NUCLEAR WASTE ACTION ALERT #2
Greetings friends and supporters,
Thank you again for your letters, emails and phone calls - a great response to the first Nuclear Action Alert. On August 26th Thunder Bay City Council’s Committee of the Whole voted 7 to 5 in favour of a motion that read in part:
“That a letter be drafted on behalf of City Council urging the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) to pursue the option of managing the used nuclear fuel waste closer to the reactor stations where the waste has been generated and is currently stored and thereby avoid the transportation of nuclear waste through Thunder Bay;
AND THAT a copy of this resolution be shared with NWMO, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Canada, MP Patty Hajdu and MP Marcus Powlowski…”
While we are very pleased with this favourable outcome, victory cannot yet be declared. This motion must be ratified by a second vote at a meeting of Thunder Bay Council scheduled for Monday, September 9th before it is effective.
Councillors are likely hearing from the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (nuclear industry) and other business interests in an attempt to prevent the resolution’s ratification.
Therefore, it is imperative that you continue to let the Mayor and City Councillors know your serious concerns about the prospect of high-level nuclear waste being transported through our city over a 50-year period, and that you want them to ratify the resolution of August 26th. Thanking the Councillors who voted in favour of the motion will encourage them to ratify the decision.
The Councillors who supported the motion were: Andrew Foulds, Shelby Ch’ng, Mike Zussino, Trevor Giertuga, Domenic Pasqualino, Greg Johnsen and Albert Aiello. Those who voted against were: Rajni Agarwal, Kristen Oliver, Kasey Etreni, Marc Bentz and Brian Hamilton. The Mayor did not vote as he was absent from the meeting.
We are also hoping to change the minds of the Councillors who voted against the resolution. Let them all know how vital this issue is for us now and for generations to come. We have heard that the letters the Councillors received in support of the deputation made a significant impact. They are our elected representatives and they have a responsibility to represent our concerns.
We encourage to write your own personalized letters to the Mayor and Councillors. However, you are welcome to use the enclosed sample letter in whole or in part. In addition, you may want to phone City Councillors, whose telephone numbers are also provided below.
Thunder Bay Council Meeting is on September 9th starting at 6:30. It is open to the public. Another rally will be held before the meeting outside City Hall at 5:30. Hope to see you there!
Thank you so much for speaking up! Collectively we can make a difference!
Sincerely,
We the Nuclear Free North
Environment North
Nuclear Free Thunder Bay
Below is a sample letter, which you may use or modify as you wish.
Also below, are the phone numbers for the Mayor, City Councillors.
CLICK HERE for the email addresses for the Mayor, City Councillors and City Clerk (copy and paste to the "to", "cc" or "bcc" field).
SAMPLE LETTER
Thunder Bay City Council
500 Donald St., PO Box 800
Thunder Bay, On P7C 5K4
Date:
Dear Mayor Boshcoff and City Councillors,
I want to thank the Councillors who voted in favour of the motion that was passed by Thunder Bay City Council on August 26th urging the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) to pursue the option of managing used nuclear fuel waste closer to the reactor stations where the waste has been generated and is currently stored and thereby avoid the transportation of nuclear waste through Thunder Bay. Councillors Andrew Foulds, Shelby Ch’ng, Mike Zussino, Trevor Giertuga, Domenic Pasqualino, Greg Johnsen and Albert Aiello have demonstrated that they are listening to the concerns of our community and willing to speak up on our behalf to the NWMO and the federal government. I urge you to ratify this decision when the matter comes before Council for the second time on September 9th.
To the remaining councillors who did not support the resolution, I would ask that you reconsider your vote and take the following into consideration:
- A significant number of your constituents have voiced their opposition to having nuclear waste transported through Thunder Bay;
- The NWMO has failed to publicly address the hazards and risks associated with the transportation of nuclear fuel waste.
- The few instances of highly radioactive nuclear fuel waste being transported in Canada are not comparable to the frequency and volume of transportation required to move all of Canada’s nuclear fuel waste to a single location.
- Low levels of gamma radiation exposure will result from the transport containers carrying the used nuclear fuel, which will have a cumulative effect for members of the public residing or working at locations near the transportation routes.
- In severe transportation accidents, the containers’ radiation shielding could be damaged, resulting in higher radiation levels around the damaged container and possibly the release of some portion of container contents, which would cause contamination of the surface and adjacent waterways.
- It is not fair that Thunder Bay residents have not been consulted in the NWMO site selection decision when we could be significantly impacted by the transportation of highly radioactive nuclear waste through our city on a frequent basis for 50 years.
- While municipalities avoid interfering with other municipalities, the Twp. of Ignace, with its decision in favour of the nuclear industry’s proposed project, necessarily interferes with the City of Thunder Bay which is on the transportation route.
I believe that our community’s concerns about the risks associated with the NWMO proposal should be heard by the NWMO and the Federal Government and that you as our elected representatives have a responsibility to communicate these concerns.
Thank you for giving this matter your serious attention.
Sincerely,
____________________________________
Name: ______________________________
Address: ____________________________
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Phone Numbers for Thunder Bay Mayor and City Councillors:
Mayor Ken Boshcoff - (807) 625-3600
McIntyre Ward: Albert Aiello -(807) 629-7531 –
Current River Ward: Andrew Foulds - (807) 766-9914
McKellar Ward: Brian Hamilton - (807) 251-2551
Neebing Ward: Greg Johnsen - (807) 707-9973
Westfort Ward: Kristen Oliver - (807) 627-2036
Northwood Ward: Domenic Pasqualino -(807) 631-0829
Red River Ward: Michael Zussino - (807) 631-6253
At Large: Mark Bentz -(807) 628-6910
At Large: Shelby Ch’ng -(807) 708-1983
At Large: Kasey Etreni - (807) 631-9942
At Large: Trevor Giertuga - (807) 628-4790
At Large: Rajni Agarwal-(807) 631-9488