|
JULY 9th , 2009 VOLUNTEERS
NEEDED FOR THE ART OF BEING GREEN FESTIVAL |
| IN THIS ISSUE: 1)
CCAMU LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR THE ART OF BEING GREEN FESTIVAL 1) CCAMU LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR THE ART OF BEING GREEN FESTIVAL Volunteers
Needed this weekend at the Art of Being Green,
2) COMMUNITY URANIUM MEETING JULY 26TH Suzanne Lauten will be our guest speaker at this event. Susanne Lauten is a professional photographer and writer, recently retired. For six months of the year, she calls her rustic island retreat in Haliburton County, her home. Recently, she founded the network Cottagers against Uranium Mining and Exploration, CUME, and is working full time to protect all Ontarians from the dangers of uranium mining and exploration. She is spear heading the community-wide, anti-uranium protest rally to be held at Queen's Park, Sunday Sept. 27, 2009, 2:00-4:00pm. To find out more about CUME check out the article "Don't sneer at local fears - the cause can be just" on The Star website this week. July 08, 2009 By Jim Coyle "It's been at the very least a little cheeky for Premier Dalton McGuinty and his deputy, over recent months, to dismiss those who would thwart their will as NIMBYists." To read the rest of this article go to, http://www.thestar.com/article/662520 3) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR CCAMU'S SUMMER 2009 WATERSHED AWARENESS PROJECT The purpose of our proposed project is: 1. to contact all the people living in the area that will be affected by the ongoing exploration and proposed mine and 2. to involve them in the protection of their local environment. To get involved contact CCAMU at uraniumnews@mail.ccamu.ca
The Pray for the Land event was blessed with wonderful weather, and an abundant feeling of community and resilience. There were about 60-70 people, with an ebb and flow throughout the day, some coming earlier, some later, but the most at mid-day through the afternoon. The day began with a sunrise ceremony and proceeded to deal with meeting with Ray Westgarth (very friendly and businesslike) and placing ourselves across the road from the sweat lodge which was set up on the road allowance to the left of the gate. People trickled in and very soon a considerable group of people were discussing, reminiscing and praying. There were two sweats throughout the course of the day, a group of Buddhists who sat and meditated, and a Muslim extended family who had their own prayer ceremony. Cathy Wills brought her teepee which was spread out for anyone interested to decorate in their own way with the fabric paints provided. We also made tobacco ties and each person was invited to take one, to offer their prayers and well wishes, and to tie this offering on the fence or gate. As we packed up and departed, the offerings remained. The day was filled with the sharing of food donated by many generous hands, and the warm joys of community, the sharing of stories, and a strong sense of common purpose. It was wonderful to see so many familiar faces, and many new ones. It was a wonderful day. In solidarity, Susan DeLisle Hey all you writers out there - we need you! You've likely read by now that the province has put the new Darlington nuclear contracts on hold pending a bail out from the feds. Now the pressure is on Harper to save AECL. We need to flood the papers with letters, comments and even op-eds congratulating the provincial gov't for suspending new nuclear procurement, and describing the incredibly wide range of more attractive alternatives available to Ontario . The province's
strategy of asking the federal government to pay for Ontario 's nukes
is no solution to nuclear's prohibitive costs. Green energy is the answer,
and the solution is to put our Green Energy Act to work by rolling out
the green power and jobs. At the same time, our message is a positive one - this is Ontario 's golden opportunity to aggressively pursue a 100% renewable energy grid, as the nukes come to the end of their lives in the next 10-15 years. We congratulate Smitherman on his bold initiative to suspend procurement of new nukes based on cost - after all, what his constituents really want is lowest cost, reliable, truly green energy. lettertoed@thestar.ca letters@globeandmail.ca http://www.nationalpost.com/contact/letters.html?name=Letters&subject=Letter
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/energy-ontario-feels-the-price-isnt- http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario-suspends-nuclear-power- http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/aecls-future-in-doubt-as-ontario- http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/658223 http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/658118 http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/reactor-design-puts-safety- http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/658528 http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/658573 http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1635331 http://blogs.greenpeace.ca/2009/06/29/nuclear-bids-too-expensive-says-ontario/ http://www.torontosun.com/comment/editorial/2009/06/30/9977901-sun.html http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=1745198 http://www.thestar.com/unassigned/article/658622 http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5i54H- http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/06/29/onatario-nuclear.html
June 30, 2009 Thank you Mr. Smitherman for your informed decision to put on hold, indefinitely, the building of new reactors in Ontario. There are lots of reasons that this makes sense and I appreciate that you are taking that sober second look, especially in light of the recent spat of accidents, here and around the world. A recent 15-country, 12-year, 407,391-person study of nuclear-power workers has found "the employees are twice as likely to die from all causes of cancer than the general public because of the extra radiation exposure." (30-page Exposure to Radiation and Health Outcomes, commissioned by the Saskatchewan Union of Nurses and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, written by Saskatchewan-based health researcher, Mark Lemstra.) Of particular note, the writers found that in Canada, reactor workers are, not twice, but 7.65 times "more likely to die from all causes of cancer compared to non-employees." This is cause for major concern. Further, and as you know, Canada's CANDU reactors release tritium - a radioactive form of hydrogen - into our drinking water. Studies show that high levels of tritium exposure can cause health problems, including miscarriages, birth defects, permanent genetic damage and cancer. In one of many such incidences over the decades, 28 trillion becquerels of radioactive tritium was recently released at the Chalk River nuclear facility into the Ottawa River, the source of Ottawa's drinking water. Tritium contamination cannot be filtered out of the system. In this regard, I suspect you would concur that my granddaughter's body is no different than that of a three-year-old in California or the European Union, yet she is expected to be able to absorb, "safely," the Canadian allowable limit of 7,000 becquerels per litre of tritium in her drinking water, compared to someone living in either CA or the EU, where the limits are 15 and 100, respectively. Interestingly, nuclear technology used in CA and in the EU, does not require tritium, or it's release and therein lies the difference in allowable limits. I'm sure that you would agree, too, that something is sadly wrong with a picture that exposes our babies and our nuclear workers to these increased risks and I implore you to go further and use your influence to bring our Canadian limits in line with other countries and to begin the process of nuclear phase out. It is becoming more widely accepted that a mixed hydro and wind system could provide all the baseload power needed at much less cost with much more efficiency, and without the risks inherent to the uranium cycle, including where to store the accumulating spent fuel coming out of the nuclear option. Add major conservation efforts, and growing all around efficiency, solar and other (truly) green possibilities to the mix and we should be laying nuclear to rest for eternity, then figuring out what to do with the radioactive damage we have already wrought and will have to constrain well, well beyond our grandchildrens' lifetimes. Blessings on your work to make their future liveable on this finite planet, Donna Dillman 7) DONNA DILLMAN IS RUNNER UP IN HOMETOWN HERO AWARD The Earth Day Canada's Hometown Heroes Program recognizes environmental leaders who have fostered meaningful, long-term community awareness and action. For more information on the 2009 Hometown Heroes Award Program please visit www.earthday.ca/hometown. "There are so many unsung environmental heroes working in their towns and cities across Canada every day to make their communities more resilient and hopeful," says Benneian. "Earth Day Canada is performing an important service by acknowledging their contributions and providing a platform for their stories. Hopefully, they will inspire others to make a difference." Winner: Liz Benneian was been chosen as Canada's 2009 Environmental Hometown Heroes Award winner. Liz, recognized at the 6th Annual Earth Day Canada Gala, received a cash-prize of $10 000; $5 000 to keep and $5 000 to donate to the environmental cause of their choice. Liz chose to give $5 000 of the cash award to the Oakvillegreen Conservation Association. Runner Up: Donna Dillman: On October 8, 2007 Donna began what would become a 68 day hunger strike in support of a moratorium on the exploration and mining of uranium as well as a public inquiry. The community rallied in support. To read more go to, http://www.earthday.ca/hometown/winners.php About Earth Day Canada Earth Day Canada (EDC), a national environmental charity founded in 1990, provides Canadians with the practical knowledge and tools they need to lessen their impact on the environment. In 2004 it was recognized as the top environmental education organization in North America by the Washington-based North American Association for Environmental Education, the world's largest association of environmental educators. In 2008 it was chosen as Canada's "Outstanding Non-profit Organization" by the Canadian Network for Environmental Education and Communication. EDC regularly partners with thousands of organizations in all parts of Canada. www.earthday.ca
TheStar.com Jun 30, 2009 04:30 AM "Nuclear power is not dead in Ontario. Rather, it has become a political tennis ball volleyed between two governments, Conservative Ottawa and Liberal Queen's Park. Provincial Energy Minister George Smitherman made that clear yesterday in announcing the suspension of Ontario's pursuit of new reactors to replace its aging nuclear fleet. "The ball, in a certain sense, is in the court of the government of Canada," he said." To read the rest of this editorial go to, http://www.thestar.com/article/658528
It was disappointing that your writer parroted the simplistic propaganda put out by the nuclear lobby about the wind not blowing and the sun not shining. Even though the nuclear lobby and your writer is wrong about the viability of conservation and clean alternative energy, the more important fact is that we have to change the way we live if the human race is going to survive. Keeping nuclear power is an indication that we are going to maintain the status quo and keep on using up our mineral resources and our forests as if they are endless and not finite. The obscene amounts of money spent on nuclear power means that there is no money left over to implement conservation and clean energy alternatives. It is clear that whoever wrote the editorial has no idea how much nuclear power really costs all Canadians when he mentions the volatility of the price of natural gas. The most expensive natural gas would still be a lot cheaper than nuclear power when you consider that we subsidize AECL to the tune of $100's of millions of dollars and all the other ways that tax dollars subsidize nuclear energy. The loss of jobs if the nuclear industry is shut down is definitely a major concern. However, as shown with cigarettes and asbestos, jobs by themselves are not a good enough reason to maintain a deadly industry. Fortunately, in Ontario, we have at least $26 billion which we can switch from building nuclear to transitioning to a green economy and in particular to helping nuclear workers move to green jobs. Newspapers, like politicians, should have a vision and show intelligent leadership. As the editorial so clearly shows, the Star has neither a truly clean vision of the future or intelligent leadership when it comes to Ontario's energy future. Lets hope Energy Minister George Smitherman has that vision and will start us on a sustainable energy future today. -Wolfe Erlichman
11) ARTICLE: UN FORM SEES CONSENSUS ON URANIUM TAILINGS June 30,
2009 "Delegates and representatives from Central Asian countries have agreed to work together to solve problems relating to radioactive and toxic waste left over from historic uranium mining at a United Nations-led forum." To read the rest of this article go to, http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/WR-UN_forum_sees_consensus_on_uranium_
Submitted for publication in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix Letter to the Editor July 2,
2009 Judging by his letter [Saturday, June 27] the president of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) thinks that shielding the nuclear industry is more important than providing accurate information to the public and to Canada's atomic workers. 13) ARTICLE: NUCLEAR POWER COULD COST TRILLIONS OVER RENEWABLES By Brendan
Borrell June 19, 2009 "Nuclear power plants may not emit greenhouse gases, but they sure could suck in the tax dollars. An analysis by economist Mark Cooper at the Vermont Law School claims that adding 100 new reactors to the U.S. power grid would cost taxpayers and customers between $1.9 and $4.1 trillion over the reactors' lifetimes compared with renewable power sources and conservation measures." To read the rest of this article go to, http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=
|