To the editor:
In 2022, I ran for municipal council in South Bruce. I wanted to be on council because I felt that I couldn’t sit by and let things happen around me concerning the deep geological repository (DGR). It’s too important for all of us. Surprisingly, I was acclaimed. Yet, just a few months after being sworn in, I felt I had to resign.
Why? I quickly found that the culture of council and municipal administration was that they wanted their legacy to be the people who successfully brought the NWMO’s DGR to South Bruce, and with that, the millions of dollars that were going to pour into our community. There could be no in-house opposition in this culture. I was a lone voice on this topic. Now, 18 months later and on the brink of the referendum decision to host the DGR, I hope people listen.
I chose to resign because I did not want my legacy to be as a member of council that voted to host the DGR. That, and my one vote was not going to stop it. But the residents of South Bruce can stop it, if more than 50 percent of them get out and vote, and a majority of those votes are ‘No’. If less than 50 percent participate, no matter how they vote, the decision will be made by a vote of council. That vote will be ‘Yes’. They have accepted this fate readily as they have been groomed for years and haven’t seemingly questioned whether this is right for our environment, our naturally beautiful municipality?
Yes, I’ve been vocal on the DGR issue because I care – about everyone in our community. There are too many risks, to all of us, now and in the future. How can we say we are willing to accept a risk that can be our community’s issue for over 10,000 years? As the experts have said, rolling stewardship is an option. Dr. David Suzuki said, “the corporations just look at the quarterly reports. Their drive is profit, the more and the faster they gain, the better they are off. We are in a dilemma where we can’t depend on the political or corporate agendas when dealing with our nuclear waste.” He also said, there is no accountability if things don’t work out. What happens if something goes wrong? Who is held responsible?
Politicians are only concerned about the next election. Can you speak for the future and say for 100% certainty you trust a process that’s never been tested and then will be abandoned for millennia? And there is a very real and dangerous aspect of reprocessing and plutonium extraction which has not been addressed, either by the NWMO or council.
When I feel really challenged with the issue of the DGR, I think of one of my favourite books (Lord of the Rings) where Frodo says to Sam in the face of danger, “What are we holding on to, Sam?”, to which Sam says, “that there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo and it’s worth fighting for.”
My children and our community’s future is the good worth fighting for. This issue will not only impact our community, but potentially all communities in Canada. We can speak for them. Unlike mine at council, your vote can make the difference.
Audrey Bross, Mildmay
