste business.

“I would (also) question the wisdom of putting all of Canada’s nuclear
waste beside or close to Lake Huron under some of Canada’s best farm
land.” 

Nuclear waste dump idea sparks unease in Ontario The Canadian Press, Dec. 11, 2011  TORONTO — A community on the shores of Lake Huron has cracked open the door to southern Ontario’s becoming the permanent storage site for Canada’s spent, but still dangerously radioactive, nuclear fuel. Continue reading →

December 12, 2011 Posted by | Canada, wastes | Leave a comment

Canadian authorities intercept radioactive goods at seaports

The CBSA Keeps Radioactive Goods From Entering Canada, OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Market Watch, Dec 05, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced the interception and detention of 19 marine containers testing positive for low levels of man made radiation. The CBSA identified the source of the radiation as Cobalt-60. Since early October, marine containers contaminated with Cobalt-60 have been intercepted and detained at both the Port of Vancouver and Prince Rupert…..http://www.marketwatch.com/story/the-cbsa-keeps-radioactive-goods-from-entering-canada-2011-12-05

December 6, 2011 Posted by | Canada, safety | Leave a comment

More uranium produced, but prices continue downward

Uranium Stocks Build Momentum but Prices Remain Weak,  Equity Research on Cameco Corp & Denison Mines NEW YORK, NY, Nov 24, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — “………While uranium stocks are on the upswing on long term optimism and takeover speculation, the spot price for uranium remains low. The spot uranium price dropped to slightly below $53 a pound U3O8, according to price publishers TradeTech and Ux Consulting, as little new buying interest emerged over the past week in the spot uranium market. Ux noted in its Monday report that a number of buyers and sellers already have met their volume expectations for the year — not surprising given volume levels posted since July…..

Cameco Corp reported…net profit fell 60 percent ….. Denison Mines  As a result of the events in Japan in March 2011, the uranium spot market demand has declined and the price has been trading in a range of $50.00 to $55.00 per pound. In response to these weaker market conditions, Denison has deferred uranium sales to later in the year.

November 25, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Canada, Uranium | Leave a comment

Uranium spill ship leaves Vancouver, as legal wrangles continue

North Vancouver bids adieu to uranium ship By James Weldon, North Shore News November 22, 2011 A boat that sparked concern among some residents of North Vancouver’s waterfront for its connection to a radioactive spill has left its anchorage in Indian Arm………

The container vessel had been sitting idle while its former owners and the owners of a one-time cargo duke it out in court over a Uranium concentrate spill that took place onboard late last year.

The Altona became contaminated in the final week of 2010 when an unspecified amount of powdered uranium concentrate — commonly called yellow cake — spilled out of toppled containers and into the hold when the ship hit rough seas en route to China.

The boat returned to Port Metro Vancouver for cleanup, a process that took weeks because of the chemical’s radioactivity and toxicity. The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission and Transport Canada declared the Altona clean and safe in early May, at which point it was moved to Indian Arm while the legal battles got underway.

The owner of the cargo, Saskatchewan’s Cameco Corporation, claimed the ship’s owners were responsible for the mishap, which Cameco said cost it close to $20 million. Facing the potentially costly lawsuit, the ship’s owners — a company called MS MCP Altona GMBH — went bankrupt, and the ship was put up for sale. That sale is now being finalized, according to the port.

Undeterred, Cameco went after other associated companies and companies involved in loading the cargo to get its money back. The case was expected to take some time to resolve. Proceeds from the sale of the Altona will go to the defunct owner’s creditors. It remains to be seen how much, if any, of that money will go to Cameco.http://www.vancouversun.com/North+Vancouver+bids+adieu+uranium+ship/5749809/story.html

November 23, 2011 Posted by | Canada, Legal | Leave a comment

Ontario Power Generation can’t afford nuclear clean-up costs

One more nuclear risk – the dwindling value of cleanup funds  One more risk of nuclear power: Ontario Power Generation recorded a third-quarter loss because of a sharp decline in the value of funds set aside for nuclear clean-ups…..

 funds set aside for future nuclear plant de-commissioning and for nuclear waste treatment performed poorly, recording a loss of $16 million, compared with gains of $287 million a year earlier.

November 19, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Canada | Leave a comment

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