Author: CREDNB

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.

A new Atlantic Economic Panel was announced, a “private-sector-led initiative established to catalyze economic transformation in Atlantic Canada.” The announcement makes no mention of how the economy is expected to flourish without considering the impact that greenhouse gas-emitting projects will have on the climate and the natural world.

CRED-NB core member Sam Arnold of the Sustainable Energy Group – Carleton published a critical commentary in the NB Media Co-op, HERE. His commentary points out that an environmental expert is needed. Business and environmental experts must work in concert to safeguard a sustainable economic future for present and future generations – and for nature.

As the urgency to transition to low-carbon energy grows, Pabineau First Nation is emerging as a key player in Indigenous-led climate action and renewable energy development. The Mi’kmaq community in northern New Brunswick near Bathurst is demonstrating how renewable energy can support both climate goals and economic reconciliation.

Read the new article co-written by Chief Terry Richardson and CRED-NB Champion Emma Fackenthall: “Pabineau First Nation’s path toward economic reconciliation and climate justice through wind energy,” published by the NB Media Co-op, HERE.

Canada is decommissioning a nuclear power plant for the first time, marking a new chapter in the country’s nuclear history. The decommissioning of Gentilly-1 in Bécancour, Quebec — on the St. Lawrence River in Wabanaki territory — is a milestone in the country’s reckoning with its radioactive legacy, setting a precedent that will influence how future projects are approached across Canada.

Decisions and actions for this project will shape the expectations, policies, and protections in place when it comes time to decommission Point Lepreau. Read the full story in the NB Media Co-op by CRED-NB champion Mayara Gonçalves e Lima, HERE.

CRED-NB and nearly 100 other groups and prominent individuals signed a letter to express concern that Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) has decided to consolidate radioactive waste at the Chalk River Laboratories site without consultation with First Nations or the public, and without parliamentary debate. Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) is only a private contractor, not a government agency. Read the letter HERE.

CRED-NB is one of 128 Indigenous groups and organizations across the country that signed a letter in support of the Gitanyow Hereditary Chiefs in British Columbia who oppose a proposed LNG project in their homeland.

The letter alerts banks and pension funds about the significant negative impacts and risks posed to the Gitanyow people and the natural resources on which they rely from the proposed Ksi Lisims liquefied natural gas project. Read the letter HERE.

Uranium, when disturbed, dissolves readily in water thus contaminating wells and aquifers. When ingested, uranium is chemically toxic, affecting the kidneys, bones and other organs.

Uranium mine wastes contain 85% of the ore’s radioactivity and continue to generate new radioactive byproducts for thousands of years.

Uranium mining is hidden away in marginalized or Indigenous areas. The health effects on affected citizens remain understudied and are best described by them. Read the full December bulletin from the SMRs Information Task Force, HERE.

Ralph Torrie presented his renewable energy plan for the Maritimes in Fredericton in late October. The NB Media Co-op published a video of his talk, HERE. His visit to New Brunswick was co-hosted by a coalition of groups, including CRED-NB.

Torrie’s work on energy in the Maritimes is part of a major Corporate Knights project, Climate Dollars, which shows that solving the climate emergency would cost less than perpetuating the polluting, 20th-century energy system we have today. The Climate Dollars project report is expected to be published soon.

The high cost of subsidizing Ontario’s nuclear power generation and the exorbitant cost of plans for new nuclear development are good reasons for NB Power to abandon plans for more nuclear development in New Brunswick.

Here are two recent articles in the NB Media Co-op with the Ontario story:

Ford’s nuclear push could backfire with higher bills, US gas reliance: report

Ontario electricity supply costs jump 29 per cent as nuclear spending rises

On Nov. 26, CRED-NB and 40 other civil society organizations across the country signed a joint declaration to secure a safe climate system, protect marine and freshwater and uphold Indigenous rights and sovereignty.

We stand with Coastal First Nations who oppose a northwest coast crude oil pipeline and tankers project. The north Pacific coastal ecosystem is globally significant and a major economic driver in the region. The waters oil tankers would navigate are treacherous and the consequences of a catastrophic oil spill are unacceptable.

The Oil Tanker Moratorium Act is the result of decades of work by Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities to protect the marine environment and stands as a legal symbol of Crown-Indigenous reconciliation.

Read the full statement HERE.