May 7th, 2015

Liberal environment minister shouldn’t trust Harper with Lake Huron nuclear waste dump: Tabuns

QUEEN’S PARK— NDP Environment Peter Tabuns critic told Minister of the Environment and Climate Change, Glen Murray, to stop putting his faith in Stephen Harper’s Conservative government when it comes to the provincial government’s proposed nuclear waste dump near the shore of Lake Huron. Murray said the federal assessment of the proposed nuclear waste dump was “a very good process,” after refusing to answer whether he supported the controversial project.

“This government may have faith in Stephen Harper. We don’t,” said Tabuns. “The government knows full well that the federal government has gutted environmental oversight in recent years. Due diligence has become more like a rubber stamp. We can’t count on the federal government to do the right thing.”

The provincial government has proposed a Deep Geological Repository project that would store low to medium level nuclear waste underground near the shores of Lake Huron. The project has attracted deep skepticism and concern, and 152 neighboring communities have expressed opposition to the project, including London, Windsor, Chicago, and Toronto. In addition, at least five Great Lakes states have passed resolutions opposing the plan. 

A review panel endorsed the proposed nuclear waste dump yesterday following a federal environmental assessment. Many environmentalists no longer trust the federal process following the Harper government’s decision in 2012 to gut provisions of the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

Despite this, Murray told Tabuns that the federal process was good enough. “We have a very good process in this country around making these decisions,” said Murray. 

“It is ironic that the government is threatening Lake Huron with a nuclear waste dump at the same time as it is introducing legislation to protect the Great Lakes,” said Tabuns.