Author: CREDNB

More opposition to gas-fired power plant in Tantramar

On Wednesday January 14 the Tantramar Climate Change Advisory Committee organized an public information session on the gas-fire power plant proposed by with NB Power. The session included a presentation by Brad Coady of NB Power followed several pointed questions. The questions included topics such as the potential impact on the environment and residents, why better options are not being pursued, and whether there is a need for such a plant.

Mira Dietz Chiasson, a Tantramar resident, wrote an open letter to Susan Holt about the event. See her letter at the NB Media Coop: We can do better: Cancel the Tantramar gas plant now and replace it with battery storage systems.

Concerns about the management of Canadian Nuclear Laboratories by U.S. companies

A House of Commons committee is currently studying the management of Canada’s nuclear laboratories at Chalk River. The nuclear research site is run by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL).

Under a new contract signed at the end of 2025, CNL is managed by a consortium of U.S. companies with ties to the weapons industry. CRED-NB outlined our concerns in a brief filed today with the Parliamentary committee. Read it HERE.

Why is NB Power hiding the risks of transporting radioactive waste?

NB Power and nuclear industry partners want to build a radioactive waste pit in Northwestern Ontario. But they are hiding the risks of transporting the waste more than 2,900 km from Point Lepreau through communities in New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario.

Current plans envision more than 2,100 transport packages of New Brunswick’s used nuclear fuel travelling approximately 2,900 kilometres, through public roads in the province and across Canada, over a period of 10 to 15 years.

Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO, including NB Power) – filed their official project plan but did NOT include the 2,900 km drive from Point Lepreau. Why? To stop the public from raising concerns about it.

Learn more and take action HERE.

NB groups raise concern about nuclear waste proposal

CRED-NB and three other groups in the province, along with 70 other groups across Canada signed a letter sent Dec. 16 to Prime Minister Carney and two federal cabinet ministers asking them to oversee the nuclear industry’s proposal for radioactive waste burial in Northwestern Ontario.

NB Power is a member of the industry’s Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) proposing the project, opposed by the Chiefs in Assembly of Treaty 3, Nishnawbi Aski Nation, Anishnabek Nation and the Chiefs of Ontario.

The letter raises particular concern with the NWMO plan to exclude the transport of radioactive waste (including across roads in New Brunswick) from the Impact Assessment of the project. Read the letter HERE.

Open letter: 105 groups call on PM Mark Carney to build Canada’s east-west electricity grid with renewable energy

105 environment, labour, Indigenous and community groups, including CRED-NB, released a letter today, July 3, calling on Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal government to prioritize building out Canada’s east-west electricity grid with renewable energy, while upholding workers’ and Indigenous rights. 

The following is a summary of the priorities listed in the letter. The full letter can be found HERE.

  • Commit significant federal funding toward permitting, planning and construction of strategic interprovincial and intra-provincial electricity transmission projects.
  • The Green Budget Coalition, Green Economy Network and Climate Action Network Canada each identify a funding commitment of at least $20 billion over five years while the Canada Electricity Advisory Council recommends significant investment and reducing barriers for these transmission projects.
  • Uphold legal and inherent Indigenous rights for Indigenous communities throughout Canada.
  • Implement key labour supports as a condition for federal funding on electricity projects.
  • Alongside the work on transmission and generation, the federal government should strengthen its financial support for energy efficiency, demand-side management, energy storage and other electricity system upgrades.
  • With these priorities in mind, the federal government should update and implement Canada’s Electricity Strategy. This includes implementing the Clean Electricity Regulations, and continuing to advance Canada’s work to achieve a net-zero electricity grid.

See the press release HERE.

131 Civil society groups send open letter to PM Carney supporting renewable energy and opposing new nuclear

In a open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney, 131 civil society groups expressed support for renewable energy and  opposition to federal investment in new nuclear reactors. Fourteen groups from NB including CRED-NB were among those signing the open letter which was sent on May 21, 2025.

To see the letter click here.

En français, clique ici.

The nuclear divide: Why are women cautious of nuclear energy?

Commentary by Emma Fackenthall in the NB Media Co-op

As many countries scramble toward a net-zero future, some are betting on nuclear energy to reach their goal. However, a quiet but profound gender divide is growing around nuclear energy. 

While nuclear power is often hailed as a critical tool in the climate fight, a growing body of research suggests that fewer women than men support nuclear power. This divide can be explained by safety concerns, ecofeminist ethics of care, and the nuclear industry’s macho culture. 

The striking gender divide is another reason to question the viability of nuclear energy to attain climate justice and energy democracy.

For the whole article, click here.

Climate Action Network Canada: Letter to PM Carney and Election Priorities

CRED-NB is a signatory to the Climate Action Network Canada (CAN-Rac) letter to Prime Minister Carney sent the day after the federal election. The letter congratulates Prime Minister Mark Carney and urges him to use this opportunity to build a fairer, more resilient society grounded in reliable, renewable Canadian solutions.

Prime Minister Carney has long been involved in climate initiatives; now, he has the chance to enact change at a national scale to make Canadians’ lives safer, healthier, and more affordable.

Read the full letter HERE.

Before the election, CAN-Rac released Made-in-Canada Climate Solutions: 2025 Election Priorities, setting out its calls to action for federal parties this campaign. See more details here.

ARC-100 nuclear SMR now unlikely in NB

In 2018, NB Power partnered with ARC Nuclear (now ARC Clean Technology) to develop small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). That plan is unlikely to come to fruition since ARC has been unable to find a financial partner. Also, the ARC-100 reactor would require high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), which is only produced in Russia.

On Earth Day, April 22, 2025, the Globe and Mail reported the following from the NB Minister for Energy and Finance, René Legacy.

“The original plan to have one or two of the reactors built for 2030, that time frame is probably not going to happen,” Mr. Legacy said, adding that first-of-a-kind reactors are expensive while acknowledging the province’s fiscal constraints. “So we’re looking at, probably, different options.”

See more details on ARC-100 nuclear here.

Can clean power be cheap?

New Brunswickers urgently need more affordable, reliable and cleaner electricity as we head into an uncertain future. In response, CRED-NB has developed a plan for electricity generation that includes guideposts and key steps for provincial policy-makers.

Can clean, renewable power be cheap? In a word, yes!

The details are here.