To the editor,
There was a very interesting and informative “Meet and Greet” in the Teeswater Town Hall held on Oct. 18 by Protect Our Waterways – No Nuclear Waste. Open to the public, many articles and interesting facts were presented. There were many questions wanting to be answered by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), the Municipality of South Bruce’s Nuclear Exploration Team and the Community Liaison Committee (CLC), but have not. Questions like:
Just how large is the DGR to become?
Will the community still have veto power after an agreement is signed?
What radiation level is considered safe?
Who pays for radiation damage to crops, etc?
These and other questions certainly made one think.
Then there were articles to read with statements such as “modern medicine does not depend on nuclear power,” “nuclear is dirty energy, it leaves an everlasting radioactive legacy,” “burying nuclear waste deep in the earth is an experiment and once it is done, it will be very difficult to undo.” The articles make it known that there are other viewpoints from physicists, scientists, etc. about radiation, its dangers, how it should be handled and DGRs. Not just what the NWMO is publishing.
Another interesting fact shown was the “Emergency Planning Zone” map, a five-kilometre circumference around the proposed site. The area includes about 80 properties within the Township of Huron-Kinloss, that are closer to the proposed site than many South Bruce residents. Are they “willing and informed?” The area will be a unique emergency and evacuation zone. The entire town of Teeswater is within that circumference and could be evacuated… to where?
It was interesting to find out that only South Bruce residents are able to ask for hard copies of the completed “studies.” If not a South Bruce resident, read the internet.
Also available was information from Western University about online voting, stating there are no standards with online voting. The report states that “there is no privacy with these electronic services.” Sounds like it is not a democratic process. Is the 2024 promised South Bruce referendum going to be online or will it be a paper vote?
The NWMO continually states that this is “Canada’s Plan” for the management of used fuel, better known as high radioactive nuclear waste. All of Canada should know all the facts. Pretty big responsibility for a low populated rural community to take on! Why does only South Bruce have to be “willing and informed” with a “promised” referendum, which sounds like it should be a paper vote.
S.A. McDonald
Culross/Teeswater
