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Uranium industry’s optimism doesn’t seem justified

insurance liability caps granted to the American nuclear power industry,  for example, produce an annual indirect subsidy of $33 million for every reactor in the United States…..liability costs to the Japanese government arising from Fukushima Daiichi, while still impossible to estimate, were presumably large, and might make other governments see that offering subsidies to renewable energy sources might be a comparative bargain…

Uranium Processor Still Optimistic About Nuclear Industry, NYTimes.com, By IAN AUSTEN : March 25, 2011 OTTAWA — On the same day earlier this month that the  Canadian company Cameco, a global leader in uranium mining and processing, gathered its executives from around the world for a strategic planning session, news broke of Japan’s staggering earthquake….. Continue reading →

March 26, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Canada, Uranium | Leave a comment

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is not independent

“In 2008, when the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety  Commission CNSC (Linda Keen) tried to bring Canadian nuclear safety regulations in line with international standards, the government fired her,……The independence of the Commission has been compromised with the appointment of a pro-nuclear industry president”

Who controls nuclear control agencies? Japan’s earthquake caused a nuclear crisis which could be repeated in other countries .. Al Jazeera Stephen Leahy 23 Mar 2011 “…..Canadian connectionThe reactor buildings at Fukushima held up well, but there clearly was a problem with the back-up power for the cooling systems, says John Luxat, professor and Industrial Research Chair in Nuclear Safety Analysis at McMaster University, near Toronto. Continue reading →

March 24, 2011 Posted by | Canada, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Nuclear waste is the really most serious problem

nuclear waste lasts forever. That’s the real horror of Fukushima – that the spread of radioactive material could make an entire chunk of Japan uninhabitable. We could afford to be smug if we knew how to deal with our nuclear waste. But we don’t.

Forget meltdowns. The real nuclear problem is waste, thestar.com Thomas Walkom , 21 March 11, For Canada, the danger of nuclear power lies not in a Japanese-style meltdown. When industry boosters say such an event is unlikely here, they are right.

But what the boosters don’t talk about is radioactive waste.

That’s the main hazard, the part of the nuclear question that has never been properly addressed. No one knows what to do with nuclear fuel rods that remain highly radioactive for thousands of years.

The industry talks of burying them. But this is not a real solution. Sealed containers leak. Ground shifts. Over decades, unforeseen events occur. Continue reading →

March 22, 2011 Posted by | Canada, wastes | 5 Comments

Political push to close down Quebec’s nuclear plant

‘It’s not necessary to refurbish the plant at such an elevated price when Quebec has the means – through energy efficiency, renewable energy and its hydro electricity – to avoid nuclear.’—PQ Leader Pauline Marois……The PQ said it would immediately close the plant if it were elected.

Coalition fights Quebec’s nuclear plant – Montreal – CBC News, 21 March 11, A Quebec coalition of politicians and activists is calling for the permanent closure of the province’s lone nuclear facility in light of the crisis in Japan. The group says maintaining Quebec’s Gentilly-2 power plant is dangerous, given the disaster at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Continue reading →

March 22, 2011 Posted by | Canada, politics | Leave a comment

Precedent set in weakening the rules for transporting radioactive waste on waterways

.. the precedent set when it comes to transporting radioactive waste…..On Feb. 4 of this year, the CNSC approved BP’s plans to ship the generators over­seas, giving the power company a special dispensation over existing regulations covering the amount of radioactive materials allowed on inland Canadian waterways. It’s a big dispensation too: Edwards says the amount of radioactivity in the shipment is 60 times the permissible amount of radioactive waste allowed in one vessel for inland waters, and six times the amount for an ocean-going one. Furthermore, an environmental assessment of the changed plans was never held…….

Swimming with plutonium, Montreal Mirror, by PATRICK LEJTENYI, 11 march 11, Ontario’s Bruce Power nuclear plant is shipping hundreds of tonnes of radioactive waste up the St. Lawrence. Critics worry this is only the first batch Continue reading →

March 11, 2011 Posted by | Canada, wastes | Leave a comment

83 MPs join opposition to nuclear garbage shipment across Great Lakes

We’re talking about nuclear garbage, and we’re going to have a highway of nuclear garbage. This shipment is going to be the first of many if we allow it to happen,”

Groups urge feds to stall ‘nuclear garbage’ shipment Eighty-three MPs sign petition Montreal Gazette, By CARMEN CHAI, Postmedia News March 9, 2011 Continue reading →

March 10, 2011 Posted by | Canada, politics, wastes | Leave a comment

Wind, solar, race ahead – so WHAT “nuclear reaissance” is happening?

Ontario government…  investing in 40 additional wind and solar energy projects

it’s interesting to compare the global figures for how much nuclear, wind and solar power have been added over the last few years during what has been billed as a “nuclear renaissance.”

(Canada) Wind and solar power are leaving nuclear in the dust | Greenpeace International, 9 March 11, Keith Stewart, We often hear that wind and solar power are nice, but they can’t deliver the power that we need. So there were probably a few raised eyebrows last week when I was quoted (here and here) saying that “Wind and solar energy are the new Niagara Falls, as they can do a similar job of replacing polluting power from coal or nuclear plants to power a prosperous Ontario in the twenty-first century.” Continue reading →

March 10, 2011 Posted by | Canada, renewable | Leave a comment

Price dive for Uranium One’s product

Uranium One has year-end loss  The Calgary Herald March 8, 2011 . Uranium One Inc. reported a fourth-quarter loss of $148.2 million on Tuesday, compared with a profit of $179.6 million in the same period a year earlier. It said the loss was due to a series of one-time expenses.
The company, based in Vancouver and Johannesburg, said the loss amounted to 24 cents a share, compared with a profit of 38 cents a share during the fourth quarter of 2009…….

March 10, 2011 Posted by | business and costs, Canada, Uranium | Leave a comment

Depleted uranium’s toll on Canadian veterans

he came into contact with sites and weapons that were highly contaminated with
depleted uranium. In a phone interview from his home in Nova Scotia, Dornan explains that he didn’t know depleted uranium was a dangerous substance at the time……Perhaps Veterans Affairs is worried about setting a precedent where other soldiers with cancer might try to seek a disability pension, too…….

Veteran thrown into new battle | Mercedes Stephenson  Toronto Sun, 6 Mar 11, Steven Dornan battled two monsters in Afghanistan: The Taliban and his cancer. Continue reading →

March 7, 2011 Posted by | Canada, depleted uranium | Leave a comment

Funds for new nuclear research at University of Saskatchewan

$30 million for a new nuclear research centre at U of S, 650 CKOM, Premier Brad Wall believes province will be a leader in nuclear material science  By Chris Carr  March 2, 2011 It will make Saskatchewan the focal point for nuclear research in western Canada.

$30 million is being set aside over seven years for a new nuclear research centre at the University of Saskatchewan……  Wall believes the new money will make the province a leader in nuclear material science, and small reactor technology….

March 3, 2011 Posted by | Canada, marketing | Leave a comment

133 Native Chiefs oppose shipment of radioactive reactor parts across Great Lakes

Ontario chiefs oppose nuclear shipments The Sarnia Observer – Ontario, CA, 26 Feb 2011, A collective of 133 First Nations chiefs in Ontario has restated its objection to the shipment of 16 decommissioned nuclear steam generators through the Great Lakes. During the Chiefs of Ontario annual health forum on Tuesday, an emergency meeting was called by Grand Council Chief Patrick Madahbee. On Feb. 4, Bruce Power was authorized by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to transport the shipment…….Ontario chiefs oppose nuclear shipments – The Sarnia Observer – Ontario, CA

February 27, 2011 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues, opposition to nuclear | Leave a comment

Cosy relationahip between Canada’s regulators and the transporters of radioactive waste

PHMSA [Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration] is infamous for its negligence in major oil pipeline leaks ……PHMSA has previously rubberstamped approvals for 17 water-borne shipments of large, radioactive nuclear components in the past. These shipments travelled on rivers, bays, and sea coasts across the U.S., and even on the waters of Lake Michigan.

Watchdog group urges env. review of nuclear waste shipments, Michigan Messenger,  By Eartha Jane Melzer | 02.25.11 As the Canadian nuclear power company Bruce Power plans to ship 16 decommissioned radioactive steam generators through the Great Lakes, the nuclear watchdog group Beyond Nuclear is asking the federal government to conduct a full programmatic review of water-borne shipments of radioactive waste. Continue reading →

February 27, 2011 Posted by | Canada, secrets,lies and civil liberties | Leave a comment

Nuclear marketing between India and Canada

Indian delegation in Canada to explore nuclear business opportunities, The Hindu , 18 Feb 2011, A high-powered Indian business delegation led by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) Associate Director F. Vohra arrived here today to accelerate bilateral investment and the transfer of technology in the field of nuclear energy between the two countries…… The Hindu : Business / Industry : Indian delegation in Canada to explore nuclear business opportunities

February 19, 2011 Posted by | Canada, India, marketing | Leave a comment

Preserve St Lawrence River from radioactive risk – say Mohawks

“The [River] provides drinking water to some 40 million people,” says Kahnawà:ke Grand Chief Michael Ahrihron Delisle, Jr., in the joint statement issued February 9. “But for us, it’s much more than that. If there is an accident, there is no place for us to go.”

The Mohawk people have been living in the area of the Seaway for at least 9,000 years – and they’re still there today.

Mohawk Communities Oppose Nuclear Waste Shipment ,  GroundReport by  John Schertow February 14, 2011 The Mohawk Councils of Kahnawà:ke, Tyendinaga and Akwesasne have issued a joint statement rejecting the shipment of nuclear waste through the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway system.On Feb. 4, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC),  gave Bruce Power one full year to get 16 containers filled with radioactive waste to Sweden, where the waste can be recycled. Continue reading →

February 16, 2011 Posted by | Canada, indigenous issues | Leave a comment

Legal case over medical radiation

Richmond man sues over hospital scan Edmonton Journal February 15, 2011 A Richmond man claims he was over-exposed to radiation during a CT scan at Abbotsford Regional Hospital.In a civil claim filed in B.C. Supreme Court, Randy Kroeplin says he was placed in the scanner at the hospital on March 19, 2009.He says the scan appeared to stop halfway through the scan and he was left in the scanner for about 25 minutes. The scan commenced again and was finished about four minutes later. “As a result of the CT scan, the plaintiff was exposed to an unnecessary amount of radiation,” says the suit. Richmond man sues over hospital scan

February 16, 2011 Posted by | Canada, Legal | Leave a comment

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