Informed citizens

September 12, 2017

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Seniors speak up at public consultation

The Equity

Dear Editor:
The Old Fort William Cottagers’ Association (OFWCA) is a group of informed citizens. We care deeply for our watershed. We are not “anti-nukes.” Many of our friends and acquaintances are now or formerly employed in the nuclear industry. Some of us are business owners who benefit from and appreciate the economic possibilities from having the nuclear industry in our collective communities.

Our opposition to CNL’s plan for an “NSDF” is based on the fact that the plan is technologically flawed and does not comply with international standards for the type of wastes that will be emplaced in it. The chosen site is much too close to the Ottawa River, which puts the entire river at risk of radioactive contamination. Five million Canadians depend on this river for their drinking water. Profit motives are a driving force behind this project’s goal of being completed quickly and cheaply.
There are several hundred critiques of CNL’s proposal and draft environmental impact statement on the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency’s website: http://www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca/050/documents-eng.cfm?evaluation=80122&type=3.
For example, both the Town of Deep River and the Ottawa Riverkeeper have submitted very detailed reports indicating the serious deficiencies of CNL’s plan. OFWCA’s objections are based on good science. Do read the submissions and decide for yourself. The Riverkeeper’s report also makes an important point: “It should be recognized that the disposal of nuclear waste is not a scientific decision alone; it is a public health issue and a societal issue that warrants an independent review and appropriate consultation with all Canadians.” Canadians were not consulted about this plan. When CNL announced their plan, the decisions had already been made, and CNL firmly stated recently that there is no Plan B. The OFWCA wants a plan from the nuclear industry that is safe for our environment and for this generation and many more generations.

Joann McCann
For the Old Fort William
Cottagers’ Association (OFWCA), Sheenboro, Que.

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