Chamber is wrong about council decision

Dear Editor,

I would like to first say that I feel government has a moral obligation to protect our water for future generations.

My vote on this motion does not mean I am anti-nuclear, it simply means I think we should find a different location for nuclear waste storage. The Great Lakes represent about 21 per cent of the world’s fresh water and 95 per cent of the fresh water in North America.

This is a natural resource we absolutely have to protect. This waste will need to be stored for hundreds to thousands of years, how can we take the chance of storing it so close to such a precious natural resource if there is even the smallest possibility of problems in the future?

Bob Malcolmson, CEO of the Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce implied that council broke its procedural bylaw with this motion, which is not the ease.

It’s disingenuous for Mr. Malcolmson to fail to mention that council has the ability to vote to waive the rules when bringing a motion forward. And we did, unanimously.

I reject the chamber assertion that I made the decision to vote for the motion without knowing the facts. As with every issue before council, I do my research before voting on matters that affect 156,701 people.

I think it’s also important to note that Oshawa is not alone in adopting this resolution.

159 communities in the Province of Ontario and States of Illionois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio have passed similar resolutions.

It’s clear that our local governments would like other options to be explored before we bury nuclear waste in our Great Lakes Basin.

Sincerely,

Amy England

Regional and City Councillor Oshawa