Anti-nuclear movement in Canada
Encyclopedia
Canada has an active anti-nuclear movement, which includes major campaigning organisations like Greenpeace
and the Sierra Club
. Over 300 public interest groups across Canada have endorsed the mandate of the Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout
(CNP). Some environmental organisations such as Energy Probe
, the Pembina Institute
and the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
(CCNR) are reported to have developed considerable expertise on nuclear power
and energy issues. There is also a long-standing tradition of indigenous opposition to uranium mining
.
, 91 per cent
of Canadians surveyed were “concerned” or "very concerned" that “the way the world produces and uses energy is causing environmental problems, including climate change” and 85 per cent were concerned (or very concerned) “that energy shortages and prices will destabilize the world economy”. In terms of available energy options which may help to address these problems:
International nuclear policy
consultant Mycle Schneider
has reported that, as of June 2007, the overall lifetime load factor of the 22 Canadian nuclear reactors was 68.5%, which is quite a poor performance by global standards. The CANDU reactor
s have "experienced a large number of technical problems, several of which had significant safety relevance".
Canada is the world’s largest producer of uranium and has therefore accumulated very large amounts of mine waste. This waste amounts to "several hundred million tonnes and about 400 million cubic meters of contaminated process water".
since June 29, 2007.
Other indigenous opposition against uranium mining has become a long-standing tradition, particularly in Saskatchewan.
(CNP) represents a coalition of Canadian public interest organizations concerned with the environmental impacts of nuclear power
generation. CNP's mandate is supported by over 300 advocacy groups from across Canada.
In 2003, Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout commissioned the report Phasing Out Nuclear Power in Canada, which outlined a possible scenario where the central coal and nuclear plants in Ontario, Québec and New Brunswick could be phased out as they reach the end of their operational lifespan, to be replaced with a combination of more efficient energy use
, expansion of combined heat and power technology, and deployment of renewable energy
and distributed sources of power generation.
and energy efficiency
.
is a consumer and environmental research team, which is opposed to nuclear power, and dedicated to resource conservation, economic efficiency, and effective utility regulation. Founded in 1970 as a sister project of Pollution Probe and incorporated in 1980 as EPRF Energy Probe Research Foundation, Energy Probe led the opposition to Ontario Hydro's nuclear expansion plans starting in 1974. Energy Probe's plans to break up Ontario Hydro's monopoly and end support for nuclear power were endorsed in 1984 by the leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party and the Ontario New Democratic Party, the two opposition parties at the time. Later, the Ontario Conservative Party led by Mike Harris formally adopted Energy Probe's positions in its Common Sense Revolution.
Campaign consists of eight safe-energy organizations from Canada and the United States dedicated to the cessation of radioactive contamination
of the Great Lakes
Basin, and the removal of nuclear power from the area.
is a Canadian not-for-profit environmental policy
research and education organization specializing in the fields of sustainable energy
, community sustainability
, global warming
and corporate environmental management
. Founded in 1985, the Institute has offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto. In 2006 the Institute released the report Nuclear Power in Canada: An Examination of Risks, Impacts and Sustainability.
.
expansion.
has been active in Canada since 1963 and a national office was established in Ottawa in 1989. There are active chapters in every region of Canada, with offices in Ottawa, Victoria, Sydney, Corner Brook, Halifax, Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto.
The Sierra Club contends that despite over 50-years of development and government support in Canada, nuclear power continues to be plagued by cost overruns, technical problems, accidents and the ongoing difficulty of how to manage high-level nuclear waste
.
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
and the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
. Over 300 public interest groups across Canada have endorsed the mandate of the Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout
Sortir du nucléaire (Canada)
Sortir du Nucléaire or the Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout is a coalition of Canadian public interest organizations who have a platform of opposing nuclear power generation. CNP's mandate has been endorsed by over 300 public interest groups from across Canada...
(CNP). Some environmental organisations such as Energy Probe
Energy Probe
Energy Probe is a non-governmental environmental policy organization based in Toronto and best known for its role in opposing nuclear power. It was founded in 1970 as a sister project of Pollution Probe and incorporated in 1980 as Energy Probe Research Foundation , which describes itself as "one of...
, the Pembina Institute
Pembina Institute
The Pembina Institute is a Canadian not-for-profit think tank focused on developing innovative sustainable energy solutions. Founded in 1985, the Institute has offices in Calgary, Drayton Valley, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Yellowknife....
and the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
Gordon Edwards
Gordon Edwards was born in Canada in 1940, and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1961 with a gold medal in Mathematics and Physics and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. In 1972, he obtained a Ph.D...
(CCNR) are reported to have developed considerable expertise on nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
and energy issues. There is also a long-standing tradition of indigenous opposition to uranium mining
Uranium mining
Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...
.
Context
According to a 2006 opinion poll commissioned by the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, 91 per cent
of Canadians surveyed were “concerned” or "very concerned" that “the way the world produces and uses energy is causing environmental problems, including climate change” and 85 per cent were concerned (or very concerned) “that energy shortages and prices will destabilize the world economy”. In terms of available energy options which may help to address these problems:
...91% (of which 66% strongly) were in favour of “creating tax incentives to encourage the development and use of alternative energy sources, such as solar or wind powerWind powerWind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, windmills for mechanical power, windpumps for water pumping or drainage, or sails to propel ships....
”. Asked whether “building new nuclear power plants, to reduce reliance on oil and coal” would be a good idea, 52% agreed (of which 22% strongly) while 43% disagreed (of which 25% strongly).
International nuclear policy
Nuclear energy policy
Nuclear energy policy is a national and international policy concerning some or all aspects of nuclear energy, such as mining for nuclear fuel, extraction and processing of nuclear fuel from the ore, generating electricity by nuclear power, enriching and storing spent nuclear fuel and nuclear fuel...
consultant Mycle Schneider
Mycle Schneider
Mycle Schneider is a nuclear energy consultant based in Paris, and lead author of The World Nuclear Industry Status Reports...
has reported that, as of June 2007, the overall lifetime load factor of the 22 Canadian nuclear reactors was 68.5%, which is quite a poor performance by global standards. The CANDU reactor
CANDU reactor
The CANDU reactor is a Canadian-invented, pressurized heavy water reactor. The acronym refers to its deuterium-oxide moderator and its use of uranium fuel...
s have "experienced a large number of technical problems, several of which had significant safety relevance".
Canada is the world’s largest producer of uranium and has therefore accumulated very large amounts of mine waste. This waste amounts to "several hundred million tonnes and about 400 million cubic meters of contaminated process water".
Algonquin tribe
Members of the Algonquin tribe have been peacefully blockading a uranium mining operation on their sacred lands north of Kingston, OntarioKingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
since June 29, 2007.
Other indigenous opposition against uranium mining has become a long-standing tradition, particularly in Saskatchewan.
Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout
The Campaign for Nuclear PhaseoutSortir du nucléaire (Canada)
Sortir du Nucléaire or the Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout is a coalition of Canadian public interest organizations who have a platform of opposing nuclear power generation. CNP's mandate has been endorsed by over 300 public interest groups from across Canada...
(CNP) represents a coalition of Canadian public interest organizations concerned with the environmental impacts of nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
generation. CNP's mandate is supported by over 300 advocacy groups from across Canada.
In 2003, Campaign for Nuclear Phaseout commissioned the report Phasing Out Nuclear Power in Canada, which outlined a possible scenario where the central coal and nuclear plants in Ontario, Québec and New Brunswick could be phased out as they reach the end of their operational lifespan, to be replaced with a combination of more efficient energy use
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
, expansion of combined heat and power technology, and deployment of renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
and distributed sources of power generation.
Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility
CCNR is a non-profit organization, federally incorporated since 1978. It conducts education and research on issues related to nuclear energy, whether civilian or military (including non-nuclear alternatives), especially those pertaining to Canada.Greenpeace Canada
Greenpeace Canada argues that nuclear power is an unacceptable risk to the environment and to humanity, and that the only solution is to halt the expansion of all nuclear power and to shutdown existing plants. Greenpeace Canada believes Canada needs an energy system that can combat climate change, based on renewable energyRenewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
and energy efficiency
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
.
Energy Probe
Energy ProbeEnergy Probe
Energy Probe is a non-governmental environmental policy organization based in Toronto and best known for its role in opposing nuclear power. It was founded in 1970 as a sister project of Pollution Probe and incorporated in 1980 as Energy Probe Research Foundation , which describes itself as "one of...
is a consumer and environmental research team, which is opposed to nuclear power, and dedicated to resource conservation, economic efficiency, and effective utility regulation. Founded in 1970 as a sister project of Pollution Probe and incorporated in 1980 as EPRF Energy Probe Research Foundation, Energy Probe led the opposition to Ontario Hydro's nuclear expansion plans starting in 1974. Energy Probe's plans to break up Ontario Hydro's monopoly and end support for nuclear power were endorsed in 1984 by the leaders of the Ontario Liberal Party and the Ontario New Democratic Party, the two opposition parties at the time. Later, the Ontario Conservative Party led by Mike Harris formally adopted Energy Probe's positions in its Common Sense Revolution.
Energy Quest 4 Nanticoke
Energy Quest 4 Nanticoke was formed to raise awareness on energy options for the Ontario regions of Haldimand/Norfolk/Brant/Hamilton, as the county council's of Norfolk and Haldimand endorsed an Environmental Assessment on a nuclear reactor at Nanticoke without meaningful public debate.Inter-Church Uranium Committee Educational Co-operative
The Inter-Church Uranium Committee Educational Co-operative (ICUCEC) is a church coalition that educates people about the nuclear industry in Saskatchewan and wants to halt all nuclear development in the province, including the mining of uranium.Nuclear Free Great Lakes Campaign
The Nuclear Free Great LakesGreat Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
Campaign consists of eight safe-energy organizations from Canada and the United States dedicated to the cessation of radioactive contamination
Radioactive contamination
Radioactive contamination, also called radiological contamination, is radioactive substances on surfaces, or within solids, liquids or gases , where their presence is unintended or undesirable, or the process giving rise to their presence in such places...
of the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
Basin, and the removal of nuclear power from the area.
Pembina Institute
The Pembina InstitutePembina Institute
The Pembina Institute is a Canadian not-for-profit think tank focused on developing innovative sustainable energy solutions. Founded in 1985, the Institute has offices in Calgary, Drayton Valley, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, and Yellowknife....
is a Canadian not-for-profit environmental policy
Environmental policy
Environmental policy is any [course of] action deliberately taken [or not taken] to manage human activities with a view to prevent, reduce, or mitigate harmful effects on nature and natural resources, and ensuring that man-made changes to the environment do not have harmful effects on...
research and education organization specializing in the fields of sustainable energy
Sustainable energy
Sustainable energy is the provision of energy that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable energy sources include all renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectricity, solar energy, wind energy, wave power, geothermal...
, community sustainability
Sustainable development
Sustainable development is a pattern of resource use, that aims to meet human needs while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but also for generations to come...
, global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
and corporate environmental management
Environmental management
Environmental resource management is “a purposeful activity with the goal to maintain and improve the state of an environmental resource affected by human activities” . It is not, as the phrase suggests, the management of the environment as such, but rather the management of the interaction and...
. Founded in 1985, the Institute has offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto. In 2006 the Institute released the report Nuclear Power in Canada: An Examination of Risks, Impacts and Sustainability.
Port Hope Community Health Concerns Committee
The Port Hope Community Health Concerns Committee (PHCHCC) is an incorporated nonprofit community organization which aims to produce a comprehensive independent health assessment about long term exposure to radioactive and heavy metal contaminants from sixty years of nuclear industry operations in Port Hope, OntarioPort Hope, Ontario
Port Hope is a municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, about east of Toronto and about west of Kingston. It is located at the mouth of the Ganaraska River on the north shore of Lake Ontario, in the west end of Northumberland County...
.
Port Hope Families Against Radiation Exposure
The Port Hope Families Against Radiation Exposure group consists of 1570 concerned residents of Port Hope who are monitoring the activities of the nuclear industry, following a 16-month campaign against the plans of Cameco Corporation to enrich uranium.Safe and Green Energy Peterborough
In 2009, Safe and Green Energy Peterborough received $37,000 from a federal agency to review its study for the proposed Darlington Nuclear Power PlantDarlington Nuclear Generating Station
Darlington Nuclear Generating Station is a Canadian nuclear power station located on the north shore of Lake Ontario in Clarington, Ontario. The facility derives its name from the Township of Darlington, the former name of the municipality in which it is located.The Darlington station is a large...
expansion.
Save Our Saskatchewan
Save Our Saskatchewan is a group of local residents opposed to nuclear development in Saskatchewan.Sierra Club of Canada
The Sierra Club of CanadaSierra Club of Canada
Sierra Club Canada is a Canadian, volunteer-based environmental organization. It is part of the environmental movement.The roots of Sierra Club Canada go back to 1963, when environmentalists in British Columbia affiliated themselves with the Sierra Club of the United States...
has been active in Canada since 1963 and a national office was established in Ottawa in 1989. There are active chapters in every region of Canada, with offices in Ottawa, Victoria, Sydney, Corner Brook, Halifax, Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto.
The Sierra Club contends that despite over 50-years of development and government support in Canada, nuclear power continues to be plagued by cost overruns, technical problems, accidents and the ongoing difficulty of how to manage high-level nuclear waste
High-level radioactive waste management
High-level radioactive waste management concerns management and disposal of highly radioactive materials created during production of nuclear power and nuclear warheads. The technical issues in accomplishing this are daunting, due to the extremely long periods radioactive wastes remain deadly to...
.
See also
- Energy policy of CanadaEnergy policy of CanadaCanada is the 5th largest producer of energy in the world, producing about 6% of global energy supplies. It is the world's largest producer of natural uranium, producing one-third of global supply, and is also the world's leading producer of hydro-electricity, accounting for 13% of global...
- Gordon EdwardsGordon EdwardsGordon Edwards was born in Canada in 1940, and graduated from the University of Toronto in 1961 with a gold medal in Mathematics and Physics and a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. In 1972, he obtained a Ph.D...
- List of anti-nuclear groups
- List of Canadian nuclear facilities
- Maisie ShiellMaisie ShiellMaisie Shiell became involved in anti-nuclear issues in 1976 when public concern developed about a new uranium mine in Saskatchewan. At sixty-one years of age, Shiell began learning how to translate highly technical issues about radioactivity into something she could understand and pass along to...
- Nuclear power in CanadaNuclear power in CanadaNuclear power in Canada produces about 15% of Canada's electricity as of 2009.-History:The nuclear industry in Canada dates back to 1942 when a joint British-Canadian laboratory, the Montreal Laboratory, was set up in Montreal, Quebec, under the administration of the National Research Council of...
- Pickering Nuclear Generating StationPickering Nuclear Generating StationPickering Nuclear Generating Station is a Canadian nuclear power station located on the north shore of Lake Ontario in Pickering, Ontario. The facility derives its name from the City of Pickering in which it is located....
- Renewable energy commercializationRenewable energy commercializationRenewable energy commercialization involves the deployment of three generations of renewable energy technologies dating back more than 100 years. First-generation technologies, which are already mature and economically competitive, include biomass, hydroelectricity, geothermal power and heat...
- Sustainable Development Strategy in CanadaSustainable Development Strategy in CanadaSustainable Development Strategy in Canada is about the Government of Canada finding ways to develop social, financial, and environmental resources that meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs in Canada...
- Gerald W. BrownGerald W. BrownGerald W. "Jerry" Brown is an American whistleblower who concerned himself with deficiencies in passive fire protection systems in US and Canadian nuclear power plants.-Thermo-Lag scandal:...
- Canadian Nuclear Safety CommissionCanadian Nuclear Safety CommissionThe Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission , previously known as the Atomic Energy Control Board , is the governmental nuclear power and materials watchdog in Canada...
- List of wind farms in Canada
- FLICK OFFFLICK OFFFLICK OFF is a Canadian advertising campaign launched by Key Gordon Communications. It is a movement to fight climate change by getting Canadians to use less energy....
- Robert Del TrediciRobert Del TrediciRobert Del Tredici is a Canadian photographer, artist and teacher, who documented the impact of the 1979 Three Mile Island accident on the community. His first book of photographs and interviews, The People of Three Mile Island , was a sociological critique of nuclear power...
- Douglas RocheDouglas RocheDouglas James Roche, OC, KCSG is a former Canadian politician, He served as Progressive Conservative Member of Parliament for Edmonton—Strathcona from 1972 to 1979 and for Edmonton South 1979-1984. In 1984, he was appointed Canada's Ambassador for Disarmament, a position he held until 1989...
Further reading
- Harding, Jim (2007). Canada's Deadly SecretCanada's Deadly SecretCanada’s Deadly Secret: Saskatchewan Uranium and the Global Nuclear System is a 2007 book by Jim Harding which chronicles the struggle over Saskatchewan’s uranium mining, and demonstrates the negative impacts on Aboriginal rights and environmental health, and the effect of free trade...
: Saskatchewan Uranium and the Global Nuclear System. - Mehta, M.D. (2005). Risky Business: Nuclear Power and Public Protest in Canada. Lanham, MD: Lexington.
- Pembina Institute (2007). Clearing the Air About Nuclear Power
- Pembina Institute (2007). Uranium Mining: Nuclear Power’s Dirty Secret
External links
- Tritium leak protests prompt Canada to suspend discharges
- Canadians join international plutonium protest
- Canada's Nuclear Watchdog Says Minister Meddling, Globe Reports
- Anti-nuclear activists begin battle for minds of Albertans
- Sacking of nuclear official prompts row
- Nuclear industry spins new mythology
- Retired professor warns against pursuing nuclear power
- Nuclear protest convoy dumps on Alberta reactor
- MLAs table anti-nuclear petitions in legislature
- Anti-nuclear groups take their message to legislature
- Saskatchewan NDP fights nuclear power
- "Where is my Electricity Coming From at this Hour? (if I lived in Ontario)" (Canadian Nuclear Society, with data from IESO)