Dear Mr. Editor,
On Tuesday of this past week Ignace a small community of around 1200 people cast votes to see if they would become the willing host community to all of Canada’s nuclear waste, an extremely toxic and dangerous material. So I don’t have the exact figure on how many voted but anyone 16 years or older was allowed to vote on this issue. So let assume 3/4 of the population was eligible to cast a vote that would come to around 900 people who may have voted and it is likely a lot of people did not bother to vote. There is no doubt there were votes on the yes side to this nuclear waste dump and there were votes saying no to the dump so there is a split in the community on this most important issue.
Clear and honest points of view from those who say no on this issue is their concern for the environment and the dangers this toxic waste dump will pose now and well into the future for many thousands of years. On the other hand on the yes side of the issue, money and the economic benefits of the dump are a loud and clear message and most interesting about that is you will also hear from the yes side “it (the waste) has to go somewhere”. This comment may have some believe that we here in the north have a moral duty beholding to those in Southern Ontario who have used nuclear power for over four decades.
There is no shortage of hydro electric power here in the north and we have never used a watt of electrical power generated by nuclear plants. We have never had any benefits from the nuclear industry so why would we have any obligation to take all this risk associated with this toxic waste dump? Apparently the yes side has now awakened and wants to take the moral high ground in protecting those in the south from this toxic waste? Is it because of their moral consciences wanting to protect our southern Ontario friends or perhaps has over 4 million dollars and numerous expensive gifts given to Ignace had an effect on those who voted yes? I think anyone who has followed this most important issue would be in agreement that the town of Ignace has been bought off by the nuclear industry and the logic for this is clear. It makes no sense to transport nuclear waste thousands of kilometres over some of Canada’s most dangerous highways when the Nuclear Waste Management Organization has also selected what they deem a suitable site in Southern Ontario within 200 kilometers of where 90% of this toxic waste is produced. Politically it also makes more sense to bring the waste to the north as there are millions of people living in the south who could be put in harm’s way as opposed to a few hundred thousand of us here in the north.
It is likely the yes vote for the dump by a few hundred money morally righteous people will take precedence disregarding the safety and wellbeing of the few hundred thousand of us who live in this region? Money talks and Ignace is a prime example how “wellness money” has taken front seat on this issue and pushed our environmental well being to an all time low. As others have expressed before me, there is no democratic process for the rest of us outside the town of Ignace.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
James Kimberley
Atikokan Ontario
