Danckert challenges K-W candidates to step up and protect tax-payers from nuclear cost overruns

Kitchener-Waterloo - Green Party of Ontario (GPO) by-election candidate Stacey Danckert wants to prevent nuclear cost overruns from coming out of the pockets of Ontario households and businesses. Danckert is the only candidate to sign the Ontario Clean Air Alliance’s Electricity Consumer Protection Pledge.

“Protecting our pocketbooks from nuclear cost overruns is clearly not a priority for the other parties,” says Danckert. “We are still paying the debt from the last generation’s nuclear plants. As the swing vote at Queen’s Park, I will fight to protect our pocketbooks from nuclear cost overruns.”

The recent refurbishment of reactors at Bruce Power’s nuclear facility is $2 billion over budget and 3 years behind schedule. The government recently announced that Bruce would not be held responsible for the costs of its most recent delay, and continues to have no plan or cost estimate for storing nuclear waste.

Even though no nuclear project has delivered on budget or on time, Ontario has never conducted an independent review of nuclear costs or alternatives. The government has a responsibility to halt plans for new nuclear until an independent review of all costs is completed.

“It’s outrageous that the Liberal government just gave the nuclear industry $26 million to study their own costs,” says GPO leader Mike Schreiner. “It’s irresponsible that the McGuinty government told the federal panel reviewing new reactors not to look at alternatives for meeting our energy needs.”

A U.S. study estimates that for half the cost of replacing one nuclear power plant, we could retrofit 1.6 million homes to save the same amount of energy and create 90 times more jobs.

“KW is perfectly positioned to be a global leader in energy efficiency,” says Danckert. “This won’t happen if the other parties waste our money on expensive new nuclear. Conserving energy creates jobs, protects our finite resources and provides a life time of savings for Ontarians.”