Greenpeace shuts down Darlington nuclear hearing

Courtice, Ontario — Greenpeace activists today shut down environmental assessment hearings on a proposal to build new reactors at Darlington in response to the Joint Review Panel’s refusal to suspend the hearings until lessons are learned from the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan.

Four Greenpeace activists, with a banner reading “No nukes are safe Stop Darlington,”are locked down at the front of the hearing preventing the Panel from continuing. Other activists are in the audience with a similar banner and wearing tape on their lips, symbolically bearing witness to a flawed hearing process.

“These hearings should not be allowed to promote building new reactors while downplaying the nuclear disaster at Fukushima,” said Shawn-Patrick Stensil, Greenpeace nuclear analyst. “The proposal to build new reactors is Dalton McGuinty’s proposal: he needs to take responsibility for the costs, the accident risks and for not suspending the hearings.”

Yesterday, about 40 individuals and groups participating in the three-week hearing called on the Joint Review Panel to suspend them until further analysis of the nuclear disaster at Fukushima is available for consideration. The Panel refused.
The environmental assessment proposal for building new reactors at Darlington has serious flaws, including:

• No reactor technology has been chosen for the environmental assessment,
• The environmental assessment has excluded discussion of a Fukushima-scale disaster, and
• No opportunity is provided to discuss alternatives to nuclear, such as clean
  energy sources,

“The rush forward to build unnecessary and expensive new reactors will expose hundreds of thousands of people and generations of Ontarians to the risks of a
Fukushima-scale nuclear accident,” said Stensil. “The proposal will create more radioactive waste that will be dangerous for millions of years. New reactors at Darlington can’t be permitted to proceed when the impacts and alternatives haven’t been considered.”

Greens Call for Rethink of New Nuclear in Ontario

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner is calling for a suspension of the joint review panel hearings on the proposed new nuclear reactors at Darlington.  The tragedy in Japan is an unfortunate example of the inherent risks associated with nuclear power and raises issues that deserve consideration.

Schreiner, like all Ontarians, has expressed his condolences and deep concern for the Japanese people.   The crisis at Fukishima is another reminder that nuclear power comes with significant risks that potentially cause irreversible harm.  Because such “beyond design basis” events are excluded from the current review, Ontario Greens believe the panel should suspend the hearings until a transparent public review of Canada’s approach to nuclear safety is held.





"Building new nuclear power is an expensive, risky way to produce energy that requires a rigorous and thorough public review process. Since protecting the health and safety of citizens must be a top priority, the hearings on new nuclear should be suspended to allow time for a rigorous and thorough public review process."

- Mike Schreiner, Leader
Green Party of Ontario

Members within the international community are responding to this catastrophe by re-assessing their ongoing nuclear initiatives.  The Green Party is calling on the Ontario government to do the same, especially when alternatives exist.



There are other options to new nuclear in Ontario – aggressive investment in conservation and efficiency can reduce Ontario’s energy demand.  Hydro imports from neighboring provinces and further development of Ontario’s hydro capacity can provide stable base load power.  Local deployment of renewables, along with investment in combined heat and power projects, provide sustainable, safe alternatives.  The hearings are not scheduled to consider these other options.

Don’t Nuke Green Energy: Stop Darlington | Greenpeace Canada

Don’t Nuke Green Energy: Stop Darlington | Greenpeace Canada

The Ontario government is planning to spend $36 billion repairing reactors and building risky new reactors at the Darlington site east of Toronto, in part to replace the aging reactors at the Pickering station, which will close by 2020. This plan will divert billions of dollars that should be invested in cheaper and cleaner green energy sources and will drive up electricity prices.

A new report by Greenpeace and the Pembina Institute shows that replacing the Pickering reactors with green energy would be cheaper and would protect Ontarians from the high-cost and risks of new reactors.

Please tell Ontario’s Energy Minister Brad Duguid not to nuke green energy! Tell him you want affordable green energy instead of expensive and risky new reactors.

Click Here to send your letter to Energy Min. Duguid

Stop Darlington: Ride For Renewables!

Greenpeace’s Don’t Nuke Green Energy Campaign presents the…

Stop Darlington: Ride For Renewables!

What:  A bike trip from the Pickering to Darlington nuclear stations.
When: Tuesday August 24th, starting at 11 am ending at 4 pm.
Where: Cyclists will gather at the windmill (Beachfront Park) at the Pickering nuclear station at 11am.  We’ll then ride the waterfront trail to the Darlington nuclear station (approximately 45 km from Pickering).
Who: Greenpeace volunteers, cyclists and friends of green energy.
How:  Please RSVP to steve.cornwell@greenpeace.org or on our Facebook page here. Those who RSVP should meet at Greenpeace’s office at 9:30 am to take a bus to Pickering.  The Go-Train can also get you to Pickering, click here for schedules.  Details will follow after you RSVP.
Why: We need your help.
Premier McGuinty wants to nuke Ontario’s green future.  He wants to spend $26 billion to build new, dangerous and untested reactors at Darlington to replace the aging Pickering reactors, which are set to shut down in 2020.
Spending billions on new nuclear reactors will lock Ontario into a nuclear future and limit the growth of green energy.  Premier McGuinty can and should instead use affordable green energy to replace Pickering.
On August 24th, please join us on the Ride for Renewables.  Green energy advocates will ride from the Pickering nuclear station to Darlington to tell Premier McGuinty don’t nuke green energy.
Learn More :
Renewable is Doable, an alliance including Greenpeace, the Canadian Environmental Law Association and the Pembina Institute, released a report last week showing how it’s cheaper to replace Pickering with green energy.
Read the report here.
Please come out to support a green energy future by Riding for Renewables with Greenpeace!