The Bay of Fundy: natural wonder or nuclear industry test site? [video]

The New Brunswick and federal governments have committed more than $80M to two start-up companies to build experimental nuclear reactors and a facility to extract plutonium from used nuclear fuel at the Point Lepreau site on the Bay of Fundy.

Canadian regulatory agencies have no experience with these technologies and experts have raised environmental, safety and financial concerns. After nuclear industry lobbying, the Canadian government exempted these projects from a federal environmental impact assessment.

Our provincial and federal governments and NB Power are acting as salespeople for the nuclear industry and hiding information that calls into question their plans. Missing from the official narrative are facts about the projects’ financial, environmental and health risks.

As a public service, the RAVEN project at the University of New Brunswick and seven co-hosts organized two webinars, with presenters from Canada and the United States, on the theme: The Bay of Fundy: Natural Wonder or Nuclear Industry Test Site?

“Why is the nuclear industry afraid to tell the truth? Why are they afraid to say: ‘Nuclear power is very dangerous, but we work very hard to keep it safe.’ Instead, they say, ‘It is safe,’ which is a lie.”

Dr. Gordon Edwards, Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility, made this comment at the first panel presentation on April 26, the 35th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant disaster. The panel also featured: Chief Hugh Akagi, Peskotomuhkati Nation, and Dr. Dale Dewar, Physicians for Global Survival, and panel chair Dr. Susan O’Donnell, University of New Brunswick.

“Because our governments are not providing full information about these projects to citizens, it is once again up to concerned citizens to inform ourselves and provide critical information and analysis about these projects to the general public.”

On April 29, Dr. Janice Harvey of St. Thomas University made this comment as chair of the second panel, with presenters: Dr. M.V. Ramana, University of British Columbia; Dr. Edwin Lyman, Union of Concerned Scientists; and Chief Ron Tremblay, Wolastoq Grand Council.

The co-hosts for both panels were the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility (CCNR), the Coalition for Responsible Energy Development in New Brunswick (CRED-NB), International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War Canada (IPPNWC), the NB Media Co-op, Prevent Cancer Now, the Sierra Club Canada Foundation Atlantic Chapter, and the Sierra Club Maine Chapter.

Watch Panel One below:

Presenters: Chief Hugh Akagi, Dr. Gordon Edwards, Dr. Dale Dewar. Moderator Dr. Susan O’Donnell.

Watch Panel Two below:

Presenters: Dr. M.V. Ramana, Dr. Edwin Lyman, Chief Ron Tremblay. Moderator Dr. Janice Harvey.

Rural Action and Voices for the Environment (RAVEN) is an activist media project at the University of New Brunswick exploring how digital media can bring attention to and support action on rural and environmental issues.