The Chronicle-Journal spoke to people who turned out at Waverley Park on Tuesday in support of the First Nations Land Defence Alliance rally against the transport and storage of nuclear waste in the North.
Here’s what some of them had to say about their concerns.
“I am very concerned about the waste coming to Ignace (through Thunder Bay) because they’ll be using the transportation routes that we know are unsafe, where we’ve seen many, many accidents on. In Ignace, the (proposed) repository poses a huge toxic problem for the watershed downstream and for the people all around who live in those communities. I am really concerned about the whole willingness process that does not include people in surrounding communities.”
Irena Filteau
“I live just off Highway 102 and deal with the trucks daily that go by in all (weather) conditions. I’m really concerned that with the 30,000 loads of nuclear waste, there might be a few accidents. Despite what the nuclear waste people say that it’s 100-per cent safe, can you tell me one that humans have ever invented that’s 100 per cent? Never. All it will take is one truck to go off the bridge, into the Kaministiquia River or the Nipigon River and we have a major issue.”
Phil Bode
“My biggest concern is the transportation of the waste that’s going to be going, you know, hundreds of kilometres with so many opportunities along the way to have an accident. I think they should keep it where it is. They have trained staff living and working in southern Ontario who know how to take care of this waste.”
Julee Boan
“First of all, it sounds like the nuclear waste management group are a law unto themselves. They’re not regulated by the government. Secondly, as the speakers noted, there are huge questions about the longevity of the safety of the deposit. And thirdly, no one, to my knowledge, who lives in any of the transportation corridors to the site is part of the conversation and that worries me. I am a strong believer in democracy, but I don’t think the citizens of Ignace alone can speak for everyone in northern Ontario.”
Chad Hannah
“When you take a look at the (truck) accidents on the highway, one spill and neighbourhoods are going to be wiped out. We really need to stick together on this. Everybody needs to stand up and say “no,” because nobody wants these things that close to us. All these lakes feed into Lake Superior and we have to protect that.”
Illa Krushel
