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IN
THIS ISSUE:
1) NEW APPROVED OPP MELT MESSAGING RE ROBERTSVILLE
2) AAFN POW WOW, Plevna, ON, Aug 30 & 31st
3) WEST QUEBEC CAMU FUNDRAISER - Whitewater Rafting on the
Ottawa
4) CCAMU'S RESPONSE TO MNDM CONSULTATIONS ON MINING ACT
5) ACT CHANGING 'TOO QUICKLY' - The Daily Press
6) MINING ACT REFORM - CONSULTATION VENUES:
7) URANIUM HALLELUJAH, Music by Leonard Cohen, Lyrics by
Jeff Woods
8) REMINDERS:
8 a) BOB LOVELACE AT HART HALL, IN TORONTO ON AUG 13TH
8 b) POWER DOWN TO REMEMBER THE BLACKOUT, AUG 14TH
9) ARTICLES:
9 a) BEDFORD MINING ALERT AND THE ONTARIO MINING ACT, Jeff
Green
9 b) AECL, SNC ASK FOR BILLIONS FOR NUKE PLAN, Globe and
Mail
9 c) POWER PLANT KEPT IN THE DARK, Globe and Mail
9 d) NUCLEAR AGENCY THINKS ATOMIC RENAISSANCE BAD IDEA
9 e) WE LIE/BLUSTER ABOUT OUR NUKES - WAG OUR FINGERS AT
IRAN
9 f) ONTARIO NUCLEAR PLANT WELD FAILURE "UNPRECEDENTED"
9 g) NUKE LAB SECRETLY MEASURING GLOBAL RADIATION LEVELS
9 h) 'IT FEELS LIKE A SCI-FI FILM' - ACCIDENTS TARNISH NUCLEAR
DREAM
9 i) WHY MARIN COUNTY HAS HIGHEST BREAST CANCER RATE IN
THE U.S.
9 j) ON CANCER'S TRAIL
1) NEW APPROVED OPP MELT
MESSAGING RE ROBERTSVILLE
Received by Uranium News: Thursday, August 7, 2008, 2:44
PM
Attached is the new approved messaging as of, 07 Aug.
2008, that is being relayed by the OPP's Melt unit re the Robertsville
Mine situation.
"We remind you that our mission remains the same
and the court injunction including the 200 meter zone and the John/Jane
Doe warrants are still in effect. We will measure our response to each
report of person or persons attending the Robertsville Mine Site on its
own merit and determine the appropriate action. The most recent event
allegedly includes a person wearing a disguise and arguing with Frontenac
Ventures employees. We encourage you to consider your motive for attending
- is it peaceful and lawful?"
Respectfully,
Dale Cousins, OPP MELT unit
2) AAFN POW WOW, Plevna, ON, Aug
30 & 31st
5th Anniversary Manomin (wild Rice) Victory Celebration
and Pow Wow
All Nations Welcome
details at www.aafna.ca
or call 613-375-6590
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3) LABOUR DAY FUNDRAISER, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
WEST QUEBEC COALITION AGAINST MINING URANIUM
(Editors note - I'll be in attendance at this one and
it promises to be a fun day, DD)
Esprit Rafting, one of the world's top outfitters, is
helping the West Quebec Coalition Against Mining Uranium (WQ-CAMU) by
hosting a fundraising event. Come join us for an exciting day of whitewater
rafting on the beautiful Ottawa River and support a good cause.
A fun-filled day of rafting on the Ottawa River with Esprit
Rafting.
When you book we will receive the proceeds only if you
tell them this is for WQ-CAMU.
Departure from Grand-Calumet Island, west Quebec, near
Fort-Coulonge.
Cost: $100 rafting and lunch. ALL PROCEEDS will go to WQ-CAMU.
Registration: 1-800-596-7238 or www.espritrafting.com
Overnight accommodations available if needed at very reasonable
cost (hostel or camping). Enquire with Esprit Rafting.
For up to date, factual information on uranium mining
in West Quebec,
see: http://no-uranium.blogspot.com/
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4) THE COMMUNITY
COALITION AGAINST MINING URANIUM'S (CCAMU'S) RESPONSE TO THE MNDM PUBLIC
CONSULTATIONS ON MINING ACT REFORM.
While CCAMU has reservations, due to the flawed process, we welcome the
Ontario Government's recently announced review of the Ontario Mining Act.
CCAMU is pleased that the discussion includes issues related to privately
owned land and First Nations' consultation.
On August 5, 2008, the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines announced
that public consultations will be held in five locations beginning on
August 11th in Timmins (August 11); followed by consultations in: Sudbury
(August 13); Thunder Bay (August 18); Kingston (August 28) and Toronto
(Sept.8).
It is noted that the related discussion paper will be posted on the MNDM
and Environmental Bill of Rights websites on August 11 and is not available
to stakeholders prior to that date.
Five problems have been identified:
1) The timing of the consultation is inadequate.
2) The scope of the consultation has not been released.
3) Stakeholders have not been given clear directions on how to participate
4) The scope does not include discussion on uranium.
5) Meeting locations are limited with no consideration given to preparation
and travel time.
More precisely:
1) The first public meeting is scheduled for the same day that the discussion
paper is expected to be released. The time given participants to prepare
is, therefore, inadequate.
· More lead-time is required for adequate preparation.
2) The scope of the consultation has not been released. The consultation
announcement only hinted at an outline for just two of the five discussion
topics.
· For proper preparation by stakeholders in the process, more information
is needed.
3) Stakeholders have not been given clear directions on how to participate
in the process.
As well, it is unclear who will be considered stakeholders in the discussions.
A letter sent to Premier McGuinty on June 24, requesting that CCAMU and
other groups be considered stakeholders has gone unanswered.
· Stakeholders should be given appropriate information about notifying
the MNDM of their intention to participate.
· Stakeholders should receive a prompt response to inquiries directed
to the Ministry.
4) The scope does not include discussion on uranium.
Twenty-three municipalities, many thousands of Ontarians and dozens of
organizations have petitioned the government concerning exploration and
mining of uranium. Refusing to include issues related to uranium is an
unacceptable decision.
Uranium exploration and mining should have special recognition in the
Mining Act and in the regulations. Unlike other minerals, uranium is dangerous
due to its radioactive nature, and is recognized as such by Ontario and
Canada-it is unique in that it is the only mineral that is regulated federally
at the mining stage.
· Uranium exploration and mining should be on the table as part
of the consultation process.
· Legislation should be enacted that relates specifically to uranium
exploration. Environmental impact assessments and restrictions in populated
areas and watersheds should be part of any such legislation.
· Permitting, backed by clear regulations and expectations for
approval by related ministries, should be required for exploration - including
during the initial drilling phase. Monitoring of exploration should be
required.
· The Ministry should consult with affected communities prior to
exploration for uranium.
5) Meeting locations are limited, with little or no time to arrange schedules
and travel.
· Consultations should be held in additional impacted communities,
including Bancroft/Haliburton, with adequate notice to allow for maximum
public participation.
In summary, CCAMU would welcome a process that answers these concerns.
In the meantime, because of the flawed process, we question the validity
and value of the announced public consultations.
We remain committed to opposing exploration and mining of uranium and
in having our views recognized by government.
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5) ACT CHANGING 'TOO QUICKLY'
Mining industry representatives want more time for process
Posted By KEITH LACEY, THE DAILY PRESS
There were a lot of diverging opinions expressed, but
one common theme agreed to by virtually everyone in attendance Monday
night was the process to upgrade the province's Mining Act is taking place
way too fast.
"We really need a lot more time ... our group was
adamant about this," said Mike Gordon, who works for the Ministry
of Northern Development and Mines. He acted as a spokesman following a
roundtable discussion as Timmins hosted the first of several Mining Act
public consultations Monday at the Howard Johnson Inn.
To read on:
http://www.timminspress.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1152973
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6) MINING ACT
REFORM - CONSULTATION VENUES: -
Note the Kingston venue:
Thursday, Aug 28. 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Radisson Hotel Kingston Harbourfront
Timmins
Monday, Aug. 11. 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Howard Johnson Inn
1800 Riverside Drive
Goldrush Ballroom
Sudbury
Wednesday, Aug. 13. 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel
50 Brady Street
Conference Lounge
Thunder Bay
Monday, Aug. 18. 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Valhalla Inn
1 Valhalla Inn Road
Scandia Room
Kingston
Thursday, Aug 28. 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Radisson Hotel Kingston Harbourfront
1 Johnson Street
Harbour Shadows Room
Toronto
Monday, September 8. 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Location TBD - please visit
<http://www.mndm.gov.on.ca/mndm/miningact/miningact_e.asp>
for an update
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7) URANIUM HALLELUJAH
Music by Leonard Cohen, Lyrics by Jeff Woods
I heard there were some secret laws,
That take away what you thought was yours,
'cause you don't really read the fine print, do ya?
Well the house is yours, the car, the yacht,
But all that's under your land is not
And make a fuss, they'll incarcerate or sue ya.
Chorus
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,Hallelujah,Hallelujah
I'd like to know what you leaders think,
What food you'll eat,
What water you'll drink,
When all this crap comes down the river to ya.
And then you'll realize all your fears,
For some inconceivable number of years,
By then you'll glow so much we'll see right through ya.
Chorus
And just a common man I be,
But it don't take no genius to see,
That what you sow will usually come back to ya.
Don't give me sir, I beg you please,
Some unpronounceable disease,
Like a Myelogenous Glioblastomic too-ma.
Chorus
So you've grown an extra cranium.
You think it was the uranium.
Your legs, your arms, your feet they all outgrew ya.
But maybe in a billion years,
A couple more eyes and a couple more ears,
You may find they're much more useful to ya.
Chorus
I'm thinking about Iraq today,
Depleted uranium, 'bombs away',
We sent in some troops, and we subdued ya.
Some children wrapped in bandages,
And missing some appendages,
In Bagadad, in Tekrit, and in Fallujah.
Chorus
(Editors Note - Jeff, accompanied by Terry Tufts and Jeremy Sills,
performed his timely new song, Uranium Hallelujah, (words copied below)
at Blue Skies last weekend, in front of a large and appreciate audience.)
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8) REMINDERS:
8 a) AN EVENING WITH BOB
LOVELACE, Hart House, Toronto
Wed. Aug. 13, 2008 - 7:00 p.m.
Hart House, Debates Room, 2nd floor
7 Hart House Circle, University of Toronto
Details in August 5th Uranium News
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8 b)
POWER DOWN TO REMEMBER THE BLACKOUT
A Call to Action - Thursday, August 14, 2008
Celebrate the 5th anniversary of the 2003 blackout by
"Powering Down" for the day. You don't have to go without power,
just aim to use at least 20% less power than on a normal day. Keep the
essential stuff running, and turn off the things you don't need.
For more detail see Aug 5th Unews, or contact:
Ontario Environment Network
oen@oen.ca - http://www.oen.ca
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9) ARTICLES:
9 a) THE BEDFORD MINING ALERT AND THE ONTARIO MINING ACT
By Jeff Green, for the Frontenac News
The Bedford Mining Alert (BMA) started out, literally,
as a voice from the wilderness 9 years ago, founded by a group of landowners
who were faced with prospecting on their properties.
In some cases, these people had no idea that there was
such as thing as mining rights to properties in Ontario, and that they
were among the small percentage of landowners in the province (2%) who
did not own theirs.
They also did not know that those 2% of properties are
subject to staking and as the result of the co-called "free entry
system", staked properties can be accessed and altered by mining
exploration companies.
Nine years later, the Bedford Mining Alert is extremely
well versed in the 140 year old Ontario Mining Act and its current applications,
.
Full article at: http://www.newsweb.ca/2008/08-31_aug_7/fatal_fire.html
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9 b) AECL, SNC
ASK FOR BILLIONS FOR NUKE PLAN
Backing from Ottawa is the only way companies say they
can compete with foreign rivals
by Shawn McCarthy, Globe and Mail, August 7, 2008
OTTAWA - Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. and SNC-Lavalin
Group Inc. [SNC-T] are asking the government for billions in financing
for their bid to build two nuclear reactors in Ontario, and the government
has sent initial signals that some backing will be available.
The companies, who say government support is the only
way their bid can compete with global players, are also asking Ottawa
to help cover any potential cost overruns, which critics say could mount
to further billions of dollars.
For the full story see:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080807.
wraecl06/BNStory/energy...
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9 c) POWER PLANT
KEPT IN THE DARK ABOUT MISSING REACTOR PART
The Globe And Mail, Saturday, July 26, 2008
Byline: Martin Mittelstaedt, ENVIRONMENT REPORTER
Staff working for Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. lost a
metal part they removed from a reactor at the
Bruce nuclear power station in April, and didn't tell anyone until an
employee from the station found it in June when it triggered the alarm
on his radiation monitor.
To read this article in its entirety, please click on:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080725.wnuclear26
/BNStory/National/home?cid=al_gam_mostview
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9 d) EVEN
THE GOVERNMENT'S NUCLEAR AGENCY THINKS AN ATOMIC RENAISSANCE IS A BAD
IDEA
By Harvey Wasserman, CounterPunch
Posted on July 28, 2008
A devastating blow to the much-hyped revival of atomic power has been
delivered by an unlikely source -- the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The NRC says the "standardized" designs on which the entire
premise of returning nuclear power to center stage is based have massive
holes in them, and may not be ready for approval for years to come.
Delivered by one of America's most notoriously docile
agencies, the NRC's warning essentially says: that all cost estimates
for new nuclear reactors -- and all licensing and construction schedules
-- are completely up for grabs, and have no reliable basis in fact. Thus
any comparisons between future atomic reactors and renewable technologies
are moot at best. And any "hard number" basis for independent
financing for future nukes may not be available for years to come, if
ever.
To read more, please click on: http://www.alternet.org/story/92937/
Harvey Wasserman, a co-founder of Musicians United for
Safe Energy, edits the nukefree.org web site. He is the author of SOLARTOPIA!
Our Green-Powered Earth, A.D. 2030, is at www.solartopia.org.
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9 e) WE LIE AND
BLUSTER ABOUT OUR NUKES - AND THEN WAG OUR FINGERS AT IRAN
By failing to disarm and breaking the rules when it suits,
nuclear states are driving proliferation as much as Ahmadinejad
Georges Monbiot, The Guardian, July 29. 2008
An excerpt:
...The permanent members of the UN security council draw a distinction
between their "responsible" ownership of nuclear weapons and
that of the aspirant powers. But over the past six years, the UK, US,
France and Russia have all announced that they are prepared to use their
nukes pre-emptively against a presumed threat, even from states that do
not possess nuclear weapons. In some ways the current nuclear stand-off
is more dangerous than the tetchy detente of the cold war.
The danger has been heightened by the US government's
current offensive. Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, is demanding
that other countries accept her plans to destroy the last remaining incentive
for states to abide by the NPT. The treaty grants countries which conform
to it materials for nuclear power on favourable terms. It's a flawed incentive
- as the spread of civil nuclear programmes makes the proliferation of
military material more likely - but an incentive nonetheless. Now Rice
insists that India should have special access to US nuclear materials
despite the fact that it has not signed the NPT and has illegally developed
nuclear weapons.
www.monbiot.com
To read this article in its entirety, please click on:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/29/nuclear.defence/print
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9 f) ONTARIO
NUCLEAR PLANT WELD FAILURE "UNPRECEDENTED," DOCUMENTS SHOW
Ken Meaney and Jack Branswell , Canwest News Service
Published: Sunday, July 27, 2008
OTTAWA -- When the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
was struggling last December with a shortage of medical isotopes sparked
by the Chalk River reactor shutdown, it was also dealing with another
Ontario nuclear plant where there had been an "unprecedented"
weld failure on one fuel bundle.
In all, 10 defective welds were found on the fuel bundle,
a collection of processed uranium rods resembling the barrel of a Gatling
gun about a half-metre long.
To read this article in its entirety, please click on:
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=5b689d87
-3396-4dc7-ba50-5276d4d7005c
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9 g) LIVERMORE
NUKE LAB SECRETLY MEASURING GLOBAL RADIATION LEVELS
Based on 550 epidemiological studies of exposed populations,
an independent low-level ionizing radiation report for the European Parliament,
the European Committee on Radiation Risk (ECRR) report, has stated that
chronic exposure to low-level ionizing radiation is:
".up to 1000 times more biologically damaging than the International
Committee on Radiation Protection (ICRP) standards and risk model predict."[16]
The ICRP standards and risk model are based on the Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Atomic Bomb studies, which were deceptively conducted by the U.S. Government,
in order to protect the future development of a nuclear weapons program.
Even worse than the fission products, the public health impact from global
pollution by depleted uranium, was not officially measured or reported
from bomb testing, but someone must have been monitoring it. All atomic
and hydrogen bombs have large amounts (thousands of pounds) of depleted
uranium packed as "tamping" around the small plutonium core
weighing less than 20 lbs.[17] The major contribution made by depleted
uranium to global radioactive pollution from atmospheric testing was very
rarely mentioned or reported.
To read this article in its entirety, please click on:
http://www.namastepublishing.co.uk/Populations%20Exposed%20to%20
Enviromental%20Uranium.htm
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9 h) 'IT FEELS
LIKE A SCI-FI FILM' - ACCIDENTS TARNISH NUCLEAR DREAM
By Angelique Chrisafis
The Guardian July 26 2008
Sylvie Eymard's Provence farmhouse kitchen should be the picture of French
rural calm. But the stockpiles of bottled water, disinfectant rinse and
disposable paper plates hint at something strange.
For the past two weeks, Eymard, 41, and her children,
13 and seven, have had a phobia of taps. To wash up, they go out to the
yard and fill a bowl from a specially delivered plastic tank of purified
water on a fork-lift tractor. They carry the water up to the bathroom
to wash. Even the dog drinks bottled water, and it is left out for the
birds.
To read this article in its entirety, please click on:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/25/nuclear.industry.france
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9i) WHY MARIN
COUNTY HAS THE HIGHEST BREAST CANCER RATE IN THE UNITED STATES
By Leuren Moret
...The chance discovery of an abstract in the Journal
of Environmental Radioactivity, "Radiocesium in North San Francisco
Bay and Baja California coastal surface waters," 2 provided me with
an answer to a puzzling question about breast cancer. Hundreds of millions
of dollars have been spent by the University of California to identify
the cause of what may be the highest breast cancer rates 3 in the United
States in Marin County, California, just north of San Francisco....
To read this article in its entirety, please click on:
http://www.namastepublishing.co.uk/Populations%20
Exposed%20to%20 Enviromental%20Uranium.htm
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9 j) ON CANCER'S
TRAIL
Feature story - From the May 26, 2008 issue of High Country
News
by Florence Williams
The women in Stefanie Raymond-Whish's family have a history
of breast cancer. Now the young Navajo biologist is asking why.
FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA
...Both Sandoval and her daughter have made breast cancer
and its impact on Navajos the focus of their lives. Sandoval became an
activist and filmmaker, working out of her papaya-colored home in Farmington,
N.M. Raymond-Whish has taken her mission a step further: She works as
a molecular biologist at the University of Northern Arizona, searching
for breast cancer's root causes. "Is there any difference in how
breast cancer develops in Native Americans and non-Native Americans?"
she asks. One possible - and provocative - answer is emerging from her
lab at the university: uranium....
To read this article in its entirety, please click on: http://www.hcn.org/issues/371/17708
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