Mine a 'national problem'; Green party leader to speak on behalf of opponents
The Kingston Whig-Standar: Paul Schliesmann - September 08, 2007
Citizen groups opposed to a proposed uranium mine near Sharbot Lake yesterday
announced that the national leader of the Green Party will speak on their behalf
on Parliament Hill later this month.
John Kittle, spokesman for the Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium, told
reporters yesterday that Green party leader Elizabeth May offered to speak on
their behalf at a Sept. 18 news conference and "we gratefully accepted."
May's offer was announced at a news conference on Kingston's waterfront beside
the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise. Representatives from Greenpeace have joined
forces with citizen groups to fight a proposed uranium mine near Sharbot Lake.
Kittle said that Greenpeace and the groups are "on the same page" following a
three-hour meeting on board the ship.
"It's a national problem and there's a huge push on nuclear power, but nuclear
power isn't the best answer," he said. "Even if you go with nuclear power, you
don't have to mine uranium in populated areas."
The meeting included representatives of the Algonquins of Ardoch First Nation
who are occupying the site with the Obaadjiwan First Nation.
A court recently ordered them off the site, but the natives have refused to
move. They were joined on Monday by four members of the international group
Christian Peacemakers who will monitor the situation.
"We're very excited about Greenpeace coming to help with this issue," said
Ardoch chief Paula Sherman, who explained that her people had a "responsibility
to protect the land."
The company, Frontenac Ventures, has staked 30,000 acres for exploration with
the purpose of opening a uranium mine. But the opposing groups fear such an
operation would pollute the region and its water table with radioactive fallout.
They called yesterday for a moratorium on all uranium exploration and mining in
Ontario.
Bruce Cox, Greenpeace Canada executive director, said the Arctic Sunrise tour of
the Great Lakes is meant to highlight energy issues leading up to the Oct. 10
provincial election. The Sharbot Lake uranium issue dovetails nicely with their
campaign, he said.
"We'll try to make the nuclear power issue an issue in the campaign," said Cox.
He said that while the Liberal government is on the right track with its plan to
shut down coal-powered electricity plants, it's making a mistake by planning on
using nuclear power to make up the difference.
Greenpeace Canada energy expert Dave Martin said all of Ontario's nuclear
reactors will have been operating 25 years or more by 2019. "Those reactors will
either have to be shut down or rebuilt," he said, adding that the time is right
to convert to wind and solar power sources.
"We have the technology. What we're lacking is the political will at Queen's
Park," said Martin. "We're saying uranium should be kept in the ground and never
taken out."
Cox said that, for now, Greenpeace support for the uranium mine opponents will
include "simple things" like linking their websites and making sure that the
Greenpeace Canada's 80,000 members become familiar with the issue.
"We offered emergency support in case police move in on their action," said Cox,
explaining that such support would take the form of a "pretty extraordinary"
information network.
While Ontario Provincial Police have been ordered to remove the protesters,
police officials have promised they will give advance warning before taking any
action at the site.
Cox said yesterday's meeting in Kingston benefits everyone involved. "Basically
for [Greenpeace] it was an opportunity to learn more about what their fight is
on the ground," he said. "When we come into a community like this, we probably
learn as much from them as they learn from us.
"What's really striking about the issue is, unfortunately, it's a story played
out time and again - it's resource extraction that really is not sustainable. It
is degradation of the environment. And it pits governments against ordinary
citizens. All too often, First Nations people take the brunt of it."
pschliesmann@thewhig.com