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APRIL 23rd, 2008 |
IN THIS ISSUE: |
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1)
URANIUM CITIZENS' INQUIRY OTTAWA: REPORT
The final venue of the Citizens' Inquiry into the Impacts of the Uranium Cycle was held yesterday at the Rideau Park Church in Ottawa. 41 presentations were made to a full house. Several notable speakers came forward with very detailed research regarding uranium mining, nuclear energy and the government's use of private and public land. This event was hosted by the Ottawa Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium (OCAMU). Special thanks goes out to Chandler Swain (who did the introductions), David Gill, Rosemary Taylor, Mary Lynne Holton, Jim Holton, Kim Scott, Peggy Land, Ken Billings, Michelle Landry and crew, for making our day in Ottawa a success. Grandfather William Commanda honoured the Inquiry with an opening prayer ceremony given in three languages. He then stayed on to watch the proceedings. Dr. Chris Busby PhD made a stunning presentation where he revealed that the Ontario Nuclear "â?¦ project cannot go ahead because new science shows that the basis on which it is environmentally acceptable is false. The whole ethical basis of this project, and indeed for uranium mining, refining and dispersion has been overturned by discoveries in science made in the last ten years. This is critical. As a consequence of research into the health effects of Depleted Uranium weapons, first employed in 1991 in Iraq, there has been a new focus on the biological effects of uranium exposure. Scientists have examined the interaction of uranium with biological systems in the laboratory through cell culture experiments and through physico-chemical investigations of uranium oxide particles and uranyl salts. Epidemiologists have conducted surveys of those exposed to Depleted Uranium and of Uranium workers. Gulf war and Balkan war veterans, exposed to uranium particles have been found to exhibit a bewildering range of genotoxic and other effects. Areas where uranium weapons have been used, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Kosovo, have shown consequent effects in civilians, cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, hereditary malformations out of all proportion to the intrinsic radioactivity of uranium. Those exposed, whether as miners or as Gulf War veterans, have shown objective evidence of serious genotoxic damage though chromosome aberration analysis." He went
on to say, "â?¦agencies and governments that employ
their erroneous risk models ignore, indeed do not even cite or discuss
the massive evidence that their model is worthless when applied to internal
exposures to elements that bind to DNA. This is an open scandal. Indeed,
the senior advisor to the World Health Organization (WHO) on radiation
and health, Dr Keith Baverstock, recently resigned on the issue of the
health effects of uranium and how they were being ignored." Stephan Hazell of the Sierra Club Canada stated that under the Nuclear Liability Act nuclear operators are limited to $75 million dollar liability for off-site damage from spills of radioactive spills or meltdown. Chernobyl clean-up for Ukraine and Belarus alone is expected to total $460 Billion. "If no one will insure this industry, how safe can it be?" Bruce H.
Moore, Director of the International Land Coalition (ILC), Rome, had a
presentation done on his behalf. The ILC is an alliance of United Nations
Organizations, the World Bank, the European Commission, civil society
organizations, researchers and academics who are working together in over
50 countries to support secure and equitable access to natural resources,
especially land. Dr. Gordon Edwards, of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, said, "we must remember that Canadian uranium is used in nuclear weapons." Further, "We must have zero nuclear weapons before we can event consider further uranium mining or we are continuing to perpetuate the greatest single threat to human life on this planet." Roger Peters, of The Pembina Institute, covered their study 'Renewable is Doable.' The study reviewed the Ontario Power Association's plan to refurbishment of most existing nuclear plants and bring in new nuclear by about 2020. They found that renewable alternatives were more affordable and greener than nuclear or coal. They also emit half the greenhouse gas emissions. Pembina's proposals are based on what is already being done in other parts of the world such as Germany. They are currently presenting these finding to the Ontario Energy Board and bring in experts from outside of Canada. Robert Lovelace, Ardoch Algonquin First Nation Elder, submitted his presentation from prison via telephone. It was read by Mireille LaPointe, the acting Co-Chief of the Ardoch's. Mr. Lovelace stated, "We live in a critical age. Never before has humanity faced such great peril and never before has the human conscience been so alive in its collective recognition and understanding of the way forward. As a species we have become intimate with almost every ecosystem on the planet. And beyond that we have an empirical understanding of the beginning and end of this universe. However, our human systems embrace a self-defeating dilemma through reactive resistance or acquiescence to Solomon's lament that everything is vanity. And while the real choices seem ultimately confusing now is the time that we must decide the fate of generations to come."
Marion Dewar: Ottawa mayor from 1978 - 1985 and a Member of Parliament from 1986 - 1988. She was a former Chair of Oxfam Canada and the Ottawa-Carleton Police Services Board. In 2002 she was a recipient of the Order of Canada. Marion has been politically active and volunteers her time for many community pursuits. Fraser McVie: Retired from senior positions in the Canadian justice system. While there he helped develop modern and humane approaches to corrections based on rehabilitation and treatment. He has had extensive experience in international projects and peacekeeping, including work as an expert with UN Interim Mission in Kosovo. Lorraine Rekmans: Was born at Elliot Lake, Ontario, is of Ojibwa-French descent and is a member of the Serpent River First Nation. She is the co-editor of 'This Is My Homeland', a book which captures the experiences of members of the Serpent River First Nation and the impact on their lives from uranium mining at Elliot Lake. Lorraine acted as a witness at the World Uranium Hearing at Salzburg, Austria. She is the Green Party of Canada Shadow Cabinet Critic on Aboriginal Affairs. Presentations were also made by the following: Rosemary Taylor (OCAMU), Linda Harvey (Physicians for Global Survival), Bob Stevenson, Lisa Gue (David Suzuki Foundation), Kelly O'Grady (First Six Years), Paul Dewar, NDP MP Ottawa Centre, Gloria Morrison, Brennain Lloyd (Northwatch), David Shackleton, Charles Ficner, Joan Kuyek (Mining Watch Canada), Ed Burt, Andrew MacDonald, Meg Illman-White (United Church of Canada), Kim Scott, Paul Gibson, Jane Gibson, Derek North, Peggy Land (OCAMU), Linda Kinsella, Ivona Vujica (Paradigm Shift Environmental Alliance), Eyah-Arnold Saulteaux, Qais Ghanem, Kevin Kinsella, Michael Patenaude (West Quebec Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium, see their press release below), Richard Cuyler, Karen Markle (National Farmers Union of Ontario, Local 1), William Terence Tufts, David Gill (OCAMU), Jeremy Wright, Ken Billing (ACTcity), Frank Morrison and Michele Bourque. A huge 'thank you' once again to our Inquiry Team, Donna Dillman, Wolfe Erlichman and Marilyn Crawford. These are some of the most dedicated people you will ever meet. The Inquiry was an incredible community experience with input from citizens all across Canada. After hundreds of hours of work, we happily hand the torch over to our associate communities in Toronto and Bellville, who will be holding their own Inquiries. We look forward to their input. Now we are off to update our two websites and write a report. Remember, our deadline for written submissions is May 1st and our projected date of completion for the report and Inquiry website is June 28th (the anniversary of the Frontenac Protest.) The CCAMU website will continue to be updated every few days.-Lynn Daniluk 2) ARTICLE: URANIUM INQUIRY ARRIVES IN OTTAWA Geoff Nixon,
The Ottawa Citizen OTTAWA - When Gloria Morrison and her husband, Frank, found stakes on their North Frontenac property 18 months ago, they were stunned. The stakes had been placed there by Frontenac Ventures Corporation - a company exploring for uranium, with the intention of establishing an eventual mine at a site near Clarendon Station. According to Mrs. Morrison, the company believed the area could "prove to be among the best Uranium deposits in Canada." Frontenac Ventures had purchased the mineral rights to 5,000 hectares of land - including the ground beneath the couple's property - and they were moving ahead with plans. Needless
to say, the Morrisons were not happy. "We did all that we could to raise awareness," Mrs. Morrison said yesterday. "The more we considered the issue, the more we realized the potential for harm to millions of people." Soon enough, a lot of people were upset about the plan to explore for uranium - including the Ardoch Algonquin and Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nations communities, both of whom lived in the area. Lengthy protests took place in the months that followed, involving aboriginal and non-aboriginal protesters, all of whom were opposed to having a uranium mine. Some of these protesters have since taken part in the Citizens' Inquiry on the Impacts of the Uranium Cycle - an effort designed to collect thoughts, facts and other data from stakeholders and members of the public on uranium mining. To read
the rest of this article go to, 3) WEST QUEBEC COALITION AGAINST MINING URANIUM MAKES PRESENTATION TO CITIZENS' URANIUM ENQUIRY IN OTTAWA April 22, 2008 The West Quebec Coalition Against Mining Uranium (WQ-CAMU) made one of about 40 ten minute presentations on April 22 at the Ottawa session of the Ontario-based Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium's "Citizens' Inquiry on the Impacts of the Uranium Cycle." This was the fourth and final session of the Enquiry proceedings. The WQ-CAMU presentation provided an update on the nearly 2,000 mining claims in West Quebec blanketing tens of thousands of hectares of land. The main focus of the presentation was on the need for the Quebec Mining Act to be amended. Currently it is only a policy of the Quebec Government to support private landowners if they don't consent to mineral exploration companies coming on their land to explore. There is no legislated protection. If the landowner refuses permission to the exploration company, the company can seek expropriation under the Mining Act with permission from the Minister. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Wildlife has repeatedly stated that it will not support any expropriation requests. WQ-CAMU would like the current policy of the Quebec Government to become enshrined in the Quebec Mining Act. "It's already a well-publicized government policy," said Michael Patenaude, Coordinator of WQ-CAMU, "so its not a big stretch to make it part of the Act. The Quebec Government is already reviewing its mineral strategy so it would be quite easy to do." By contrast, in Ontario there is no consent required from landowners. "The exploration company shows up with as little as 24 hours notice to a private landowner and starts staking, cutting trees and digging. In some cases the companies don't even give the required notice. No wonder the protests keep growing in Ontario," Patenaude suggests. The consent issue in Quebec is very fragile. So far three instances of trespassing by mineral exploration companies have been reported in La Peche and the Pontiac and exploration companies are starting to complain about landowners. "Some exploration companies are ignoring the wishes of property owners - they are flaunting the policy," states Patenaude. "We need a law, something that's enforceable and something that can't be changed on a whim by the Government." "On Grand-Calumet Island a couple of the exploration companies are complaining that private landowners are holding up the works by denying consent to come on their land. There's hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake and time limits on the claims. One of the companies is blaming the Quebec Government for not allowing expropriation. So the policy on landowner consent could collapse if the Quebec Government caves in to mining company pressure," said Patenaude. "The consent issue is of course much bigger than just private land. It has to involve all the stakeholders. It's a normal expectation these days to include them. What's the point in having a private landowner deny consent if the Crown land next door can be staked and developed into a mine. It's really about what all members of the community want," Patenaude adds. The Citizens' Enquiry into the Uranium Cycle Report will be available to the public on June 28, 2008. For more information see: http://www.uraniumcitizensinquiry.com/ 4) AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL LETTER I wanted
to let you know about the latest developments on the joint letter that
was so widely endorsed. We have just turned the letter into an online
petition that is open for the general public to sign. We included it in
a special Earth Day email to Amnesty members late yesterday and have already
gotten more than 500 signatures. Anything you might be able to do to spread the word would be much appreciated. The website address is: http://www.amnesty.ca/urgentappeal/mining All the best, Craig Benjamin Amnesty
International Canada www.amnesty.ca | 1 800 AMNESTY 5) PRESS RELEASE: NDP'S HAMPTON CONDEMNS NEW MINING CLAIMS FOR PLATINEX April 22, 2008 Queenâ?Ts Park - NDP Leader Howard Hampton condemned the McGuinty Liberals for awarding Platinex Inc. 72,000 acres of new mining claims in Northern Ontario. â?oItâ?Ts outrageous that the McGuinty Liberals awarded Platinex new mining rights to 72,000 acres of land while leaders from Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug (KI) continue to languish in jail,â? said Hampton. Platinex is the exploration company that sued KI First Nation for $10 billion dollars, nearly bankrupting the First Nation, and causing Chief Donny Morris and five KI councillors to go to jail for standing up for their constitutional rights. â?oThese new Platinex claims are adjacent to Webequie First Nation, Marten Falls First Nation, Eabametoong First Nation, Neskantaga First Nation and Gull Bay First Nation,â? Hampton said. Hampton
said this sends a chilling message to First Nations across the North. â?oIs this the message the McGuinty government wants to send to First Nations: if you stand up and ask for your constitutional rights to be recognized you could go to jail while the mining company gets mining rights to your land?â? asked Hampton. Jim Reilly 6) EARTH DAY LETTER TO MCGUINTY April 22, 2008 The Honourable Dalton McGuinty, Premier
of Ontario Dear Mr. McGuinty, I was recently re-reading Martin Luther Kingâ?Ts â?oLetter from a Birmingham Jailâ? and I was astonished at the similarities between his point of view and those of Robert Lovelace. Have you read it? It can be found on the web at: http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/frequentdocs/birmingham.pdf I think it would look well on you if you took the time to read this document and reflect on how the political decisions of your government have resulted in the creation of political prisoners such as Robert Lovelace and the KI 6. Robert Lovelace is in jail because, as Justice Cunningham outlined in his reasons for sentencing, Ontario does not approve of â?oself-helpâ? actions such as sit-ins, marches, and occupations in the face of injustice. Your government and its judiciary body would prefer that citizens, and especially Aboriginal Peoples, left things to be sorted out through government imposed bureaucratic processes. Here is what Dr. King has to say in defence of â?oself-helpâ?: You may well ask: â?~Why direct action? Why sit-ins, marches and so forth? Isn't negotiation a better path?â?T You are quite right in calling, for negotiation. Indeed, this is the very purpose of direct action. Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. My citing the creation of tension as part of the work of the nonviolent-resister may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word "tension." I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. The purpose of our direct-action program is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation. Your governmentâ?Ts version of negotiation was to send the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines to negotiate the terms under which uranium will be mined on unceded Algonquin Land. That does not really qualify as negotiation, does it? That was rather a form of coercion. I suggest you begin again. This time, negotiate without forgone conclusions. This time, negotiate through a process that incorporates Algonquin methods of consultation. This time, keep Dr. Martin Luther King in mind. I know you are a busy man and you probably donâ?Tt have time to read and absorb information with any depth. You probably will not have time to read Dr. King's letter on line, so Iâ?Tll close with one last quote from it. I have heard Robert Lovelace utter similar words many times: â?oWe are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.â? Sincerely, Catherine Wills 7) LINK TO THE EARTHWORKS WEBSITE Taken from the EARTHWORKS eNewsletter: Issue 2: April 21, 2008 "On Tax Day, Mining Companies Paid Less Than Average Taxpayers A new report revealed that in addition to posting huge profits, oil, gas and mining companies operating in Colorado are only paying 2% in combined state and severance taxes, while Colorado's taxpayers are paying 4.63% in tax." To learn
more go to, EARTHWORKS has also started a campaign to free Bob Lovelace and the KI Six. "Help
free the KI Six and Robert Lovelace." 8) CANADIAN NUCLEAR SAFETY COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) will hold a one day public hearing to consider the results of an Environmental Assessment Screening (EA Screening) regarding Atomic Energy of Canada Limitedâ?Ts (AECL) proposal for the construction and operation of the Fuel Packaging and Storage (FPS) facility. The facility is located in Chalk River, Ontario. One-Day Hearing: May 15, 2008 Place: Ajax Convention Centre, 550 Beck Crescent, Ajax, Ontario The proposed FPS project involves the construction and operation of a facility in Waste Management Area â?~Bâ?T that will contain two fuel packaging and vacuum drying stations and a monitored storage structure. No new waste arising from ongoing operations at the Chalk River site would be added to the new proposed storage structure. Under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act, an environmental assessment must be completed to determine if the proposed project is likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects, taking into account the appropriate mitigation measures. If the Commission concludes that the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects, the Commission may proceed with its consideration of AECLâ?Ts licence application. The draft Screening Report was made available for public review for a period of 30 days, ending on February 1, 2008. The results of those consultations will form part of CNSC staffâ?Ts submission for the hearing. CNSC staffâ?Ts submission will be available after March 14, 2008 by contacting the Secretariat. The public is invited to comment on the results of the EA Screening either by oral presentation or written submission. Requests to intervene must be filed with the Secretary of the Commission by April 14, 2008 at the address below. The request
must include the following information, as per the CNSC Rules of Procedure: Agendas
and information on the public hearing process are available at the CNSC
Web site: The hearing
documents, including the proposed EA Screening Report, are not available
on-line and must be requested through the Secretariat at the address below: 9) INQUIRY SUBMISSION: GLORIA MORRISON April 22, 2008 Good afternoon. My name is Gloria Morrison. One of the questions listed for preparation to appear before this inquiry was What has been your experience? Considering that question has led me to the following thoughts that I would like to leave with you today. I believe that an understanding of our past is very important in helping us move forward, in a positive manner, into the future. So, I would like to address the subject of how this movement began, way back in the beginning. I loosely define â?~this movementâ?T as a concerned body of citizens protesting against the staking and mining for uranium, at Robertsville. I will consider the first nine months â?" from October of 2006 when we discovered the staking on our property, until the end of June 2007 when the mine site was secured and protected by our protest. I would like to share with you some of what I saw and heard through my â?~window in timeâ?T. My husband Frank and I are the couple who had their private land staked, as part of the 30,000 acres scooped up by Frontenac Ventures. We are the couple who began asking questions â?" of our neighbors, our local environmental groups and our various levels of government. We have the dubious distinction in the minds of some as â?~having started all this.â?T Of course it was not us but Ontario and Federal Government Laws that are at the root of all this, but Frank and I were there at the beginning of this movement. >From October of 2006 until March of 2007 Frank and I were alone with this concern, at the local level. We did all that we could to raise awareness by contacting members of our community, our local press; we spent days on the telephone speaking with our environmental associations, politicians at all levels, the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, the Ministry of the Environment and Frontenac Ventures itself. Not a single one of the organizations I just mentioned offered any help in those initial months and what was even more obvious and upsetting, very few showed even a pretense of caring. As I recall, the area supervisor for the Ministry of Natural Resources, explained the situation to me in plain language Gloria, you must realize that the mining industry is more powerful than any level of government in this country. The phrase I heard over and over again, even from several of our neighbors who were also staked, was â?othere is nothing you can do once your land is staked. The Mining Act is just too powerful.â? Back when all this started Frank and I were just like most ordinary Canadiansâ?¦â?¦we were law abiding, obedient, respectful people who believed that on the whole, we live in a great country where property rights are protected and secure, where all individuals have access to fair government policies and officials, and where each Canadian is equal before the courts. This is what we expected and therefore the truth is - we could have easily been sidetracked until the drilling was done. Let me give you several examples of What ifs for you to think about: What if when I called the MNR, the stewards of the crown land on behalf of all Canadians, what if they had said that they would be overseeing and monitoring what F.V. were doing on the crown land during the exploration phase â?" that they would be applying stringent guidelines to protect our water ways and the terrain? But you see, they could not, in truth, say this because those policies do not exist. So instead I was told that once land was staked the stewardship role was turned over â?~so to speakâ?T to the MNDM whose mandate, as we know, is to promote the interests of mining. What if when I spoke with the supervisor for the MNDM Mr. Roy Denomme, he had said that he would investigate my claims that the staking was improperly done on our property, that he would review the paper work on our claim where the prospector had omitted to identify the creeks, buildings, roads and upgrades that were supposed to be shown â?"and note here, that I am referring to the same paperwork on which the staking permit was granted. And what
if Mr. Denomme would have agreed that it was inexcusable that we had not
been informed before the prospector had entered on our land [after all
we live right there on the property.] But No, instead Mr. Denomme said that I should contact the mining company directly and speak with them about my concerns. Interesting isnâ?Tt it! I was not the one who had granted permission, nay even a permit to the mining company to do all of this, yet the task of getting answers and redress was left to me. What if in my communication with Frontenac Ventures spokesperson, Dr. Bottrill he had responded with concern regarding our damaged trees, concern that one of the prospectorâ?Ts that he admitted being responsible for: had entered
our property without advising us What kind of a difference could it have made if Dr. Bottrill had shown concern and promised to follow up on these issues? I suggest to you that Dr. Bottrill could have established a positive dialogue where we would have waited to see what the company would do â?" isnâ?Tt patience, giving the benefit of the doubt and waiting to see what happens, part of the Canadian way! But No, instead Dr. Bottrill stated categorically that no tree had ever been damaged due to blazing, and that his prospectors had learned that informing people beforehand only put them at risk. He gave a recent example where one of his prospectorâ?Ts had been met with a shotgun after informing a landowner of his intentions to stake. No instead,
he explained that people in the mining industry were environmentalists
at heart â?" their love of nature is why most of them had entered
the mining industry. So, with no hope of redress or real concern from any of these organizations Frank and I continued with our efforts to exhort people to get involved and I continued to do my research. The more we considered the issue the more we realized the enormous potential for harm to literally millions of people â?" and no one was listening to us! And so if
the mining industry, and our affected government departments and officials
have a problem today with the amazing public outpouring of support for
what we see as right and just â?"they have no one to blame
but themselves! So what happened, what made the difference that brings us all to this point in time? There are hundreds of individuals who deserve awards for their courage, untiring efforts, generosity, in time, funds and spirit and downright tenacity for â?Thanging inâ?T. And the list of those heroes grows weekly! But in my experience with this life-changing event, there is a particular recognition that must be made as singular and pivotal to all elseâ?"and that is the unswerving and unflinching stand of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nations People. In particular the courage of their leadership in declaring that the land would not be put at risk, a position declared to Frank and I by their chief, Randy Cota way back in November of 2006. This position led to their communityâ?Ts decision to protest and blockade the mine site. And, No they did not act alone. They invited their sister community, the Shabot Obaadjiwan people to join forces with them and eventually hundreds of us within the settler community did what we could to support these courageous front-line protestors. Without reservation, as someone who has watched this unfold from the beginning I can say that I believe that without Ardochâ?Ts courage [beyond all reason and logic at times] without their dogged determination and their vision that â?~right will prevail in the endâ?T we would not be sitting here today! In June of 07 we were no more than a dozen committed settlers working for this cause. So I ask you now, What if our First Nations people had not acted? Frontenac would have done their drilling on schedule in June of 2007. And, if Dr. Bottrill, chief geologist for Frontenac was anywhere near correct, we could be well on our way to a uranium strip mining operation in Roberstville, today. That was then and our First Nations People, both communities, have more than carried their end of this struggle. And now it is our turn to step into the hard fighting. I see that it is the people, ordinary Canadians, you and I joining together who can and will provide the energy, resolve and courage to win this battle. I know this now. We are the power of this country. We have always been, I just did not realize this before. Each and every one of us needs to prepare for that role by learning as much as we can, getting involved and caring about our fellow Canadians â?" especially those who are not treated as equals in our society, and before our courts! Thank you. Gloria Morrison |