IN THIS ISSUE:

1)CITY OF PETERBOROUGH UNANIMOUSLY CALLS FOR A MORATORIUM ON URANIUM MINING IN ONTARIO

2)ARTICLE: PETERBOROUGH CITY COUNCIL URGES PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TO SUSPEND URANIUM EXPLORATION IN THE PROVINCE

3)STATEMENT FROM THE INDIGO GIRLS (AMY RAY & EMILY SALIERS) FOR BOB LOVELACE + INDIGO GIRLS AUCTION

1) CITY OF PETERBOROUGH UNANIMOUSLY CALLS FOR A MORATORIUM ON URANIUM MINING IN ONTARIO

A big round of applause and thank you to John Kittle, John Etches and S.A.G.E. who worked on this mission.

The following was PASSED UNANIMOUSLY by CITY OF PETERBOROUGH City Council on June 16, 2008, making it the 20th municipality to call for a moratorium on uranium mining in Ontario.

Motion for Presentation to City of Peterborough Council

June 2, 2008

WHEREAS the City of Peterborough is situated on the banks of the Otonabee River and is comprised of a landmass of just over 58 square kilometers which supports a high quality of life to a growing population of approximately 75,000 citizens through the benefits of a multitude of green spaces, parks, recreational trails and waterways;

AND WHEREAS the City of Peterborough is located within the Otonabee River watershed which is comprised of about 7000 square kilometres of land, lakes, rivers and wetlands that are situated directly upstream from Peterborough, and drain through the Otonabee River;

AND WHEREAS the City of Peterborough derives all of its drinking water from the Otonabee River;

AND WHEREAS the City of Peterborough is known as the gateway to the "cottage country" of the Kawartha Lakes region, highlighting the significance of Peterborough as a tourism support centre for surrounding areas;

AND WHEREAS the Otonabee River constitutes an integral part of the Trent-Severn Waterway, which is a National Historic Site of Canada administered by Parks Canada, and is routed directly through the City of Peterborough;

AND WHEREAS the waterways of Peterborough and the Kawarthas are central to overnight visitors' activities in the region which includes close to 300,000 overnight visitors claiming to have been boating during their trip to Peterborough and the Kawarthas.

AND WHEREAS Peterborough and the Kawarthas generate 1,951,000 person visits annually (2001), and an annual tourism-related revenue of $320 million for the City of Peterborough and Peterborough County combined.

AND WHEREAS tourism in Peterborough and the Kawarthas generates 3,520 jobs and almost $192.3 million in industry output (sales) for the local economy (2001).

AND WHEREAS there are currently seven known uranium exploration projects underway within the Otonabee River watershed in Haliburton County, directly upstream from the City of Peterborough;

AND WHEREAS potential uranium mining and milling projects pose health, environmental and financial risks for residents of the City of Peterborough caused by the introduction of recognized radioactive toxins into the water, air and land;

AND WHEREAS applicable examples of watershed contamination due to uranium mining operations include the Serpent River near Elliot Lake, Ontario which is considered contaminated for a distance of over 100 kilometres downstream from abandoned uranium mining operations, and people are cautioned not to drink the water or consume fish from this segment of the river;

AND WHEREAS tailings from a uranium mining operation within the Otonabee River watershed will unavoidably contaminate surface and ground waters, and potentially have a direct detrimental effect on the health of Peterborough citizens and a negative economic impact on the City of Peterborough;

AND WHEREAS no amount of radiation exposure has been found to be safe, exposure is cumulative, uranium and its decay products remain radioactive for tens of thousands to millions of years, and radioactive contamination of water in present times will jeopardize the health of local populations for generations;

AND WHEREAS children are especially prone to negative health effects caused by exposure to ionizing radiation;

AND WHEREAS in Eastern Ontario, where there are significant numbers of surface-rights only (SRO) properties, wherein the private landowner owns only the surface of their properties;

AND WHEREAS the Crown holds all sub-surface mineral rights on SRO property and on Crown lands;

AND WHEREAS under the Mining Act, 1990, licensed prospectors have a statutory right to stake mining claims and conduct assessment work on these properties, even if the surface rights are privately held;

AND WHEREAS under section 78 of the Mining Act, the holder of the mining claim needs only to inform the surface-rights owner regarding future mining assessment activities once, just prior to the commencement of the assessment work;

AND WHEREAS this activity proceeds without authorization from the municipality, conservation authority or having to undergo an environmental review;

AND WHEREAS 19 Ontario municipal councils have, for reasons of similar concern, already passed resolutions calling on the Province of Ontario to place a moratorium on all uranium mining and exploration in Eastern Ontario, to make substantive changes to the Mining Act and to begin settlement plans for related native land claims, including the Cities of Kingston and Ottawa, the Municipalities and Townships of Haliburton County, Frontenac County, Lanark County, Dysart et al, Algonquin Highlands, Highlands East, Minden Hills, Perth, Carleton Place, Lanark Highlands, North Frontenac, Central Frontenac, South Frontenac, Tay Valley, Beckwith, Mississippi Mills, and Drummond/North Elmsley;

AND WHEREAS concerned local citizens' groups are asking the City of Peterborough to support and assist in protecting the local environment, recreational tourism, health, the furtherance of our local economy and the overall well-being of residents;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Council for the City of Peterborough:

1. Petition the Province of Ontario and Premier Dalton McGuinty to initiate an immediate moratorium on uranium mineral exploration, mining and related processing in the Otonabee River watershed until such time as all environmental and health issues related to uranium mining are resolved;

2. Petition the Province of Ontario to undertake an immediate, comprehensive, public review of the Mining Act, 1990, with a view to curtailing the present system whereby the sub-surface rights of mineral claims dominate the surface rights of private landowners, and whereby Provincial land-use policies for Crown land gives overriding priority to mining and mineral resource development.

AND FURTHER THAT a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Premier of Ontario, to the Ontario Minister of Northern Development and Mines, to the Ontario Minister Natural Resources, to Barry Devolin - MP Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, to Laurie Scott - MPP Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, to Dean Del Mastro - MP Peterborough, and to Jeff Leal - MPP Peterborough, seeking their support.

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2) ARTICLE: PETERBOROUGH CITY COUNCIL URGES PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TO SUSPEND URANIUM EXPLORATION IN THE PROVINCE

By Brendan Wedley

June 17, 2008

"City council called Monday night for the province to suspend uranium exploration - the same day the provincial government announced it would build two new nuclear reactors at its Darlington station.

John Kittle, with the Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium, urged council to pass the resolution calling for the moratorium."

To read the rest of this article go to,

http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1075771&auth=
BRENDAN+WEDLEY%2FExaminer+Municipal+Writer

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3) STATEMENT FROM THE INDIGO GIRLS (AMY RAY & EMILY SALIERS) FOR BOB LOVELACE + INDIGO GIRLS AUCTION

JUNE 2008

The Indigo Girls are a Grammy-award winning duo known for their activism in solidarity with First Nations' peoples throughout the US. They could not join the "Artist for Bob" concert so they sent a copy of their first recording (a 45" from 1985, signed, and rare) and it is being auctioned off on Ebay.

For those of you who would like to place a bid, here is the information you need:

INDIGO GIRLS SELF RELEASED 1985 RARE 45 "Crazy Game"

ARTISTS FOR BOB LOVELACE BENEFIT AUCTION 45 SIGNED EBAY Item number: 110261257766Seller Finois

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110261257766&ss
PageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=001

The following statement was sent from the Indigo Girls to Bob Lovelace. Unfortunately it did not arrive in time to be read out at the "Artist for Bob" concert. So for the record.

Amy and Emily writes:

"We stand in solidarity with all of you today honoring the courage of Bob Lovelace and the many other activists in this community. We honor your commitment and your right to defend your lands and community.
Taking a stand against devastating and irresponsible energy development takes a certain kind of courage, hope and conviction, and we admire and support your call for a moratorium on uranium exploration and mining. The powers that be may see uranium and nuclear power as a panacea but we know better.
We support your demand that the government of Ontario begin consultations with the Algonquins to ensure that your land, air, water, and human rights are protected.

It is past time that governments make room for sincere and thorough sessions with Indigenous communities and that the right to say no always remains a viable and acceptable option.

We were relieved to hear of the release of Bob Lovelace and the KI 6 a few weeks ago - relieved but not swayed. We understand that this is only the beginning of these struggles. Indigenous lands have long been targets of energy exploitation and it requires constant vigilance to protect our lands and culture.

We thank you for inviting us to be a part of your movement - it is an honor to stand behind you as you wage the fight to project your land and lives."