These lengthy reports now averaging 1000 words or more are intended
to connect the dots between a number of issues. Please print for
your cyber illiterates.
FOR SALE: LEAKING NUCLEAR REACTOR IN UNCEDED ALGONQUIN TERRITORY
December 10, 2007
UPDATE
Whenever something happens at 6 Nations Mohawk territory, there will
be an echo at Sharbot Lake in Algonquin territory. The current
issues are different: housing development and uranium mining yet the
struggle is the same. The enemy is the same colonial system that
seeks to eliminate Ongwehonwe/Nishnaabe people.
In mid September, when the Ardoch and Shabot Algonquins and allies
were anticipating an invasion, the remaining people at the 6 Nations
reclamation were attacked by hundreds of police. Nine men and women
were beaten and arrested and now face court cases in January 2008.
The Algonquins were very aware of all this when they quickly
dismantled their camp three weeks later in an act of "good faith"
prior to mediations called by Judge Cunningham.
Then more recently when Mohawk cig shacks were attacked by nonNatives
in Caledonia, the Shabot Algonquins quietly closed their cig shack on
Highway 7 at Sharbot Lake.
The Ardoch and Shabot Algonquin leadership now appear to be putting
all their bets into the farcical mediation process that sort of began
this past week. It is still not known if the meetings will actually
be open or closed to the people. They continue on December 17.
Meanwhile, Frontenac Ventures staff are active at the mine site
preparing to drill in January. What they are doing out back is not
known because no one has been found to monitor their activities. A
small contingent of protesters are keeping watch outside the gates.
Others are on standby ready to come to the site at any time.
THE THREE STOOGES AND AECL
Chalk River Laboratories on the Ottawa River at the heart of
Algonquin unceded land, is a big nuclear bomb waiting to go off. CRL
is tied to the nuclear weapons industry in the US by the medical
isotope business.
Soldiers at Petawawa are mere grunts while an elite "nuclear police"
force will soon move in. Many "Aboriginal partners" are now being
groomed for their roles in this "force organization". Recruits are
being actively sought in northern Indigenous communities and even at
pow wows where police forces have a high profile presence for that
purpose. The OPP's Blue Wolf Drum is a good example of state-
financed propaganda. Any Aboriginal OPP (Ontario Provincial Police)
can play and travel with the drum to various events throughout the
land.
Remember the 1950's comedy, "The Three Stooges"? Imagine a new
version with Julian Fantino as Moe, Jim Potts as Larry and Randy Cota
as Curly. Moe gets to abuse Larry and Curly, Larry only gets to
abuse Curly and Curly doesn't get to abuse anyone.
He must submit to being slapped in the face, poked in the eyes and
hit on the head with a hammer. He must allow his nose to be tweaked
with plyers and his butt to be assailed with a spiked 2by4. All of
this is done in jest, of course, and really would not be allowed on
today's non-violent TV.
One episode of the 21st century "Three Stooges" involves a disaster
at a nuclear reactor plant. Can't you just see the 3 "nuclear police
inspectors" arriving at Chalk River to be met by none other than
Homer Simpson played by Bob Lovelace and AECL Chairman of the Board,
Mr. Burns played by look-alike George White? (AECL's chairman REALLY
is Mr. Burns, Michael C. Burns.)
We'll all be laughing our heads off as the Three Stooges trudge
around in their protective gear made by Ottawa-based Med Eng,
subsidiary of Allen Vanguard and tested at MREL's facilities near
Sharbot Lake for their ability to withstand all forms of radiation.
Frontenac Ventures will conduct their uranium exploration nearby.
How will they ever find the uranium with all that radiation up there?
(Faithful readers will recall an MNN article, "Boy War Toys Club:
Members Only" which describes the elite group that licensed
exploders, MREL and Allen Vanguard belong to.)
The stooges wear their gamma watches purchased from Environmental
Instruments Canada Inc., another Canadian company based in
Saskatoon. The alarms on the watches are singing away in B- but the
boys ignore them. Later, they'll all take a shower in MREL's aqua
ram foam all of which will be taped with MREL's fast cameras that
capture every little radioactive fart and other explosions.
After giving Larry and Curly a good clip in the ears, cranky Moe
dances from one reactor to another - there are 5 at Chalk River, two
nearly 60 years old and long overdue for decommissioning. That
includes the NRU reactor, the one shut down right now and causing
such excitement because of a global shortage of medical isotopes.
What about residents' constant concerns of leaking radiation and the
possibility of a nuclear explosion?
Did AECL use the wrong fuel or something? Did they use some of
Russia's plutonium brought to Chalk River in 2000 or molybdenum or
iodine? Maybe they got the elements mixed up. It happens to us all
the time.
AECL's spokesman, Brian McGee, senior VP & chief Nuclear officer,
says he didn't know the reactor needed scheduled maintenance since
2005 to keep its license. Maybe he forgot. Maybe the radiation
there makes them all forgetful.
Larry is down in the pits taking samples from the leaking fuel, no
doubt seeping halfway to Ottawa by now in a colourful radioactive
plume. He'll have to explain it all to their bosses in Washington
and London.
Curly and his loyal minions who follow his every command, are doing
security and cleanup. Neither they nor Curly himself know anything
about the accidents and spills at Chalk River. It's ancient,
forgotten history how hundreds of soldiers from Petawawa who did the
cleanup jobs and later got cancer, were denied help by the same
government that sent them in.
Crown corporation, AECL's web site won't tell you about the 1952
accident with NRX and the 1958 accident with NRU, both reactors at
Chalk River. You can get that info from ccnr.org.
There's plenty more you're not being told.
GNEP GLOBAL NUCLEAR ENERGY PARTNERSHIP
Last week, "Lying Lunatic", Gary Lunn, Natural Resources Minister,
quietly signed Bush' GNEP (Global Nuclear Energy Partnership). Back
in September, when all eyes were on the IAEA meeting in Vienna,
Stephen Harper emphaticaly refused to sign up for Canada to
repatriate nuclear waste. Now, when few are paying attention,
Canaduh signs up like the whore who coyly says no when everyone is
watching and later sneaks off into the bushes to do the deed. It
happens all the time.
Neither the press release nor the GNEP agreement appear on the
Natural Resources web site until Wednesday, December 5 after our call
about it. The press release did appear at DOE and CNA (Canadian
Nuclear Association)web sites since last week and was announced in a
short clip on CBC and other media.
The focus since has been on the global shortage of medical isotopes
made at Chalk River in the NRU reactor and sold by MDS Nordion, an
Ottawa company. Anything to do with health care usually gets
everybody going.
The GNEP document is a slippery piece of radioactive drivel that does
not clearly state Canaduh's intention to repatriate nuclear waste.
This, Lunn says, will not happen. In any case, the agreement is not
binding. Italy signed on November 13. There are now 18 members.
The stated aim of the agreement is "to accelerate development and
deployment of advanced fuel cycle technologies to encourage clean
development and prosperity worldwide, improve the environment and
reduce the risk of nuclear proliferation." Just ask George Orwell to
translate that bit of double speak!
One of GNEP's seven objectives is to "develop and demonstrate, inter
alia, advanced technologies for recycling spent nuclear fuel for
deployment in facilities that do not separate pure plutonium with a
long term goal of ceasing separation of plutonium and eventually
eliminating stocks of separated civilian plutonium." We are waiting
for a translation from Gordon Edwards on that one.
Signators like Gary Lunn and the US Department of Energy secretary
Sam Bodman are avid, even vociferous proponents of nuclear energy who
claim nuclear is a clean, sustainable source of electricity.
At the same time that Lunn announced the GNEP signing, he also
announced a review of AECL, the Crown corporation that GE wants to
buy. GE wants controlling interests but foreigners are not permitted
to own majority shares. With rumours of AECL being privatized, we'll
see how that changes and soon. GE has not answered our enquiries
about this deal.
BILL C-5: NUCLEAR LIABILITY
Canada's House of Commons is debating Bill C-5, "An Act respecting
civil liability and compensation for damage in case of a nuclear
incident" to change the Nuclear Liability Act and raise the limits
from $77 million to $650 million. No other industry is legislated
for liability in this way.
There are several serious problems with the bill which presumes
nuclear development is a go. Compared to global standards, this
amount is far too little for a large nuclear accident that would
affect millions of people. With the operator being liable (not
manufacturers), in this case, AECL, Canadian taxpayers would foot the
bill for generations to come.
However, the liability insurance is VOID in the event of war or a
terrorist attack as is your own insurance policy for these reasons.
That's right, your insurance is VOID in war as well as in any nuclear
event. Read the fine print.
Even those Canadian MP's critical of the bill like NDP Dennis
Bevington (Western Arctic), seem fatalistically poised to accept the
new Bill and all the consequences of nuclear development.
Bevington should know better. He's the MP in Port Radium where
uranium was first mined by Dine people who carried the ore in burlap
bags. Later many of those minors died from horrible cancers.
Liberals Dan McTeague (Pickeringscarborough East, Lib.)and the very
vocal Omar Alghabra (Mississaugaerindale, Lib.) are all for nuclear
development. The NDP are more cautious and the BQ are more critical
of the proposed bill, especially in defence of Quebec.
Nathan Cullen (SkeenaBulkley Valley, NDP) says, "The truth presented
in this bill is that there are serious and significant implications
when dealing with a nuclear accident. If it were not so, then the
government would not need to, under the advice of its lawyers and
insurance consultants, list bodily injury, psychological trauma,
close personal relationship and trauma to somebody affected,
liability for economic loss, costs of wages, power failure and
environmental damage."
Brad Trost (SaskatoonHumboldt, CPC)expounds with great
authority: "In 2003 the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission contracted
an independent firm to study what the economic loss, the personal
loss, et cetera would be from a major incident. It went through the
criteria, looked at a possible major incident in a plant, and I
believe that Darlington was the plant that was used as the model, and
it came to the conclusion that as a worst case scenario, it was
looking at $100 million with what we have in Canada."
Trost doesn't say who did the study. We'll do a quick one here. We
know a man who is a paraplegic as the result of a car accident. He
received $7 million compensation for loss of use of his legs, his
pain and suffering and his loss of income.
Now, in a serious nuclear accident at Darlington which would affect
about 3 million people quite adversely, health, home and livelihood,
let us divide the $650 million among them equally and see what they
each get: $213.33. Hmmm...
Bernard Bigras (RosemontLa Petite-Patrie, BQ)reminds us that, "There
will certainly be a debate in the Standing Committee on Natural
Resources, on which my friend [Christian Ouellet, BQ]from Brome
Missisquoi sits, because there is good reason to think that this
[$650 million maximum liability] is not sufficient at the present
time."
He goes on to say, "Given the decisions that will be made in Ontario
and New Brunswick, we might even doubt that $650 million will be
considered to be an adequate coverage level..."
Bigras refers to a US study done in 1982 that says "the worst-case
scenario for an accident in a nuclear plant would result in costs on
the order of $24.8 billion."
Further in the debate, Mario Laframboise (ArgenteuilPapineau
Mirabel, BQ)rocks the house when he says, " I find it very
inconsistent of the government to introduce a bill...to increase
compensation for damage while the Prime Minister is currently
prohibiting his ministers from discussing the entire nuclear energy
plan. It is being discussed in secret, behind closed doors, with the
United States among others, in the framework of the global nuclear
energy partnership. (gnep)."
These people need to hear it loud and clear:
(1) Stop nuclear development. We don't need it.
(2) We have enough nuclear waste already to deal with for
generations to come.
HUNGER STRIKE CONTINUES
In our last report, "A Calamity Threatens Your Happiness", we
asked, "Where will AECL be in 2107?" Since then we learned that they
plan to leave, be out of Chalk River by 2080, just about when Donna
Dillman's granddaughter turns 80.
Donna completed two months of her hunger strike to oppose uranium
mining December 8. This determined woman has prepared herself for
the long haul and shows no signs of quitting. "Spoiled brat" Dalton
McGuinty will not let her die nor will he grant her wish. More
likely, Donna now in a wheelchair, could be force fed when she is
finally bed ridden. That's what the Brits did to the Irish and that's
what the Americans are doing at Guantanimo Bay even though it is
illegal by international law.
On Tuesday, Donna will go to water only. She asks that people flood
McGuinty's office with calls and emails. See details below.
The obstacles appear daunting yet we must remain firm and hopeful.
In the words of Aaron Neville,
"There's been times that I thought I couldn't last for long,
Now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long time comin
but I know a change is gonna come."
Jennifer Tsun
McDonalds Corners
Algonquin Territory
Notes and Sources
Premier Dalton McGuinty
Queen's Park, Rm 281, Main Legislative Building
Toronto ON M7A 1A4
Tel 416-325-1941
Fax 416-325-3745
[EMAIL PROTECTED] and/or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
See: https://www.premier.gov.on.ca/feedback/feedback.asp
- for an online form.
Emails for Canadian MP's involved in nuclear liability debate:
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED],
[EMAIL PROTECTED],
Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility <http://www.ccnr.org>
MNN "Boy War Toys Club: Members Only"
<http://www.mohawknationnews.com>
(click on news and then go to sharbot lake section)
GNEP <http://www.gnep.gov/default.html>
Hansard on nuclear liability debate
http://www2.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?
Pub=Hansard&Doc=11&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=39&Ses=2
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