Help Stop the Nuclear Dump at the Great Lakes
Canadian citizens oppose Ontario Power Generation’s plan to bury radioactive nuclear waste approximately 1,300 feet from Lake Huron.
A group of concerned citizens launched an online petition and a digital Billboard on the Gardiner Expressway in Canada’s largest city to sound the alarm about Ontario Power Generation’s (OPG) site selection process and plan to construct an underground nuclear waste dump on the shore of Lake Huron.
A growing number of citizens are opposed to OPG’s plan to build an underground nuclear waste dump (a Deep Geological Repository) approximately 1km from shore and extending underground to approximately 1,300 feet from the lake. Some of the nuclear waste will remain toxic and radioactive for over 100,000 years. Federal government approval is anticipated within 9 months.
“This dump puts at risk the fresh water of the Great Lakes, 21% of the world’s surface fresh water relied upon by 40 million people in two countries,” said Beverly Fernandez, member of Stop The Great Lakes Nuclear Dump Inc. “We are bringing this issue to the public’s attention because we believe that Canadians and Americans deserve the opportunity to learn more and voice their opinion on an issue that will affect generations to come.”
To date, OPG has paid out $10.5 million to the municipality of Kincardine and four adjacent municipalities in an effort to secure local support before approval to construct the dump has even been received. If OPG can secure federal government approval for its plan, they will pay the five municipalities in excess of $35.7 million over a 30 year period. The catch: the municipalities must not waiver from consistently “exercising best efforts to support the construction and operation” of the dump.
University professors, physicians, and individuals intimately familiar with government processes are speaking out.
East Lansing Michigan family physician, Suzanne Sorkin: “I worry about the safety of the Great Lakes water supply for my current and future patients. A leak from these dangerous wastes could contaminate Great Lakes drinking water and fisheries far into the future."
Stop The Great Lakes Nuclear Dump Inc. is a non-profit organization comprised of ordinary Canadians who believe that the protection of the Great Lakes from buried radioactive nuclear waste is responsible stewardship, and is of national and international importance. The group urges citizens to sign their online petition to send a message to the Minister of the Environment to stand up for the protection of the Great Lakes.