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JUNE
19th , 2008 |
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IN THIS ISSUE: 3) CONSERVATIVES MUST STOP ALLOWING MINE WASTE TO DESTROY LAKES 4) NETWORKING WITH NEW BRUSWICK 5) FUME'S PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING 6) ARTICLE: VOTERS WON'T LIKE HEARING WHAT NEW REACTORS COST 7) ARTICLE: SASKATCHEWAN TO UNVEIL NUCLEAR
PLANS 1) FVC PRESIDENT GEORGE WHITE REMAINS COMMITTED TO EXPLORATION AS: SHABOT OBAADJIWAN CLAIMS BREAKTHROUGH IN CONSULTATION TALKS By Jeff Green Frontenac News June 19, 2008 In a press statement released on Friday of last week, the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation said it had won "a key concession from Ontario in its efforts to protect the environment and citizens of their traditional territory. Ontario, the Shabot Obaadjiwan Algonquin, and the Algonquin of Ontario, with the support of Frontenac ventures Corporation, are developing a consultation process that will allow them to share information and engage in dialogue towards resolving the issues regarding the uranium exploration project." A meeting was scheduled in Toronto on Tuesday of this week to hammer out the details of the agreement. When contacted by phone on Tuesday, George White, the president of Frontenac Ventures, said that Tracy Pratt, a lawyer representing Frontenac Ventures, was indeed meeting with officials from government ministries, Doreen Davis, and officials from the Algonquin Land claim table, but he said the company "has not agreed to anything yet. Our ultimate desire is to get a letter of understanding with them (the Algonquins) to the mutual benefit of both parties." White also said that Frontenac Ventures is "not going to sign anything that undermines what Justice Cunningham said in his order of September 27, 2007." That order included a 40-week exploration schedule which gives Frontenac Ventures the right to drill up to 106 test holes in specific locations on the 30,000 acre parcel of land in North and Central Frontenac that they have obtained by mining rights to. The mining rights were disputed by members of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and the Shabot Obaadjiwan First Nation, who together asserted their aboriginal claim to title over the land when they occupied the property a year ago next week. The occupation ended in November, and was followed by a mediation process with collapsed in mid-February over the issue of test drill holes. A consultation protocol had reportedly been hammered out, but the two Algonquin communities walked away when the representative from the Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines said that drilling would have to take place during the consultation. Ardoch Algonquin spokesperson, and retired chief, Bob Lovelace, eventually served 100 days of a six month sentence for contempt of court over his refusal to undertake to the court that he would not act to impede Frontenac Ventures' exploration program. The meeting this week seem to be hinged on the same point as those in February, except that the Ardoch Algonquin are not at the negotiation table. At a public meeting near the Robertsville mine site entrance last Sunday, Doreen Davis reportedly told a group of supporters that the negotiations are at a delicate stage, and that Frontenac Ventures had been convinced to refrain from commencing its drilling program before Thursday, June 19. George White said he had not authorized this, but added that his legal team has enough leeway to make this sort of minor commitment. "For a few days I don't think it's going to upset anybody," he said.
June 16, 2008 By Terry Milewski CBC News "CBC News has learned that 16 Canadian lakes are slated to be officially but quietly "reclassified" as toxic dump sites for mines. The lakes include prime wilderness fishing lakes from B.C. to Newfoundland." To read the rest of this article go to, http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2008/06/16/condemned-lakes.html#socialcomments I recommend reading the comments. Think we got the public's
attention with this one. 3) CONSERVATIVES MUST STOP ALLOWING MINE WASTE TO DESTROY LAKES June 17, 2008 OTTAWA -NDP Fisheries and Oceans critic Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Eastern Shore) repeated his call to the Conservative government to stop allowing mining companies to discharge their toxic mine tailings into healthy lakes. "Canadians are shocked when they learn that this Conservative government allows healthy, fish-bearing lakes to be used as toxic dumping grounds for mining waste which in turn kills the lakes and the life within it," said Stoffer. "I call on Fisheries and Oceans Minister Hearn to halt this practice now." "It is unacceptable that sixteen healthy lakes are at risk of being re-classified as mine tailings ponds. This practise is a huge hidden subsidy for mining industries looking for cheap waste disposal methods for their toxic waste. All mining operations should be required to have separate contained tailing ponds that do not destroy healthy aquatic or freshwater ecosystems." Stoffer introduced a bill (C-504) in February that would prohibit mining companies or other industries from using lakes as dumping grounds for toxic substances. The bill restricts the deposit of any quantity or concentration of a deleterious substance in lakes. Stoffer introduced this legislation because of a loophole in the current Fisheries Act. Healthy lakes can be redefined as mine waste impoundments in Schedule 2 of the Metal Mining Effluent Regulations (MMERs) under the Fisheries Act. "Last year we alerted the Minister that mining companies across Canada would line up to request the inclusion of lakes on Schedule 2 when they allowed two healthy lakes in Newfoundland and Labrador to be reclassified as tailings ponds. And now it appears that our warnings have come true." "The Conservative government must put a stop to this activity immediately. The entire practice is shameful and goes against the very spirit of the Fisheries Act which prohibits the deposit of deleterious substances into fish-frequented waters." For more information, please contact: Holly Brown, Office of Peter Stoffer MP at (613) 995-5822. Catherine Coumans, Ph.D. 4) NETWORKING WITH NEW BRUSWICK Hi Lynn, I was great chatting with you this morning and I thank you for granting us permission to use some of the information from your web site (http://www.ccamu.ca). This will help us greatly since we won't have to duplicate any of your research. As I mentioned in our call, I am the webmaster for the CCNB Southeast Chapter (http://uraniumnb.ca). Our group has been distributing yellow No Uranium Mine signs throughout the province and it seems to be having an effect in waking up people to the issue. We've also recently discovered at least one company that may be attempting to build a uranium mine by passing it off as a copper mine to bypass nuclear regulators and environmental impact assessments. I hope we can keep a dialog going between our groups since cooperation of this type can only result in a more effective effort. Regards, Jean-Marc Robichaud 5) FUME'S PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING This is a reminder that FUME will be holding a public information meeting on Saturday, June 21st from 10:30 am to 12:30pm at the Glamorgan Community Centre in Gooderham. The event will feature a number of speakers on topics such as: * the Ontario Mining Act FUME will be continuing their letter writing campaign
to the Province at this meeting. For a donation of $5.00, you can sign
a letter to the Province asking for a moratorium on uranium mining and
changes to the Mining Act. FUME will send the letter to the Premier, the
Minister Northern Development and Mines, John Tory, Howard Hampton and
the MPP in your home riding. This strategy allows FUME to track all letters,
as well as get to up to 35 MPPs around Ontario involved and engaged in
stopping this critical issue. 6) ARTICLE: VOTERS WON'T LIKE HEARING WHAT NEW REACTORS COST By Murray Campbell The Globe and Mail "It's just as well that the Ontario Legislature added an aboriginal prayer to its proceedings yesterday that beseeched the Great Spirit for "your wisdom and your strength," because the government is soon going to test the patience of everyone in the province." To read the rest of this article go to, 7) ARTICLE: SASKATCHEWAN TO UNVEIL NUCLEAR PLANS By Karen Howlett "Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall will unveil plans Tuesday to build the province's first nuclear power plant as part of an initiative to develop cleaner sources of electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sources say." To read the rest of this article go to, |