Oshawa says no to nuclear waste burial
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
Oshawa council has jumped into the ring and voiced its disapproval of a project that would see nuclear waste buried deep underground on the Great Lakes basin.
The project, proposed to the federal government by the provincially owned Ontario Power Generation (OPG), would see low and intermediate nuclear waste buried and abandoned in a sarcophagus-like tomb near the shores of Lake Huron. The site, beneath the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant site, is located in Kincardine.
The waste would be buried in limestone caverns approximately 680 meters below the ground.
The motion brought forth by Councillor Amy England requested council support sending a letter to government stakeholders and politicians to state that Oshawa is opposed to the idea.
“I think we have a moral obligation to act on this,” England said.
The radioactive waste can remain active for as long as 100,000 years and England says any contamination could affect generations down the line.
And being so close to Lake Huron, any breach could affect drinking water downstream.
“We’re not just talking about right now, but generations far from now,” she said. “We need to be prepared and support our drinking water for future generations.”
The motion carried through the council chambers unanimously.
Ajax, Toronto, Kingston and Brampton are among a conglomerate of cities that have made similar motions to voice displeasure over the planned waste burial.