CRED-NB advocates for climate action. The RAVEN project at the University of New Brunswick, a CRED-NB member, is supporting the fossil-fuel divestment campaigns at UNB and St. Thomas University. The student leaders of the divestment campaigns published an article today in the NB Media Co-op with an update on the campaigns in New Brunswick Universities.
The article contains links to the petitions that students and alumni of UNB and STU can sign. You can read the article here.
CBC provincial affairs reporter Jacques Poitras produced three stories this week on the new nukes (SMRs). Finally, the media is looking at the SMR proposals critically rather than repeating the industry (NB Power) hype.
Dec. 10: NB Power’s not counting on small nuclear reactors in electricity plan
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/mixed-messages-nuclear-power-1.5834729
Dec. 7: Questions abound about New Brunswick’s embrace of small nuclear reactors
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/questions-small-nuclear-reactors-1.5828784
Dec. 7: Reactor reality, CBC Info Morning Fredericton’s Terry Seguin talks with Jacques Poitras (radio clip, 8:49 minutes)
https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-25-information-morning-fredericton/clip/15812769-reactor-reality
This letter is printed in The Hill Times today (click here for copy)
La version française suit
OPEN LETTER to treasury board by women leaders across Canada
December 7, 2020
The Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, President
The Hon. Joyce Murray, Vice-Chair
The Hon. Bardish Chagger, Member
The Hon. Catherine McKenna, Member
The Hon. Chrystia Freeland, Member
The Hon. Jonathan Wilkinson, Member
Treasury Board of Canada
Dear Mr. Duclos and Members of the Treasury Board:
On September 21, 2020 we wrote to you as women who are Indigenous and non-Indigenous community leaders in science, medicine, law and environmental protection to ask you to stop funding new nuclear reactors. Canada is a member of an international nuclear waste treaty and has a legal obligation to minimize generation of radioactive waste. Federal funding for new nuclear reactors would be an abnegation of this treaty obligation.
Today we are joined by women colleagues from all provinces and territories in Canada and several Indigenous communities. We strongly urge you to reject new nuclear reactors, called “SMRs.” They are being promoted to your government as a silver bullet to address the climate emergency. This is a false notion.
In fact, SMRs prevent swift, effective action to address the climate emergency. SMRs are many years away from production. They would take far too long to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They suck money and attention away from inexpensive low-carbon technologies that are ready to deploy now.
Solar and wind power are already the cheapest and fastest-growing electricity sources in the world. A 2018 Deloitte report, “Global Renewable Energy Trends: Solar and Wind Move from Mainstream to Preferred” concluded: “Solar and wind power recently crossed a new threshold, moving from mainstream to preferred energy sources across much of the globe”. The report noted that solar and wind power enhance electrical grids. It also pointed out that intermittency is no longer a concern owing to rapid advances in storage technology. Canada should fund much wider deployment of solar and wind power.
More funding for energy efficiency and energy conservation would also be a much better use of tax dollars than handouts to the nuclear industry. The 2018 report presented by the Generation Energy Council to Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources found that: “Canada’s greatest opportunities to save money, cut greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs can be found in slashing energy waste. Fully one-third of our Paris emissions commitment could be achieved by improving energy efficiency.”
We urge you to say “no” to the nuclear industry that is asking for billions of dollars in taxpayer funds to subsidize a dangerous, highly-polluting and expensive technology that we don’t need. Instead, put more money into renewables, energy efficiency and energy conservation. This will create many thousands of jobs and quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
We must never forget that the main product of nuclear reactors — in terms of planetary impact — is deadly radioactive poisons that remain hazardous to all life on earth for hundreds of thousands of years. The electricity they produce for a few short decades is but a minor by-product. There is no proven safe method for keeping radioactive waste out of the environment of living things for hundreds of thousands of years.
Please see Environmental Petition 419, submitted to the Auditor General of Canada in November 2018, for more detail on why Canada should refuse multibillion dollar handouts to subsidize the nuclear industry.
We urge you to bring this matter to the attention of your Cabinet colleagues, and stop all government support and taxpayer funding for so-called small modular nuclear reactors.
Yours sincerely,
Alma H. Brooks, Wolastoqew and Eastern Wabanaki (New Brunswick)
Chief April Adams-Phillips, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne (Quebec)
Candyce Paul, English River First Nation (Saskatchewan)
Ellen Gabriel, Mohawks of Kanehsatà:ke (Quebec)
Eriel Deranger, Member of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Treaty 8 (Alberta)
Hilu Tagoona, BA, Qairnimiut Inuk, (Nunavut)
Dr. Imelda Perley Opolahsomuwehs, Neqotkuk First Nation (New Brunswick)
Joan Scottie, Inuk, Nunavut Makitagunarngningit, Baker Lake, Nunavut
Lorraine Rekmans, member of the Serpent River First Nation (Ontario)
Dr. Lynn Gehl, PhD, Algonquin – Pikwakanagan First Nation (Ontario)
Mary Alice Smith, BA, Metis Cree, Robinson-Superior Treaty area, Longbow Lake (Ontario)
Mary Lou Smoke, Anishinawbe Kwe, Bear Clan
Neecha Dupuis, Ojibway Nation of SAUGEEN Indian Tribe No. 258 Savant Lake (Ontario)
Renee Abram, Oneida First Nation of the Thames (Ontario)
Serena Kenny, Lac Seul First Nation (Ontario)
Stefanie Bryant, BA, Lac Seul First Nation (Ontario)
Alexandra Hayward, BSc, JD Candidate, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador
Angela Bischoff, Toronto, Ontario
Anna Tilman, BA Physics, MA Medical Biophysics, Aurora, Ontario
Ann Coxworth, MSc, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Ann Pohl, MEd, Killaloe, Ontario
Anne Lindsey, Order of Manitoba, MA, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Dr. Auréa Cormier, PhD, Order of Canada, Moncton, New Brunswick
Dr. Barbara Birkett, MDCM, FRCPC, Oakville, Ontario
Beatrice Olivastri, Ottawa, Ontario
Betty L. E. Wilcox, BA, BEd, Stanhope, Prince Edward Island
Brenda Brochu, BA, BEd, Peace River, Alberta
Brennain Lloyd, North Bay, Ontario
Carole Dupuis, Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly, Québec
Carolyn Wagner, MEd, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Catherine Cameron, BSc., MBA, Perth Ontario
Dr. Cathy Vakil, MD, Kingston, Ontario
Dr. Cecily Mills, PhD Microbiology, Edmonton, Alberta
Chantal Levert, Montréal, Québec
Dr. Charlotte Rigby, PhD, Gatineau, Quebec
Chris Cavan, BEd, Almonte, Ontario
Dr. Dale Dewar, MD, Wynyard, Saskatchewan
Dr. Darlene Hammell, MD, Victoria, British Columbia
Deborah Powell, BA, BEd, Bristol, Quebec
Diane Beckett, BES, MA, Churchill, Manitoba
Diane Fortin, Gatineau, Québec
Dr. Dorothy Goldin Rosenberg, PhD, Toronto, Ontario
Elizabeth Logue, Wakefield, Quebec
Elssa Martinez, MSW, Montreal, Quebec
Emma March, MA, JD candidate, Kingston, Ontario
Dr. Erica Frank, MD, MPH, FACPM; Nanoose Bay, British Columbia
Eva Schacherl, MA, Ottawa, Ontario
Evelyn Gigantes, BA, former MPP, Ottawa, Ontario
Gail Wylie, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Gini Dickie, BA, Toronto, Ontario
Ginette Charbonneau, Physicist, Oka, Quebec
Gracia Janes, Ontario Medal for Citizenship, Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario
Gretchen Fitzgerald, BSc, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Janet Graham, MA, Ottawa, Ontario
Dr. Janet Ray MD, Victoria, British Columbia
Dr. Janice Harvey, PhD, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Jean Brereton, Golden Lake, Ontario
Jean Swanson, Order of Canada, BA, City Councillor, Vancouver, British Columbia
Dr. Jeannie Rosenberg, MD, Huntingdon, Quebec
Jessica Spencer, Moncton, New Brunswick
Joann McCann-Magill, MA, Sheenboro, Quebec
Joanne Mantha, MA, Gatineau, Quebec
Jocelyne Lachapelle, Framton, Québec
Johanna Echlin, MEd, Westmount, Quebec
Julie Reimer, MMM, Kingston, Ontario
Dr. Judith Miller, PhD, Ottawa, Ontario
Kathrin Winkler, BA, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Dr. Kathryn Lindsay, PhD, Renfrew, Ontario
Kay Rogers, BA, MA, MSc, Perth Ontario
Kerrie Blaise, MSc, JD, North Bay, Ontario
Kim Reeder, MEM (Environmental Management), Saint Andrews, New Brunswick
Dr. Kringen Henein, PhD, Ottawa Ontario
Larissa Holman, BSc, MREM, Gatineau, Quebec
Dr. Laure Waridel, PhD, Order of Canada, Montréal, Québec
Lenore Morris, BA, MBA, JD, Whitehorse, Yukon
Liette Parent-Leduc, B.A.A., D. Fisc, Saint-Robert, Québec
Lisa Aitken, MEd, HRM, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Dr. Louise Comeau, PhD, Keswick Ridge, New Brunswick
Louise Morand, l’Assomption, Québec
Dr. Louise Vandelac, PhD, Montreal, Quebec
Lorraine Hewlett, BA, MA, BEd, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories
Lucie Massé, Oka, Québec
Dr. Lucie Sauvé, PhD, Montréal, Québec
Lynn Jones, MHSc, Ottawa, Ontario
Margo Sheppard, BES (Environmental Studies), Fredericton, New Brunswick
Maria Varvarikos, BA, MLS, NDG, Montreal, Quebec
Dr. Marianne Rev, MD, Vancouver, British Columbia
Marion Copleston, BA, BEd, Past Mayor of Bonshaw, Prince Edward Island
Dr. Martha Ruben, MD, PhD, Ottawa, Ontario
Martine Chatelain, Montréal, Québec
Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford, MD, PhD, Victoria, British Columbia
Dr. Meg Sears, PhD, Dunrobin, Ontario
Megan McCann, RMT, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Megan Mitton, MLA, Sackville, New Brunswick
Dr. Melissa Lem, MD, Vancouver, British Columbia
Meredith Brown, BSc (Engineering) MRM, Wakefield, Quebec
Michele Kaulbach, Westmount, Quebec
Nadia Alexan, Montréal, Québec
Dr. Nancy Covington, MD, Halifax, Nova Scotia
Nira Dookeran, MA, Ottawa, Ontario
Odette Sarrazin, St-Gabriel-de-Brandon, Québec
Dr. Paula Tippett, BSc, MD, MPH, Saint John, New Brunswick
Pippa Feinstein, JD, LLM, Toronto, Ontario
Dr. Rashmi Chadha MBChB, MScCH, Vancouver, British Columbia
Roberta Frampton Benefiel, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador
Roma De Robertis, MA, Saint John, New Brunswick
Dr. Sarah Colwell BSc, MD, FRCPC, Moncton, New Brunswick
Dr. Silvia Schriever, MD, Victoria, British Columbia
Dr. Susan O’Donnell, PhD, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Dr. Sylvia Hale, PhD, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Sylvia Oljemark, Montréal , Québec
Theresa McClenaghan, BSc, LL.B., LL.M., Paris, Ontario
Valerie Needham, MA, Ottawa, Ontario
Venetia Crawford, BA, Shawville, Quebec
Willi Nolan-Campbell, New Brunswick
CC
Hon. Erin O’Toole, Leader of the Official Opposition
Yves-François Blanchet, Leader of the Bloc Québécois
Jagmeet Singh, Leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada
Annamie Paul, Leader of the Green Party of Canada
Greg Fergus, Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board
~~~~~~~
LETTRE OUVERTE ~ Le financement fédéral pour de nouveaux réacteurs nucléaires est une grave erreur qui détourne d’une action rapide contre le changement climatique
Le 6 décembre 2020
Honorable Jean-Yves Duclos, président du Conseil du Trésor
Honorable Joyce Murray, vice-présidente du Conseil du Trésor
Honorable Bardish Chagger, membre du Conseil du Trésor
Honorable Catherine McKenna, membre du Conseil du Trésor
Honorable Chrystia Freeland, membre du Conseil du Trésor
Honorable Jonathan Wilkinson, membre du Conseil du Trésor
Distingués Monsieur Duclos et membres du Conseil du Trésor,
Le 21 septembre 2020, nous vous avons écrit en tant que femmes dirigeantes dans des milieux communautaires et autochtones, en sciences, médecine, droit et protection de l’environnement afin de vous demander de cesser de financer le développement de nouveaux petits réacteurs nucléaires modulaires (appelés PRM). Le Canada est membre d’un traité international sur les déchets radioactifs et il doit s’acquitter de ses obligations légales de minimiser la production des déchets radioactifs. Le financement fédéral des PRM serait une abnégation de ses obligations en vertu de ce traité.
Aujourd’hui, d’autres femmes dirigeantes de toutes les provinces et territoires du Canada et de plusieurs sites des Premières Nations se joignent à nous. Nous vous exhortons fortement à rejeter les nouveaux PRM. Le gouvernement fédéral fait la promotion des PRM comme une solution miracle pour faire face à l’urgence climatique. C’est complètement faux!
En fait, les PRM ne constituent certainement pas une action rapide et efficace pour faire face à l’urgence climatique. Ils ne pourront atteindre la phase de production avant 10 ou 15 ans. C’est trop tard pour réduire les gaz à effet de serre. C’est engloutir de l’argent inutilement qui serait mieux dépensé dans des technologies à faible émission de carbone peu coûteuses et prêtes à utiliser.
Les énergies solaire et éolienne sont devenues les sources d’électricité les moins coûteuses et les plus répandues dans le monde. En 2018, le rapport de Deloitte, Global Renewable Energy Trends: Solar and Wind Move from Mainstream to Preferred a conclu que « les sources d’énergie traditionnelles solaires et éoliennes ont franchi un nouveau seuil, car elles sont devenues les sources d’énergie préférées dans une grande partie du monde ». Selon le rapport, les énergies solaire et éolienne alimentent davantage les réseaux électriques. Elles comptent parmi les sources d’énergie les moins chères au monde et elles sont très prometteuses. Le rapport souligne que l’intermittence des énergies solaire et éolienne n’est plus un problème étant donné les progrès rapides des technologies de stockage. Le Canada devrait financer un plus vaste déploiement des sources d’énergie solaire et éolienne.
Le financement pour améliorer l’efficacité et la conservation de l’énergie constituerait une meilleure utilisation des deniers publics que les subventions à l’industrie nucléaire. Un rapport présenté en juin 2018 par le Conseil Génération Énergie au ministre des Ressources naturelles Canada a révélé que : « Les meilleures possibilités qui se présentent au Canada pour économiser, diminuer les émissions de gaz à effet de serre et créer des emplois sont liées à une réduction radicale du gaspillage d’énergie. L’amélioration de l’efficacité énergétique nous permettrait d’atteindre un tiers de notre engagement en matière d’émissions en vertu de l’Accord de Paris sur le climat. »
Nous vous exhortons à dire «non» à l’industrie nucléaire qui demande des milliards de dollars de fonds publics pour subventionner une technologie dangereuse, excessivement polluante et coûteuse, et dont nous n’avons pas besoin. Investissez plutôt dans les énergies renouvelables, et dans l’efficacité et la conservation de l’énergie. Cela créera des milliers d’emplois et réduira rapidement les émissions de gaz à effet de serre.
Il ne faut jamais oublier que le principal produit des réacteurs nucléaires – en termes de répercussions planétaires – sont les déchets radioactifs dangereux et même mortels pour toute vie sur terre, et ce pendant des centaines de milliers d’années. Il n’existe pas de moyen sûr éprouvé pour empêcher les déchets radioactifs de pénétrer dans l’environnement des êtres vivants.
Veuillez consulter la pétition environnementale 419, soumise au vérificateur général du Canada en novembre 2018, pour plus de détails sur les raisons pour lesquelles le Canada devrait refuser d’octroyer des subventions de plusieurs milliards à l’industrie nucléaire.
Nous vous exhortons à porter cette question à l’attention de vos collègues du Cabinet et à mettre fin à tout soutien gouvernemental aux petits réacteurs nucléaires modulaires avec l’argent des contribuables.
Veuillez recevoir l’expression de nos sentiments les plus sincères,
Alexandra Hayward, B. Sc., candidate au diplôme Juris Doctor, St. John’s, Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador.
Alma H. Brooks, Wolastoqew and Eastern Wabanaki (Nouveau-Brunswick)
Angela Bischoff, Toronto, Ontario
Ann Coxworth, M. Sc., Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Anne Lindsey, O.M., M.A., Winnipeg, Manitoba
Ann Pohl, MEd, Killaloe, Ontario
Anna Tilman, B. Sc. Physique, M.A. Biophysique médicale, Aurora, Ontario
Chef April Adams-Phillips, Conseil Mohawk d’Akwesasne (Québec)
Auréa Cormier, M.D., C.M., Moncton, Nouveau-Brunswick
Bea Olivastri, Ottawa, Ontario
Betty L. E. Wilcox, B.A., B. Éd., Stanhope, Île-du-Prince-Édouard
Brenda Brochu, B.A., B. Éd., Peace River, Alberta
Brennain Lloyd, North Bay, Ontario
Candyce Paul, English River First Nation, Saskatchewan
Carole Dupuis, Saint-Antoine-de-Tilly, Québec
Carolyn Wagner, M. Éd., Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick
Catherine Cameron, B. Sc., MBA, Perth Ontario
Cathy Vakil, M.D., Kingston, Ontario
Cecily Mills,M.D., Ph. D. Microbiologie, Edmonton, Alberta
Chantal Levert, Montréal, Québec
Charlotte Rigby, M.D., Ph. D., Gatineau, Québec
Chris Cavan, B. Éd., Almonte, Ontario
Dale Dewar, M.D., Wynyard, Saskatchewan
Deborah Powell, Hon. B.A., Bristol, Québec
Diane Beckett, BES, M.A., Churchill, Manitoba
Diane Fortin, Gatineau, Québec
Dorothy Goldin Rosenberg, Ph. D., Toronto, Ontario
Elizabeth Logue, Wakefield, Québec
Ellen Gabriel, Mohawks of Kanehsatà:ke (Quebec)
Emma March, M.A., candidate au diplôme Juris Doctor, Kingston, Ontario
Elssa Martinez, MSW, Montréal, Québec
Eriel Deranger, membre de l’Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, Treaty 8 (Alberta)
Eva Schacherl, M.A., Ottawa, Ontario
Evelyn Gigantes, B.A., ancienne députée provinciale, Ottawa, Ontario
Gail Wylie, Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick
Ginette Charbonneau, physicienne, Oka, Québec
Gini Dickie, B.A., Toronto, Ontario
Gracia Janes, OMC, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario
Gretchen Fitzgerald, B. Sc., Halifax, Nouvelle-Écosse
Hilu Tagoona, B.A., Qairnimiut Inuk, Nunavut
Imelda Perley Opolahsomuwehs, M.D., Neqotkuk First Nation, Nouveau-Brunswick
Janet Graham, M.A., Ottawa, Ontario
Janice Harvey, Ph. D., Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick
Jean Brereton, Golden Lake, Ontario
Jean Swanson, membre de l’Ordre du Canada (C.M.), B.A., Vancouver, Colombie-Britannique
Jessica Spencer, Moncton, Nouveau-Brunswick
Jocelyne Lachapelle, Framton, Québec
Joan Scottie, Inuk, Nunavut Makitagunarngningit, Baker Lake, Nunavut
Joann McCann-Magill, M.A., Sheenboro, Québec
Joanne Mantha, M.A., Gatineau, Québec
Johanna Echlin, M. Éd., Westmount, Québec
Julie Reimer, MMM, Kingston, Ontario
Judith Miller, Ph. D., Ottawa, Ontario
Kathrin Winkler, B.A., Halifax, Nouvelle-Écosse
Kathyn Lindsay, Ph. D., Renfrew, Ontario
Kay Rogers, B.A., M.A., M. Sc., Perth Ontario
Kerrie Blaise, M. Sc., J.D., North Bay, Ontario
Kim Reeder, MEM (gestion environnement), Saint Andrews, Nouveau-Brunswick
Kringen Henein, Ph. D., Ottawa, Ontario
Larissa Holman, B. Sc., MREM, Gatineau, Québec
Laure Waridel, écosociologue, Ph. D, CM, Montréal, Québec
Lenore Morris, B.A., MBA, J.D., Whitehorse, Yukon
Liette Parent-Leduc, B.A.A., D. Fisc, Saint-Robert, Québec
Lisa Aitken, M. Éd., gestion des ressources humaines, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Lorraine Hewlett, B.A., M.A., B. Éd, Yellowknife, Territoires du Nord-Ouest
Lorraine Rekmans, Osgoode, Ontario
Louise Comeau, Ph. D., Keswick Ridge, Nouveau-Brunswick
Louise Morand, l’Assomption, Québec
Louise Vandelac, Ph. D., professeure titulaire, UQAM, Montréal, Québec
Lucie Massé, Oka, Québec
Lucie Sauvé, Ph. D., Montréal, Québec
Dr. Lynn Gehl, PhD, Algonquin – Pikwakanagan First Nation (Ontario)
Lynn Jones, maîtrise en sciences de la santé, Ottawa, Ontario
Margo Sheppard, BES (études environnementales), Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick
Maria Varvarikos, B.A., maîtrise en études juridiques, NDG, Montréal, Québec
Martha Ruben, M. D., Ph. D., Ottawa, Ontario
Martine Chatelain, Montréal, Québec
Marion Copleston, BA, B. Éd., ancienne mairesse de Bonshaw, Île-du-Prince-Édouard
Mary Alice Smith, BA, Metis Cree, Robinson-Superior Treaty area, Longbow Lake (Ontario)
Mary Lou Smoke, Anishinawbe Kwe, Bear Clan
Mary-Wynne Ashford, M.D., Ph. D., Victoria, Colombie-Britannique
Meg Sears, Ph. D., Dunrobin, Ontario
Megan McCann, RMT, Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick
Megan Mitton, députée, Sackville, Nouveau-Brunswick
Melissa Lem, M.D., Vancouver, Colombie-Britannique
Meredith Brown, B. Sc. (Ingénierie) MRM, Wakefield, Québec
Michele Kaulbach, Westmount, Québec
Nadia Alexan, Montréal, Québec
Neecha Dupuis, Ojibway Nation of SAUGEEN Indian Tribe No. 258 Savant Lake (Ontario)
Nira Dookeran, MA, Ottawa, Ontario
Odette Sarrazin, St-Gabriel-de-Brandon, Québec
Paula Tippett B. Sc., M.D., M. Sc. (santé publique), Saint John, Nouveau-Brunswick
Pippa Feinstein, J.D., LL.M., Toronto, Ontario
Renee Abram, Oneida First Nation of the Thames (Ontario)
Roberta Frampton Benefiel, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador
Roma De Robertis, MA, Saint John, Nouveau-Brunswick
Sarah Colwell, B. Sc., M.D., associé du Collège royal des médecins et chirurgiens du Canada, Moncton, Nouveau-Brunswick
Serena Kenny, Lac Seul First Nation (Ontario)
Stefanie Bryant, BA, Lac Seul First Nation (Ontario)
Susan O’Donnell, Ph. D., Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick
Sylvia Hale, Ph. D., Fredericton, Nouveau-Brunswick
Sylvia Oljemark, Montréal, Québec
Theresa McClenaghan, B. Sc., LL.B., LL.M., Paris, Ontario
Serena Kenny, Lac Seul First Nation (Ontario)
Valerie Needham, MA, Ottawa, Ontario
Venetia Crawford, BA, Shawville, Québec
Willi Nolan-Campbell, Nouveau-Brunswick
CC:
Hon. Erin O’Toole, Chef de l’opposition
Yves-François Blanchet, chef du Bloc québécois
Jagmeet Singh, Chef du Nouveau Parti démocratique
Annamie Paul, Chef du Parti vert du Canada
Greg Fergus, secrétaire parlementaire du président du Conseil du Trésor
Leader of the Green Party of New Brunswick David Coon issued a statement today calling on the Higgs government to commit to an ambitious target to grow the renewable energy industry in New Brunswick, rather than continuing down path of expensive and risky nuclear power generation. You can read the statement here:
https://greencaucusvert.ca/green-party-leader-calls-for-higgs-government-to-commit-to-an-ambitious-renewable-energy-target/
The Higgs government formalized its support for the development of new nuclear reactors (so-called small modular nuclear reactors, SMRs) in New Brunswick. The throne speech claimed: “If New Brunswick can develop advanced SMRs right here at home and achieve just 1 per cent of the estimated Canadian market, it would mean $190 million in annual direct and indirect impacts to New Brunswick.” The numbers don’t add up.
Read the story by Susan O’Donnell in the NB Media Co-op.
SMRs do not belong in a climate action plan. We are in a climate emergency.
Cliquez ici pour la version française
OTTAWA, November 18, 2020 – Groups from across Canada called on the federal government today to halt its plans to fund experimental new small nuclear reactors (SMRs) and to take real action against climate change by investing more in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Natural Resources Canada announced that it would be launching at an industry conference on Nov. 18 the government’s SMR Action Plan. However the launch was postponed. The SMR Action Plan is a strategy to fund and support the development of experimental nuclear reactors by private sector companies, the majority based in the US and UK.
Dozens of organizations from coast to coast have called the proposed new nuclear reactors a dirty, dangerous distraction from tackling climate change. They include Greenpeace Canada, Friends of the Earth Canada, Ralliement contre la pollution radioactive, Équiterre, the Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick, and the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.
The Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the Green Party all oppose the government’s “small” modular nuclear reactor (SMR) plan. A Special Chiefs Assembly of the Assembly of First Nations passed a unanimous resolution in December 2018 demanding “that the Government of Canada cease funding and support of the Small Modular Nuclear Reactors program” (Resolution no. 62).
On November 13, Monique Pauze from the Bloc Québécois stated: “The Bloc Québécois denounces the intention of Ottawa to invest in nuclear energy to the benefit, once again, of the Ontario industrial sector, instead of financing the transition towards clean electricity. The Bloc calls for the abandonment of the anticipated deployment of small modular nuclear reactors. The Federal government is leading Canada towards a wall by betting on nuclear energy that is absolutely not clean.”
NDP natural resources critic Richard Cannings said in a statement: “Many Canadians have concerns about impacts of nuclear energy. When it comes to energy generation there are better ways forward. We have options that are cheaper and safer and will be available quicker. I think we should be supporting the development of energy storage solutions to help roll out renewables like solar and wind on a larger scale instead.”
On November 10, all three Green Party of Canada caucus members issued a statement and signed a letter to Minister O’Regan and Minister Navdeep Bains saying that: “Small nuclear reactors (SMRs) have no place in any plan to mitigate climate change when cleaner and cheaper alternatives already exist. The federal government must stop funding the nuclear industry and instead redirect investments towards smarter solutions. Nuclear fails on many grounds, including on the economics.”
Prof. Susan O’Donnell from the Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick said: “Building new nuclear reactors does not belong in a climate action plan. Leading researchers have shown that investing in renewable energy is the best path to net zero and that adding nuclear energy to the mix actually hinders rather than helps.”
Shawn-Patrick Stensil, Director of Programs at Greenpeace Canada, said: “The Liberal government is throwing good money after bad. Hypothetical new nuclear power technologies have been promising to be the next big thing for the last forty years, but in spite of massive public subsidies, that prospect has never panned out.”
The proposed reactors are still on the drawing board and will take a decade or more to develop. If built, their power will cost ten times more than wind or solar energy. The most advanced SMR project to date in the US has already doubled its estimated cost – from $3B to over $6B.
The federal government announced its first SMR grant of $20 million to Terrestrial Energy on October 15.
The MPs and environmental groups are shocked that the government is funding new nuclear energy development with no parliamentary review, while trying to avoid public scrutiny and debate. They called the consultation process leading up to the SMR Action Plan a sham. Individuals and groups could only comment on the plan if they first signed on to a statement of principles supporting SMR technologies.
Nuclear power and uranium mining will always be dirty and dangerous. Radioactive waste will have to be kept out of the environment for many thousands of years, and there is no known way of doing that.
– 30 –
Media contacts:
| Eva Schacherl613-316-9450evaschacherl@gmail.com | Susan O’Donnell506-261-1727susanodo.unb@gmail.com |
Contacts pour les médias :
| Ginette Charbonneau ginettech@hotmail.ca514-246-6439 | Gilles Provostartscience@videotron.ca514- 523-5704 |
Both the federal and New Brunswick governments are claiming that the prototype nuclear reactors will help to tackle the climate crisis.
CRED-NB member Susan O’Donnell from the UNB RAVEN project writes two articles in the NB Media Co-op on this topic. You can read them by clicking on the headlines below.
Are New Brunswick’s prototype nuclear reactors part of a climate action plan?
Why are the federal and New Brunswick governments funding prototype nuclear reactors?
CRED-NB is endorsing a panel event on Nov. 19 organized by the Canadian Foreign Policy Institute. The event is free and features speakers from across the political spectrum, MPs from the NDP, Greens, Liberals and Bloc Québécois. For more info and to sign up for the event, visit this site. The question from CRED-NB is: what is the link between the civilian nuclear industry and the nuclear weapons industry? We know some of the story and would like to learn more!
CRED-NB members Sam Arnold, with the Sustainable Energy Group in Carleton County, and Susan O’Donnell, with the RAVEN project at the University of New Brunswick, published an article today in The Hill Times. Their article describes how the federal government is blocking groups and individuals opposed to new federal funding for nuclear reactors from expressing their opinions through the usual government channels. You can read their article here.
