Nuclear Waste in Peel: What will it mean for Mississauga?
[Sierra Club: Peel]Sierra Club, Peel Region Group presents ‘Nuclear Waste in Peel: What will it mean for Mississauga?’
If you haven’t been to a Club meeting yet, here’s your chance to come meet everybody! This time, we’ve switched the location to Mississauga for the convenience of the majority of our members.
Our Club will be hosting a special guest talk to educate residents of Mississauga and, naturally, Brampton, about the health and safety risks associated with Brampton’s proposed low-level nuclear waste incinerator. The talk is called: ‘Nuclear Waste in Peel: What will it mean for Mississauga?’ and features Ed Schmeler and Norman Gillon from the Coalition for a Nuclear Free Peel.
The presentation is scheduled for Wednesday March 22 at 7:00 P.M. at Mississauga City Hall in Committee Room A. It will run for approximately an hour; Q& A plus time for mingling will follow.
In July of 2005, Mississauga Metals & Alloys of Brampton (MM&A) announced their intention to construct an incinerator at their Brampton facility. Their overall proposals call for up to 50,000 metric tonnes of radioactive/ non-radioactive waste, imported from sources around the world, to be trucked in and out of Peel through densely populated neighborhoods each year. The Coalition for a Nuke Free Peel formed to halt the project.
“This talk will centre on where we’re coming from, and what we’ve done so far,” stated Ed Schmeler.
“The immediate problem is the prospect of radioactive particles from the incinerator stack falling on Brampton neighborhoods. However well maintained the filters and scrubbers may be, some of the stuff will get through,” stated Norm Gillon of the Coalition.
A panel of the United States National Academy of Sciences has concluded ‘even very low doses of radiation pose a risk of cancer over a person’s lifetime.’
“Of course, radioactive pollution will not magically stop at the borders of Brampton,” added Ed Schmeler. Highway accidents involving trucks transporting nuclear waste have occurred in other areas, and are equally likely to occur here. It is impossible to contain the spill of radioactive particles into the natural environment. Particles cannot be prevented from entering the human body.
“Why should Brampton and Peel become the continental and global depot for nuclear waste? Aside from a small amount of job creation, there are no benefits to the community- only risks,” says Sierra Club Ontario Chapter leader Dan McDermott. Dan will also be present at the meeting to make some additional comments on how these types of locally-experienced consequences strengthen the Sierra Club’s argument that nuclear energy generation ought to be phased out, not increased. As he says, “Nuke isn’t working; it’s time to try something new.”
Similar presentations have already been made for the Peel Regional Police Association and the Brampton Rotary Club. Ed and Norman are funny and engaging speakers who make this complex issue easy to understand.
Refreshments will be served!
The Coalition for a Nuclear Free Peel’s website address is www.nukefreepeel.org
For more information, please contact:
Anna Przychodzki, Sierra Club of Canada, Peel Region Group: (905) 796-0266
posted by Annamarie at
4:51 PM
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