Snow Job in North Western Ontario Ignace Looks at Storing Nuclear Waste: We Look at the Madness of Nukes

Snow Job in North Western Ontario
Ignace Looks at Storing Nuclear Waste:
We Look at the Madness of Nukes

December 29, 2009

The Township of Ignace mayor says that Ignace wants to "compete in a global market". Mayor "Blinded by Dollar Signs" Lionel Cloutier gets to the point:

"...the entire NW Ontario could benefit from the multibillion dollar site selection process for Nuclear Waste Management Organization."

He appears to be getting brain washed by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization's (NWMO) operatives into thinking the community can "safely host a deep geological repository for Canada's spent nuclear fuel bundles..."

Or is he just being coy so he can grab some of the cash being flung around for "site selection" aka "Adaptive Phased Management" by NWMO? People do need jobs and he has responsibilities to his community.

His imagination runs wild with demented images of "a world class centre of expertise, including construction and operation of an underground demonstration facility, [that] would in itself bring in a new dimension of tourism from all over the world and millions of dollars to the regional economy."

Cloutier goes on to try to lull us with trigger words about our future generations, "our children, or perhaps our grandchildren, who will ultimately determine the course ... as advancements are made in the technology of safe handling and recovery(recycling)."

What a load of optimistic manure. Our children are inheriting a bigger and bigger toxic legacy. Our grandchildren will pay with sterility, birth defects, leukemia, thyroid cancer and other cancers and premature death. They'll be tested and documented while suffering in ways that could have been avoided. So far, there is NO evidence of any way to safely handle or store radioactive materials that will remain radioactive for thousands of years.

We already know that the toxic deadly radiation associated with every aspect of the nuclear fuel cycle from uranium mining to the operation of nuclear reactors to managing nuclear waste to the unspeakable of nuclear war is very harmful to human health and all life for generations to come. Yet the brazen sociopath gov officials continue to deny, deny, deny. The well paid scientists and media play along, smiling and telling their toxic lies. It now appears they want to spread the toxic effects around as much as possible. There are issues with transportation and the serious threat of irreversible water contamination of one of the world's largest freshwater systems, the entire Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River watershed.

About Ignace
The town of Ignace, population 1,700, is located at the junction of the TransCanada Highway and Highway 599. It was first founded for gold mining. On the CPR (Canadian Pacific Rail) line, Ignace is about 250 km to Thunder Bay, 113 km to Dryden and less than 100 miles to the US border. The entire region is dotted with many interconnected lakes and rivers. Since groundwater usually travels a similar course to surface water, we find it hard to imagine a nuclear waste cavern not leaching into the waterways and polluting a vast wilderness area. Many Nishnaabe communities like Lac La Croix, Grassy Narrows, Eagle Lake, Pikangikum and Couchiching dot the region. The vast NAN Nishnaabe Aski Nation territory is north of Ignace while some communities near Ignace are Independent Ojibwe First Nations.

The Ignace area economy depends on tourism, a faltering forestry industry and mining possibilities. The people are desperate for ways to make a living. Will they go for the short term gain or will they consider their future generations and their land base when they look at nuclear waste storage?

About NWMO Nuclear Waste Management Organization
Governor General Jean appointed Patrick Brazeau to the Canadian Senate in January, 2009 as a reward for his contribution to the destruction of Indigenous nations and sovereignty. Under his leadership, the Congress of Aboriginal People CAP has some arrangement with NRCan (Natural Resources Canada) and NWMO to consider nuclear waste management. Brazeau proposed, "... the 633 native communities in Canada be reduced to between 60 and 80..."

He would also "redirect the flow of nearly $10 billion in federal funding that goes to support aboriginal programs and services in Canada." He wants the money to go to the many Indigenous not on reserves like CAP (Congress of Aboriginal People) and OMAA (Ontario Metis and Aboriginal Association). What kind of deals are being made behind closed doors?

The NWMO, set up by the Canadian gov and the nuclear industry, has been aggressively courting Indigenous people since at least 2004 to accept nuclear waste disposal. Meetings involving the Metis Nation of Ontario took place during the 2004/5 winter in Fort Frances, near Ignace as well as in Midland, Hamilton, Timmins, Thunder Bay and Sudbury. MNO members were sent a questionnaire to get their feedback on storing nuclear waste. Here's a sampling of their comments.

"I believe that we have disturbed mother nature enough and there is no economic benefit for that."
"Nuclear as we know it is always dangerous."
"I would never accept a storage facility in my area."
"Not for the money, this issue is too important to be blurred by dollars."
"I don't want Toronto's garbage no matter what the economic benefits are."
"No amount of money will replace your health, the waste will pollute the environment, water and vegetation."

Clearly the Indigenous people in northwestern Ontario know as well as we do how harmful radioactive nuclear "waste" really is. They are just as reasonable as we are in not wanting the nuke garbage no matter how much money is involved. Sad to say, they're in for a snow job and some very heavy pressure from colonial government profiteers. It looks like they could use some support to raise and sustain a loud voice of opposition to this madness.

With the Metis' comments in hand, the NWMO crooks then went back to their cozy offices to drum up some more sleight of hand magic. They wanted to bedazzle their targeted populations with more bull about the safety of nuclear and the money to be made on storing toxic radioactive waste.

In the fall of 2009, they came out with a Learn More Program, inviting people like the mayor of Ignace to visit their Toronto offices and tour the temporary storage facility near the Bruce Power nuclear reactors. Such tours often include some little gathering where the gov reps use alcohol, charts and brochures to further sway the municipal or band council reps into their way of thinking. Reasonable opposition to nuclear schemes is thus eliminated.

Learn from Other People's Experience
The people of Ignace could really take a lesson from the experience of the folks at Port Hope, Ontario where huge piles of nuclear waste are accumulating and making people sick every day. In another insane plan typical of nuclear industry, CNSC (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission) has approved a license for AECL to move some of Port Hope's low level radioactive waste to a lagoon near Lake Ontario. No worker safety plan is in place though tons of radioactive dust would be stirred up in Port Hope and spewed out all along the route to the lagoon.

With ongoing high rates of unemployment, the reality is that people must find work of some kind in order to provide for their families. Work in the bush is quite limited whether in tourism, logging or mining and cannot sustain our growing communities. More and more people, Native and nonNative, are forced into two areas where job opportunities exist, either in cleaning up the nuclear mess or joining the army.

The nuclear industry shows no signs of letting up in its mad pursuit of profits. Nuclear reactors are vigourously promoted. This means the nuclear waste pile will continue to grow and need a place to be stored for thousands of years to come.

Perpetual warfare means more and more bombs of all kinds too. The Pentagon is shameless in its claims that they do not use DU depleted uranium in their warheads so that the radiation will kill people long after the bombs have exploded. They say they must continue to use it because it is the hardest substance they can find. Plus it blows up with such penetrating pyrotechnics as to be especially painful to humans and devastating to machines. Nuclear materiel will always be associated with warmaking no matter how many times you recite "essential medical isotope".

Doctors' Report
Many studies have been done, proving how harmful radiation is to Life. They tend to be suppressed and ignored. Two doctors, Dr Cathy Vakil and Dr. Linda Harvey recently prepared a 47 page document with over 75 footnotes supporting their opposition to nuclear development.

In it they wrote,
"One of the major health risks of this industry is the highly toxic spent fuel produced by the reactor. There is no safe way to dispose of this spent fuel, which remains radioactive for hundreds of thousands of years. "Geologic storage" which consists of burying the waste deep underground, is being considered, but carries the risk of potential contamination of air and water, and other as yet unknown risks.

"A number of health studies done worldwide and in Canada have uncovered some alarming links between chronic low level radioactive emissions from nuclear reactors and cancer, especially childhood leukemia. Experts continue to claim that the radioactive emissions are too low to explain these cases." (see endnotes for link to full text)

$$$ from the Feds
Cloutier and some other area mayors got to hob nob with the big shots on December 16 in Sioux Lookout, north of Ignace. Federal Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for FedNor, Tony Clement and Kenora MP Greg Rickford were on hand doing their part to convince the people in Nishnaabe territory around Ignace that nuclear waste management is the way to go.

Clement announced a $9.5 million Government of Canada investment, through FedNor's Northern Ontario Development and Community Futures Programs, in communities throughout Northern Ontario. That's not a lot of money when you have to spread it around to dozens of small communities.

Some of the Nishnaabe communities affected include those mentioned above as well as Fort William, Slate Falls, Cat Lake, Lac Seul, Lac Des Mille Lacs and Wabigoon. If you know anyone in these communities, you might want to forward this article to them. Contact info is also provided below to let the mayors know that this latest nuke scheme is not in the interests of Nishnaabe people or our land base. We cannot and will not allow it.

Our numbers are growing and we want to live on. We always think of our future seven generations in a Life Affirming Way. It is our Way!

Kittoh

We welcome your feedback! Forward, post and consider printing for your cyberphobic friends and relatives.
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Notes, Sources and Contact Info
http://www.chroniclejournal.com/stories_local.php?id=227212
Town takes interest in nuclear waste storage
Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal, 11/27/2009
http://www.town.ignace.on.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp
http://www.ontariotowns.net/Ignace/

First Nations Profiles
http://pse5esd5.aincinac.gc.ca/fnp/Main/Search/SearchFN.aspx?lang=eng

http://www.metisnation.org
from pdf Metis Nation of Ontario Nuclear Waste Management Dialogue Process Final Activity Report
Métis Nation of Ontario
500 Old St. Patrick St, Unit 3 Ottawa, ON K1N 9G4
T: 613-798-1488 TF: 800-263-4889 F: 613-722-4225

Reta Gordon Ph: 613 722-7078
retag@metisnation.org
Ruth Wagner-Millington 705 385-2585
wagnerviolins@hotmail.com
Gerry Bedford T: 519-941-4361
gerryb@metisnation.org
Joseph Poitras T : 613-798-1488
joseph.poitras@sympatico.ca

Port Hope
PHCHCC Port Hope Community Health Concerns Committee
Box 476 Station Main Port Hope, Ontario, Canada L1A 3Z3:
info@porthopehealthconcerns.com
http://porthopehealthconcerns.com

Pentagon and DU
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/12/armyagainturnstodepleteduraniumfornewweaponry/

Human Health Implications of Uranium Mining and Nuclear Power Generation Authors: Dr. Cathy Vakil M.D., C.C.F.P., F.C.F.P.
Dr. Linda Harvey B.Sc., M.Sc., M.D., May 2009
http://www.ccamu.ca

Machin Mayor, Gary Parkes, Dryden Mayor, Anne Krassilowksy, Minister of Industry, Tony Clement, Sioux Lookout Mayor, Kathy Poling, Ignace Mayor Lionel Cloutier and Kenora MP, Greg Rickford are smiling together.
You can see the picture of the gang at this link:
http://www.gregrickford.ca/EN/7880/103287

For a full list of FedNorfunded projects in Northern Ontario, see: http://ic.gc.ca/fednor

Contact Info:
SOME of the potentially affected Nishnaabe communities:
Lac La Croix First Nation
PO BOX 640, FORT FRANCES, ON P9A 3M9
Phone(807) 4852431Fax(807) 4852583
Chief Leon Jourdain
administration@laclacroixfirstnation.com
http://www.chiefsofontario.org/profiles/pr_lac_la_croix.html

Lac Seul First Nation
PO BOX 100, HUDSON, ON, P0V 1X0
Phone(807) 5823503 Fax(807) 5823449
http://www.ifna.ca/lac_seul.html

Pikangikum First Nation
PO BOX 323, PIKANGIKUM, ON P0V 2L0
Phone(807) 7735578Fax(807) 7735536
http://www.ifna.ca/pikangikum.html

Fort William First Nation
90 ANEMKI DRIVE, SUITE 200, THUNDER BAY, ON P7J 1L3
Phone(807) 6239543 Fax(807) 6235190
http://www.fwfn.com/
Band Manager, Tim Bannon tbannon@fwfn.com

Eagle Lake First Nation
P.O. Box 1001 MIGISI SAHGAIGAN, ON POV 3H0
Chief Robert Gardner
Ph: (807) 7555526 Fax: (807) 7555696
http://www.chiefsofontario.org/profiles/pr_eaglelake.html
eaglereception@migisi.ca

Cat Lake First Nation
PO BOX 81, CAT LAKE, ON P0V 1J0
Phone(807) 3472100Fax(807) 3472116
catlakefirstnation@knet.ca
http://catlakefirstnation.myknet.org/
Chief Matthew Keewaykapow
Deputy Chief ~ Ellen WesleyOombash
Head Councillor ~ Abigail Wesley
Councillor ~ Edward Keesickquayash
Councillor ~ Rita Wesley

Grassy Narrows First Nation
GENERAL DELIVERY, GRASSY NARROWS, ON P0X 1B0
Phone(807) 9252201Fax(807) 9252649

Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation
RR 1, SITE 115, PO BOX 300, DRYDEN, ON P8N 2Y4
Phone(807) 9386684 Fax(807) 9381166
Chief Esther Pitchenese
http://www.chiefsofontario.org/profiles/pr_wabigoon.html

The Corporation of the Township of Ignace Municipal Office
Mayor Lionel Cloutier
34 Highway 17 West P.O. Box 248 Ignace, ON P0T 1T0
Phone: 8079342202 Fax: 8079342864

Municipal Strategic Plan Economic Development Officer 9342202

Kenora MP Greg Rickford
Telephone: (613) 9961161 Fax: (613) 9961759
EMail: Rickford.G@parl.gc.ca
Web Site:* www.gregrickford.ca/
308 2nd Street South, Unit 19 (Main Office)
Kenora, Ontario P9N 1G4
Telephone: (807) 4682170 Fax: (807) 4684896
81 Duke Street Dryden, Ontario P8N 1G2
Telephone: (807) 2238000 Fax: (807) 2238655

Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for FedNor,
Clement.T@parl.gc.ca
Telephone: (613) 9447740 Fax: (613) 9925092
EMail: ClemeT@parl.gc.ca
Web Site:* www.tonyclement.ca

NWMO
Nuclear Waste Management Organization
22 St. Clair Avenue East, Sixth Floor
Toronto, Ontario M4T 2S3
Tel: 416.934.9814
Toll Free: 1.866.249.6966 (within Canada)
http://www.nwmo.ca/designingasitingprocess


Other Mayors:
Machin Mayor Gary Parkes
Phone 807-227-2633 Fax 807-227-5443
e-mail: administrator@visitmachin.com
clerktreasurer@visitmachin.com
deputyclerk@visitmachin.com
Municipality of Machin is made up of 3 communities all located on the beautiful Eagle Lake: Eagle River, Minnitaki, and Vermilion Bay.

Dryden Mayor Anne Krassilowsky
Phone: 807-937-6400 (home)
Phone: 807-223-6119 (work)
Fax: 807-223-3999
http://www.dryden.ca/
City of Dryden, 30 Van Horne Avenue, Dryden, ON P8N 2A7
Phone: 807-223-1126 or 223-1147 Fax: 807-223-3999

Email: mayor@dryden.ca, bcollins@drytel.net, gkurz@drytel.net, mwood@drytel.net, dwintle@drytel.net, mfisher@drytel.net, garyc@drytel.net, kburgstaler@dryden.ca, larseneault@dryden.ca

Local Radio Station: http://www.ckdr.net/
mail@ckdr.net, news@ckdr.net, comments@ckdr.net
OFFICE NUMBERS:
Local calls: (807) 223-2355
Long Distance: 1-800-465-7200
Fax: (807) 223-5090
ANNOUNCER NUMBERS:
Local calls: (807) 223-5215
Long Distance: 1-800-465-7200
NEWS ROOM NUMBERS:
Direct Line: (807) 223-7345
Fax: (807) 223-5090

CKDR (92.7FM Dryden) also has transmitters in Ignace (AM1340), Sioux Lookout (97.1FM), Hudson (AM1450), Ear Falls (AM1450), Red Lake (97.1FM), and Atikokan (AM1240).

http://www.ontariotowns.net/Dryden/


Sioux Lookout
Mayor Kathy Poling
http://www.siouxlookout.ca/?q=contact/Kathy%20Poling
P.O. Box 158, 25 Fifth Avenue, Sioux Lookout, ON P8T 1A4
Ph: (807) 737-2700 Fax: (807) 737-3436
reception@siouxlookout.ca

all the contacts for mayor and council are at a web page:
http://www.siouxlookout.ca/node/30

James Brohm, Councillor was born in Port Hope, Ontario, of all places!!