information or propaganda or: what do you mean with "nuclear renaissance"?

welcome to Maren's press club, hope your lattes are fair traded and
hormone-free, ladies and gentlemen, but this is worth reading and
writing about it!

really quite something this issue - thought I'd forward this in
anticipation of your interest.

especially in reference to Sunday's "Dispatches" on CBC radio one
yesterday, I couldn't have asked for a better timing respectively, check
out # 7). I blogged on myspace about the disappointing one-sided nuclear
edition and can send that on request.

Robert Lovelace's letter to his daughter however, deserves ALL your
attention.

Hope you can take the time.

Humbly

Maren


URANIUM NEWS
http://www.ccamu.ca

April 7, 2008

CITIZENS' INQUIRY INTO THE IMPACTS
OF THE URANIUM CYCLE
KINGSTON SESSION
TOMORROW 1-5PM 6-9PM
Queen St. United Church
Corner of Queen and Clergy Streets


IN THIS ISSUE:

1) MINISTER OF NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT AND MINES REFUSES INVITATION TO
THE URANIUM CITIZENS' INQUIRY
2) CCAMU RESPONDS TO MINISTER GRAVELLE
3) CANADIAN ICON COCKBURN TO PREFORM AT BENEFIT
4) LETTER FROM INTERNATIONAL LAND COALITION'S DIRECTOR TO NORTH
FRONTENAC MAYOR
5) EVENT CANCELED: OTTAWA SOUTH NDP'S WOMEN'S BREAKFAST
6) EARTH DAY CONCERT
7) PETITION FROM THE NUCLEAR INFORMATION AND RESOURCE SERVICE
8) NEW BRUNSWICK UPDATE
9) NOVA SCOTIA UPDATE
10) WHIG-STANDARD PRINTS A LETTER FROM BOB LOVELACE TO HIS DAUGHTER
11) POEM: THE MOTHER'S WATCHING
12) DEEP GEOLOGIC REPOSITORY FOR LOW AND INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
13) PRESS RELEASE: BEYOND NUCLEAR
14) ARTICLE: WHO IS BLOCKADING WHOM?
15) ARTICLE: PROBLEMS AT FRENCH NUCLEAR CONSTRUCTION SITE FOR
COMPANY SEEKING ONTARIO CONTRACT
16) ARTICLE: NO MORE TABOOS
17) ARTICLE: STUDENTS SHOW SUPPORT FOR JAILED STUDENT COUNSELLOR
18) ARTICLE: B.C. RULING SPELLS TROUBLE FOR ONTARIO MINING



1) MINISTER OF NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT AND MINES REFUSES INVITATION TO THE
URANIUM CITIZENS' INQUIRY

Dear Mr. Erlichman,

Thank you for your invitation of March 24, 2008, to attend one or more
of the public hearings regarding the Citizens' Inquiry in to the Impacts
of the Uranium Cycle. Although I am unable to confirm my attendance at
this time, I welcome the opportunity to provide you with information on
this issue.

As you are probably aware, uranium mining has a long history in the
province of Ontario. Over the past 55 years, health, safety and
environmental controls have greatly evolved and modern mining practices
are much different from what they were in the past. Today, uranium
mining is carefully managed and heavily regulated. Modern exploration
for uranium deposits involves the use of geophysical instruments or
drilling, which have very little impact on the environment.

To be clear, there is currently no uranium mining planned in
southeastern Ontario. The Sharbot Lake area project is a mineral
exploration project, and mineral exploration projects have limited
potential for impact and risk to the environment. It may also interest
you to know that the federal government, through the Canadian Nuclear
Safety Commission, has the primary responsibility for regulating and
approving uranium mining development throughout Canada should a uranium
exploration project reach the development stage.

Once again, thank you for the invitation and please accept my best
wishes for the success of your event.

Sincerely,
Michael Gravelle, Thunder-Bay-Superior North
Minister

---------

2) CCAMU RESPONDS TO MINISTER GRAVELLE

April 6, 2008

Ministry of Northern Development and Mines
5630 - 99 Wellesley St W, 5th Flr, Whitney Block
Toronto ON M7A 1W3

Dear Minister Gravelle,

Thank you for your letter responding to our invitation to attend the
Citizens' Inquiry into the Impacts of the Uranium Cycle, dated March 31,
2008.

Since the inquiry is already underway and will end on April 22, we
would appreciate an indication as to when you might be able to make a
commitment to attend.
We also take this opportunity to supply more information and to
encourage your interest and attendance.

CCAMU recognizes that there may be changes in current mining practices.

We recognize that as citizens and government became aware of the impact
of mines, legislation was adopted in Part VII of the Mining Act
requiring both rehabilitation and financial assurance, to hold companies
accountable and to reduce the impact on the environment.

We recognize that the legacy of abandoned mines in Ontario was created
by the assumption that there was neither need nor responsibility to
protect the environment, human health and safety. We understand that the
taxpayers of Ontario are covering the cost of millions of dollars of
rehabilitation and that funds are inadequate to address the impact on
the environmental pollution, and health and safety.

We recognize that legislation is needed to bring about responsible and
accountable mining practices and there has been some progress in mining
practices. However, our concern is about uranium exploration and mining
in our watershed, here in eastern Ontario.

Many of our coalition live in the area, and we know that there is not
currently a uranium mine near Sharbot Lake. We understand that uranium
mining is federally regulated and as such, it is not within your
jurisdiction to comment on or use extreme qualifiers for the way it is
managed or regulated, nor have we asked you to do so.

CCAMU is concerned about accidents and violations, such as in projects
in Saskatchewan and the United States. Despite being one of the largest
and most technically advanced uranium mining companies, a subsidiary of
Cameco has recently been cited for an "alarming" number of environmental
violations at its "state of the art" uranium mine in Wyoming. An
investigation report by Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality
details several "long-standing" environmental concerns at the mine.
Among them are delayed restoration of groundwater, "routine" spills, and
a seriously inadequate bond to cover restoration. A copy of the
investigation report is available upon request.

Because these issues are federal jurisdiction, we realize that they are
outside your authority and responsibility.

Some of our concerns involve other provincial Ministries, such as the
Clean Water Act, which does not protect private wells.

And other issues and concerns do fall within your role as Minister of
Northern Development and Mines, including exploration for uranium, which
is the stage we are at, here in Sharbot Lake. We know that claim
staking, prospecting and exploration and development of uranium is one
of the primary purposes of the mining Act. CCAMU is concerned that
exploration and mining is considered to be the best use of land, without
first considering other land uses, such as residential, farming and
recreational land use. We are concerned that there are no considerations
given to the current use of land and the impact on people and community.
There has been no consideration for the resolutions passed by fourteen
local municipalities, counties and cities from Kingston through to
Ottawa, related to exploration for uranium.

Other concerns include: that the second purpose of the Mining Act - to
minimize the impact on the environment and human health through the
rehabilitation of mining lands - does not consider exploration as an
impact; that you express a predetermined standpoint - that there are
‘limited potential impact and risk’- prior to input from the public,
including First Nations and other stakeholders; and that you state that
exploration for uranium, such as drilling and blasting, has limited
potential impact and risk. Our research of other jurisdictions and
information does not support this statement. We question why your
ministry does not recognize, is not aware of or refuses to consider,
information and regulations followed by other jurisdictions related to
exploration for uranium.

We know, too, that the Ontario Mining Act does not regulate exploration
for uranium at the preliminary stage. It is concerning that there is no
public consultation and no regulations in place prior to exploration for
uranium and only ‘public notice’ is required at the Advanced Exploration
stage; that there is no consideration given to the cumulative impact of
explorations that have gone on north of Sharbot Lake for over thirty
years; that more than a hundred holes have already been drilled and
that blasting, surface stripping and trenching has occurred without
being monitored by MNDM; that there is no requirement to restore land
and that drill holes have not been plugged; that site visits are
informal and that no report is filed; and that there is no permit for
taking of bulk samples after a lease has been issued.

We urge you to attend at least one of the Citizens’ Inquiry forums (see
below for remaining locations), to gain a better understanding of the
concerns that are expressed being expressed. These opportunities are
not for consultation. We simply want you to hear how people in our
community, and beyond, have been impacted by the exploration for uranium
and what those impacts are.

The times for each are 1:00 to 5:00pm and 6:00 to 9:00pm.

Peterborough, April 15th
Sadlier House
751 George St. N.

Ottawa, April 22
Rideau Park United Church
2203 Alta Vista Drive.

Sincerely,

Wolfe Erlichman
The Community Coalition Against Mining Uranium (CCAMU)

------

3) CANADIAN ICON COCKBURN TO PREFORM AT BENEFIT

By Frank Armstrong
Canadian folk-rock icon Bruce Cockburn will perform at a June benefit
concert for jailed Algonquin activist Bob Lovelace.
Cockburn, who has a home in the area, will be the headline act at the
Artists for Bob concert June 14 at Sydenham Street United Church.
Co-organizer Ellen Hamilton, who runs Kingston's Leopard Frog music-
recording studio, said she and a handful of others in the local music
industry asked Cockburn to perform because they thought it was a cause
he might support.
"He has consistently spoken up for what's right and just and he seems
quite interested in social justice," she said. "We also know he lives in
the area."
Tickets, which will cost $30, will begin selling Monday through the
Grand Theatre, Brian's Record Option, Novel Idea and other retailers.
Also playing Artists for Bob will be three-time Juno Award-winning
Aboriginal recording artist Susan Aglukark, legendary Sharbot Lake-area
guitarist Joey Wright, and Unity and the Algonquin Drummers.
"We're also close to getting two other famous artists in Canada, but
can't release [names] yet because we're still negotiating with them,"
Hamilton said.
The organizers came together after Lovelace was imprisoned Feb. 15 for
six months for refusing to obey a judge's order to stop blocking uranium
exploration north of Sharbot Lake.
Lovelace, a father of two adopted young children and a Queen's
University lecturer, was also fined $25,000.
Like many others, Hamilton said she was watching the story about the
uranium protest from the sidelines until Lovelace was jailed for
protesting peacefully.
"This sentencing of Bob Lovelace, it was a wake-up call for some of us,"
she said.
While the organizers may have different views about some of the issues
surrounding the controversy, they all feel Lovelace needs some help to
offset the impact of his imprisonment and charges, she said.
farmstrong@thewhig.com

------

4) LETTER FROM INTERNATIONAL LAND COALITION'S DIRECTOR TO NORTH
FRONTENAC MAYOR

5 April 2008

Mayor Ron Maguire
Township of North Frontenac
PO Box 97,
Plevna Ontario KOH 2M0

As the mayor of our Township, you have been elected along with fellow
representatives to govern in the interest of the public good. The
extent of public opposition to the threat of uranium mining in our area
is clearly expressed in the multiple ways in which the community has
organized and is expressing its concern.

I was very disappointed when I read your Winter 2008 letter. I find it
totally unacceptable that you are failing to mobilize the council and
the township to further the common interest of preventing prospecting,
modernizing the antiquated 1860 mining act and showing active solidarity
with the community on this issue. It is not satisfactory that you are
monitoring the situation. We are all doing that. It is expected that
you will be proactive.

While mining may be a provincial and federal responsibility, you are
responsible to support the township’s interests and can use your
political role to put appropriate demands on the other levels of
government.

I hope to receive a reply in which the township commits itself to a more
active role on this matter. While I work in Italy and come to Canada
each summer, I will reestablish my permanent residence in Canada in
2008 and be able to more actively engage in the issues in the township,
where I have been a property owner and tax payer since 1986.

Bruce H. Moore
Director,
International Land Coalition,
Rome Italy
(An International Coalition of United Nations organizations, the
European Commission, the World Bank, and civil society / citizen
organizations.)

-------

5) EVENT CANCELED: OTTAWA SOUTH NDP'S WOMEN'S BREAKFAST

We wanted to thank you for your interest in our Women's Breakfast.
However, regrettably we must inform you that due to circumstances beyond
our control we have to cancel this event. It is our hope to hold a
similar function with Senator Lillian Dyck at a later date.

Kevin Kinsella.
(613) 736-9856

---------

6) EARTH DAY CONCERT

Just Voices, Ottawa’s choir of peace, social justice and the
environment, is presenting an Earth Day concert featuring Jenny
Whiteley, Juno-award winning singer/songwriter.

Date: Tuesday, April 22nd
Time: 7:30 PM
Location: First Unitarian Church, 30 Cleary Avenue.

Net proceeds from this concert will go to groups working for a
moratorium on uranium mining in Ontario.

Tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door.

Please check the website justvoices.ca for details on getting advance
tickets. http://www.justvoices.ca

------

7) PETITION FROM THE NULCEAR INFORMATION AND RESOURCE SERVICE

Taken for the NIRS website…

A Simple Statement On Nuclear Power and Climate Change

We're getting a little tired hearing nuclear industry lobbyists and
pro-nuclear politicians allege that environmentalists are now supporting
nuclear power as a means of addressing the climate crisis. We know
that's not true, and we're sure you do too. In fact, using nuclear power
would be counterproductive at reducing carbon emissions. As Amory Lovins
of Rocky Mountain Institute points out, "every dollar invested in
nuclear expansion will worsen climate change by buying less solution per
dollar..."

The simple statement below will be sent to the media and politicians
whenever they misstate the facts. We hope you and your organization will
join us and sign on in support here.

"We do not support construction of new nuclear reactors as a means of
addressing the climate crisis. Available renewable energy and energy
efficiency technologies are faster, cheaper, safer and cleaner
strategies for reducing greenhouse emissions than nuclear power."

To sign the petition go to,

http://www.nirs.org/petition2/index.php

Both Canadians and Americans can sign this petition.

-------

8) NEW BRUSWICK UPDATE

This in from Conny Rennebarth,

I received this email from Yvonne Devine, in Moncton:

"Just an update from the Province of N.B. As you may have heard, on
March 17, 2008, the city of Moncton unanimously passed a motion to
request the Province ban uranium mining in N.B. (last year they had
requested a ban on exploration any land in the outskirts of Greater
Moncton, to no avail). MLA John Betts made a motion in the N.B.
Legislature to have a moratorium on any further exploration.

On March 30, the Southeast Chapter of the Conservation Council of N.B.
held a public information forum at the Capitol Theatre in Moncton.
Close to 700 people form the southeast region attended. There were
excellent presentations, everything from Uranium 101 and dangers from
uranium tailings to the Mining Act, Health Risks and implications for
water. We also showed the video “Uranium Mining: One Community’s
Struggle” that was filmed in Ottawa. People were shocked and concerned
and rightly so. The audience was given green post cards to fill out and
address to their MLA – the Chapter will deliver them. The Chapter will
continue to educate the people and urge them to stand up against this
threat."

----------------

9) NOVA SCOTIA UPDATE

This update comes to us via Gloria Morrison…

Nova Scotia's uranium "moratorium" is proving to be as leaky and porous
as the average tailings dam.

Capella/Tripple Uranium announced on April 1 that results from its
diamond drilling program west of Windsor Forks (part of its large "Titus
Project"have resulted in finds of over 100ppm of uranium. They have now
reported these results as required by Section 74 of the Nova Scotia
Mineral Resources Regulations.

Finding uranium of this order of concentration in this area could have
been easily predicted. The CAPE group warned Natural Resources Minister
David Morse of this probability in a letter sent in January 2008 and
advised that:
" . . .any real enforcement of the intent of the moratorium must require
the permit holder [Capella/Tripple] . . . to cease all ground
disturbance operations . . ."

After a delay of many weeks Capella reported their assay results with
uranium concentrations well over the 100ppm stipulated in the
regulations.
Capella/Tripple have NOT been ordered to cease drilling. Instead the
Registrar at the Department of Mineral Resources has struck a 3 person
committee which will engage in "discussions" with Capella.

A careful reading of Capella's news release on the subject:
http://www.financialpost.com/story-printer.html?id=414646
suggests that Capella will press DNR to allow them to continue drilling
on the pretext that the real purpose of the enterprise was assessing
lead, zinc and copper present in the same ore body.
Even if true, (highly improbable given the company's prior studies which
focus exclusively on uranium) it would be beside the point. Drilling
into a uranium-bearing ore body, whatever the motive, carries the same
environmental risks.

The DNR Monitoring Committee that was hastily pulled together on news of
this "find" is almost certainly NOT going to prohibit further drilling
in the Titus Project UNLESS they are so instructed by their political
masters--i.e. The Minister and the Premier, who are also unlikely to act
unless they hear a significant rumbling from the electorate:

rodneym@ns.sympatico.ca and PREMIER@gov.ns.ca
Fax: 258-2216
Phone: 258-3231

Natural Resources Minister: Honourable David Morse
(PC)
E-mail: morse.mla@ns.sympatico.ca
Fax: 681-1257 Phone: 681-2015

Environment Minister: Honourable Mark Parent (PC)
E-mail: markparentmla@ns.aliantzinc.ca
Fax: 678-2730 Phone: 678-4236

On other uranium-related news, CBC TV will air the Land and Sea
programme "Uranium Ban" on Sunday April 13 at 12:30 p.m.
There is also a good commentary by Harvey Wasserman on the "Big Lie" of
nuclear power as "clean and green" at:
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/02/8035/

Gillian

--------

10) WHIG-STANDARD PRINTS A LETTER FROM BOB LOVELACE TO HIS DAUGHTER

'I think I did the right thing'

http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=971580

Ardoch Algonquin community leader Bob Lovelace is serving a six month
jail sentence for refusing to stop opposing uranium prospecting efforts
near Sharbot Lake by the Oakville-based company Frontenac Ventures.
Recently, Lovelace wrote a letter to his 12-year-old adoptive daughter,
Skye, explaining why he is in jail. We reprint that letter here.

Dearest Skye:

I received your letter the other day and it made me so happy. Your
letter sounded as though you are doing well. I know that Jessica loves
you and River very much and will take good care of you. You also have
Jack and Mirielle and Lyann and Mitch and Alyson. I worry about you a
lot, but I know Grandma and everyone else will be there for you.

Your report card made me happy, too. You are doing very well. You
improved in a number of subjects and did well in new ones. Of course, if
you do more homework and get it done right after school, you would even
do better. I am really pleased that you take school seriously and put
your best effort into your work. Attitude and effort always pay off.

Your poem made me sad. That is because I miss you so much. When I read
the poem, I realized how much you miss me and I felt sorry that I have
to be away. The poem also made me happy because it reminded me how much
I love you and you love me. You are a beautiful, loving daughter and a
father couldn't ask for anything better.

I hope that you understand why I have had to go to prison. I hope that
Jessica and Mirielle have taken time to explain why I made the decisions
to challenge the court and ask for a higher standard of justice. As
Indian people, we have lost so much of our land and our culture that we
simply can't let any more be wasted by greedy people. The mining company
wanted to dig up and destroy a very beautiful and abundant part of our
land. They would also dump the poisoned water into Crotch Lake, which is
the source of clean, fresh water for many people downriver, all the way
to Ottawa.

This past summer, the Ardoch council told the mining company they
couldn't take our land and they had to leave. We put up guards to
protect the land and started teaching people about the hazards of
uranium mining and about our rights as Indian people.

The mining company didn't like this. They said Ontario, the government,
had given them permission to drill holes in the land. We said that
Ontario couldn't do that because the Canadian Constitution and the
highest court in the land has said that Ontario has to talk with Indian
people first before mining companies can do their work. We asked
important people from Ontario to take responsibility, but they just
ignored us. The mining company went to the court house in Kingston and
said we owed them $77 million because we would not let them on our lands
to drill holes. We told the judge that it was Indian land and about the
Constitution and about a promise made by King George III a long time ago
in 1763. The judge just waved his hand and said, "That's not important.
I don't want to know about the past, I want to know about now."

This sounds like a long story, doesn't it? The important part is this:
the mining company got the judge to tell us to get off our land and let
the mining company drill holes. Algonquin law says that we have a duty
to protect the land and the people. This is our homeland and we have no
other place in the world to call home.

The elders who keep our law said that exploring for uranium is
unacceptable. They had seen what had happened to other Indian lands and
people. So we said to the judge "no." I said we wouldn't get out of the
way and we wouldn't let the mining company drill holes in Mother Earth,
estwakimikwe.

The mining company got really mad and told the judge that I should be
put in prison while they did they work drilling holes. The judge was
mad, too, because I had disobeyed his order and he believes that his law
is more important than Algonquin law. All this time, Ontario stayed
quiet about their responsibility, hoping that no one would notice.

I don't like being in prison. It is not nice here and I miss you and
River, Michael and Victoria very much. But I think I did the right
thing. You children need clean, beautiful land on which to live your
lives. The land gives us everything we need and our Indian culture comes
from the land. Harold, your adopted grandfather, and I promised each
other many years ago that we would fight for the land and people; that
we would make sure that the children, you and your children, would have
what Kijimanide, the Creator, gave our ancestors.

So I hope this helps you understand why I am in prison. I pray every day
that I will be home soon, and I know that many other people are praying
as well for my release. We will be together again soon, so don't give up
hope.

I love you.

Love Bobby

(your Dad)

-----------

11) POEM: THE MOTHER'S WATCHING


The mother’s watching

Get off our land, you are not a band

We are of one kind; you have no mind

You jest with the mother, now men will you quiver

The women will march with stealth of the dark

Your homes will be vacant, your children away

Now I ask you to whom will you pray

Do you think god would ever hold sway?

Could the women hold justice, the mother holds them

For their allegiance, to the women, runs blood like

The band has the land, careful, my white man.

Gwyn McCoy
Kingston

---------

12) DEEP GEOLOGIC REPOSITORY FOR LOW AND INTERMEDIATE-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE
WASTES

This sent in by Dr. Edwards…

Attention News Editors:

Comments are invited on Environmental Impact Statement
Guidelines and Joint Panel Agreement

OTTAWA, April 4th

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency (the Agency) and the
Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (the CNSC) today released for public
comment two documents - the draft Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) guidelines and the draft Joint Review Panel (JRP)
agreement - related to the Ontario Power Generation proposed Deep
Geologic Repository Project to store low and intermediate-level
radioactive waste in the municipality of Kincardine, Ontario.

The draft EIS guidelines identify the information needed to examine
the potential environmental effects of the proposed project, as well as
its requirements for a licence to prepare a site and for construction.
After considering public comments, the EIS guidelines will be finalized
and provided to Ontario Power Generation.

The JRP agreement deals with the establishment of a panel to
perform an assessment of the project's environmental impact and of the
application for a licence to prepare a site and for subsequent
construction - the first of several licences required by the Nuclear
Safety and Control Act and its regulations. It includes procedures for
appointing the JRP members, the proposed terms of reference (i.e.
responsibilities), and process for conducting the review. After taking
comments into consideration, the draft agreement will be finalized and
the panel will be appointed to review the project.

The two documents are available at www.ceaa-acee.gc.ca (Canadian
Environmental Assessment Registry number 06-05-17520), at
www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca or from the contact mentioned below.)

Written comments, in either English or French, on the draft
documents must be received no later than June 18, 2008, and be sent to:

Deep Geologic Repository Project
Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency
160 Elgin Street, Place Bell Canada Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H3
Tel.: 1-866-582-1884
Fax: 613-954-0941
E-mail: DGR.Review@ceaa-acee.gc.ca

To register as an interested party and to be kept informed of
activities relating to the panel-review process, provide a full mailing
address, an e-mail address or a fax number, to the above contact.

A public information session will be held in the area near the
project by the Agency and the CNSC in order to give the public the
opportunity to learn more about the draft EIS guidelines and JRP
agreement for this project. The date and location of this public
information session will be posted at www.ceaa.gc.ca and
www.nuclearsafety.gc.ca in the near future.

About the Project:

The project is a proposal by Ontario Power Generation (OPG) to
prepare a site, and construct and operate a deep-geologic disposal
facility on the Bruce Nuclear Site, within the municipality of
Kincardine. The Deep Geologic Repository would be designed to manage low
and intermediate-level radioactive wastes, produced from the continued
operation of OPG-owned nuclear generating stations at Bruce, Pickering
and Darlington, Ontario. Low-level waste consists of industrial items
that have become contaminated with low levels of radioactivity, during
routine clean-up and maintenance activities at nuclear generating
stations. Intermediate-level radioactive waste consists primarily of
used nuclear reactor components - such as the ion-exchange resins and
filters used to purify reactor water systems.

As a pre-requisite to licensing a new deep-geological repository,
an environmental assessment (EA) under the Canadian Environmental
Assessment Act must be conducted before any licensing decision can be
made. On June 29, 2007, the Honourable John Baird, federal Minister of
the Environment and Minister responsible for the Agency, announced the
referral of the project to a review panel.

About CEAA:

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency administers the
federal environmental assessment process, which identifies the
environmental effects of proposed projects and measures to address those
effects, in support of sustainable development.

About CNSC:

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission regulates the use of nuclear
energy and materials to protect health, safety, security and the
environment and to respect Canada's international commitments on the
peaceful use of nuclear energy.

-------

13) PRESS RELEASE: BEYOND NUCLEAR

April 1, 2008

Contact: Beyond Nuclear
Linda Gunter, 301.270.2209 (o), 301.455.5655 (cl)

French Nuclear Lemon Must not be Exported to US says Advocacy Group

TACOMA PARK, MD - April 1 - The experimental French nuclear reactor –
seven of which are potentially scheduled to be built in the U.S. – has
already established a record of construction and safety flaws that could
jeopardize public safety, new documents have revealed.

A letter from the French nuclear safety watchdog agency and leaked to
Greenpeace France has revealed numerous technical errors and
inconsistencies at the site of the first European Pressurized Reactor
(EPR) to be built in France. The EPR – known as the “Evolutionary
Pressurized Reactor” in the U.S. – is an untested, experimental design
under construction at Flamanville, France and at Olkiluoto, Finland.

The Finnish reactor has already earned notoriety for technical failures,
long delays and enormous cost-overruns.

The EPR is a product of Areva, the French nuclear giant that is more
than 90 percent government-owned.

“It’s clear that the EPR is turning out to be a nuclear lemon,” said
Linda Gunter of Beyond Nuclear. “These latest revelations confirm that
the rush to expand nuclear energy is a risky enterprise beset by safety
shortcuts and motivated by haste and profit.”

Beyond Nuclear recently released a scathing critique of the French
nuclear industry, particularly the monumental radioactive waste problem
created by its large nuclear energy infrastructure and polluting
reprocessing programs.

“It’s time to call a halt to nuclear expansion plans in the U.S. and
stem what could be a limitless tide of American taxpayer dollars flowing
to the French government,” Gunter concluded.

Ironically, the latest EPR scandal was revealed just as French premier,
Nicolas Sarkozy, was touting French nuclear technology to his British
counterpart, U.K. prime minister, Gordon Brown. Together, the two
leaders have made a pact - the "entente formidable" - to market nuclear
energy around the world.

The problems in France mirror those that have occurred at the only other
EPR construction site - at Olkiluoto in Finland - where delays, cost
over-runs and similar technical mistakes with the concrete pour have set
the project back at least two years. The Finnish cost over-run is
currently estimated at $1.5 billion. Who ultimately pays the bill will
likely be contested in court, but French taxpayers are expected to bear
the brunt of the costs. In addition, Finnish electricity users will lose
billions of Euros because of the delay.

Background:
Beyond Nuclear aims to educate and activate the public about the
connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the need to
abandon both to safeguard our future. Beyond Nuclear advocates for an
energy future that is sustainable, benign and democratic. Beyond Nuclear
staff can be reached at: 301.270.2209. Or view our Web site at:
www.beyondnuclear.org

---------

14) ARTICLE: WHO IS BLOCKADING WHOM?

April 3, 2008

By Cathy Wills

According to the Standing Senate Committee on Aboriginal Peoples
(December 2006), “ Canada has not fulfilled its lawful obligations to
First Nations regarding the just settlement of outstanding land
claims”.

When it comes to assessing Land Claims, the Canadian government, through
its judiciary, is both the defendant and the judge. This is an
unconscionable conflict of interest and an embarrassment to all
Canadians.

The government of Canada has implemented blockade after blockade to the
settlement of First Nations' claims for sovereignty, self-government and
jurisdiction over their lands and resources. But if First Nations
respond with their own blockade, they are met with hefty fines, jail
sentences, and the threat of military intervention. Judge Cunningham
even authorized the Canadian military to intervene should the Algonquin
or their non-native supporters attempt to interfere with corporate
uranium mining interests.

In the case of Oka (1990), 4,500 soldiers were deployed to remove 24
Mohawk protesters from disputed land. That’s more soldiers than have
been deployed to Afghanistan to date.

Forces such as the OPP, the RCMP, and the military believe they are
upholding “the rule of law”. That's a valid perspective. But from
another valid perspective, Canadian law is in contravention of First
Nations' and international laws and norms.

Who decides whose law will be recognized... and just who is blockading
whom?

First Nations implement blockades on lands that are in the claims
process in order to stop development until the claim is settled.
Allowing exploration and mining of uranium, or any development, on lands
that are in dispute is against the laws of the First Nations, the laws
of Canada , and against international conventions established by the
United Nations.

The Provincial and Federal governments fail to recognize or consider the
implications when they sell these disputed lands as fee simple property
or issue mining licences to developers who go ahead in good faith with
their development projects. The government creates this untenable
situation.

For hundreds of years First Nations have used non-violent methods to
negotiate and supplicate to the Canadian government on their own behalf.
The Canadian government persists in interacting with them as if they
were its subjects when they are in fact members of nations. The 1982
Constitution Act recognized First Nations as just that: Nations. First
Nations have treaties with the Crown, and where there are no treaties,
nation-to-nation relations need to be established.

There is some good news. Studies by the recent Senate Committee confirm
that when a land claim is settled, “in every case it has meant an
immediate improvement in the lives of First Nations people. It has also
strengthened relations between Canada and those First Nations, and
between those First Nations and the communities that surround them”.

First Nations and Canadian governments spend millions upon millions each
year battling each other in a system that does not work. Why? Because
the Government of Canada doesn’t feel pressure from Canadians to reform
and resolve claims. Why? I think that it's mainly because the majority
of people just don't know, or haven't had the opportunity to give it a
lot of thought. The reality of relations between Canada and Aboriginal
Peoples certainly is not taught in our schools. Maybe people in Canada
fear that settling a claim means giving up their own land or property.
This is an unfounded fear and is not the intention of First Nations.

All Canadians need to become interested in the perspectives and rights
of First Nations. All Canadians need to contact their political
representatives and express their support for the First Nations in their
assertion that development be stopped until their claims are processed –
justly and without delay.

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15) ARTICLE: PROBLEMS AT FRENCH NUCLEAR CONSTRUCTION SITE FOR COMPANY
SEEKING ONTARIO CONTRACT

April 3, 2008

CBC News

One of the companies competing to build new nuclear reactors in Ontario
has run into trouble with regulators in France.

The French nuclear safety watchdog says there are a number of serious
infractions in the Areva construction of a reactor in northern France -
the same type of reactor it wants to sell to Ontario.

Areva is one of four companies competing to build Ontario's next power
reactors, but in March the French Nuclear Energy Agency cited the
company for shortcomings in the reactor's construction.

The agency says there was inadequate preparatory work before pouring
concrete; the concrete base was smaller than promised; and reinforcing
rods weren't up to standard.

To read the rest of this article go to,

http://www.cbc. ca/canada/ toronto/story/ 2008/04/03/ ont-nuclear. Html

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16) ARTICLE: NO MORE TABOOS

For decades, “uranium” was a dirty word in Nunavut. Then Rob Carpenter
offered a deal

David Dias, Financial Post Business

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Seated within his suite at the luxurious Fairmont Royal York in Toronto,
Rob Carpenter, CEO of Kaminak Gold Corp., is struggling to describe the
significance of the Arctic mineral deposit his junior mining company has
just secured. No matter how hard he tries, he can't do justice to it
with mere words. Finally, he hits on another tack: He has a map.
Carpenter reaches into his briefcase, pulls out a folded-up page and
lays a view of central Nunavut onto the coffee table. Little green
triangles - each representing a mineral discovery - litter the
geography, attesting to Nunavut's vast potential in minerals such as
gold and diamonds. Carpenter, however, draws attention to a cluster of
odd-angled shapes representing 250,000 acres of land on which Kaminak
has staked its claims. In particular, he points out a tiny quadrangle in
the centre of the map. "This little box here," he says.

The little box, in reality, is the 18,000-acre Angilak property,
Kaminak's prized possession. What makes it unique is that, among all the
firm's properties, it is the only one where the land and mineral rights
are owned by the Inuit under the Nunavut land claim. Moreover, it's the
focus of a ground-breaking deal that makes Vancouver-based Kaminak the
first company ever to win rights to drill on Inuit-owned land for a
mineral that remains taboo among aboriginal people: uranium.

For Carpenter, the company's January deal with Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
(NTI) - the Inuit land claims agency - is a shining example of
co-operation between private industry and aboriginal government. It also
represents a staggering opportunity for Kaminak. Angilak, after all, is
home to Lac Cinquante, a historical uranium discovery that, in the early
1980s, was estimated to contain 11.6 million pounds of high-grade
uranium oxide. At today's prices, that makes it worth $870 million, over
40 times Kaminak's market value.
Despite its exquisite potential, Lac Cinquante has never moved past the
discovery stage, due to years of industry setbacks. In 1979, a
near-disaster at Three Mile Island marked the start of a decades-long
slump in uranium prices. Nearly 20 years later, the Bre-X scandal
prompted regulators to institute strict guidelines for reporting mining
data, which rendered the aging estimates at Lac Cinquante unreliable for
investment purposes. And even if the data had been credible or prices
strong, uranium exploration on Inuit-owned land had been forbidden since
the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was signed in 1993. But none of that
is relevant today. Uranium prices are in the neighbourhood of US$75 per
pound. Inuit leaders, in deep need of attracting investment to the
region, have lifted their ban on uranium exploration on Inuit lands. And
Kaminak has permission to try its luck at Lac Cinquante, a prospect that
was unthinkable only a few years ago.

Uranium mining bears a shameful legacy in the North. The first mining
for the Manhattan Project of the 1940s was conducted in the Northwest
Territories, at Great Bear Lake. The radioactive mess left over has been
cited for increased cancer rates and for years has fostered deep-rooted
distrust in the uranium industry across the Arctic.

In recent years, however, concerns over global warming and energy supply
have helped to rehabilitate uranium's tarnished image, lifting prices
five-fold over the past four years and turning around public opinion,
even in Nunavut.

It was around a year ago, in February 2007, that Carpenter got an
inkling that the uranium exploration ban on Inuit-owned land might be
lifted. Prior to co-founding Kaminak in 2005, he'd worked on Baffin
Island as the district geologist for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada,
where he had developed a good rapport with territorial Inuit groups and
an intimate understanding of the politics of the North. Armed with these
insights, he could sense that change was in the air.

Recognizing the potential for uranium development on Angilak - and
particularly at Lac Cinquante - Carpenter launched Kaminak on an
acquisition spree of mineral rights over 200,000 acres of federal lands
surrounding the Inuit territory, as well as the non-uranium rights on
Angilak itself. Then, in September 2007, as Carpenter suspected, NTI
lifted its ban on uranium exploration. By then, of course, the agency
was well aware of Kaminak's interest in the Angilak property, given the
company's massive prospecting operation. But Carpenter still had to win
NTI's support before Kaminak would be allowed to conduct uranium
exploration at Angilak. Meetings were held in November in Yellowknife,
to which Carpenter brought Kaminak's offer to the table. "We went to NTI
and said we wanted these lands. We stressed our relationships and our
history up there."

Then Carpenter dangled an enticing prospect in front of NTI officials.
Instead of just offering them an interest in the development of uranium
properties on their own land, he offered NTI a stake in a new company
that would comprise uranium deposits on both Angilak and on all the
federal lands Kaminak held around the property. The NTI officials liked
what they were hearing, and on Jan. 31 Kaminak announced that it had
signed a memorandum of understanding with NTI, allowing work at Lac
Cinquante to proceed. Kaminak's shares shot up 50% on the news.
This summer, pending shareholder and court approval, Kaminak plans to
consolidate all of its uranium rights in Nunavut and spin them out into
a new company, Kivalliq Energy Corp. Headed by Kaminak chairman John
Robins - a veteran in Arctic mineral exploration - the new firm will
essentially be a partnership between Kaminak shareholders and NTI, which
will receive a 5% stake. If mining is determined to be feasible on any
of the company's claims, NTI will receive a payout of $1 million, as
well as the option of either a 25% participating interest in the
project, or a 7.5% royalty on profits. "Not only is our deal
precedent-setting in that it's the first uranium partnership deal," says
Robins. "What we did is, we offered something that nobody had ever
offered NTI - exposure to federal lands."

For now, however, the most likely prospect for a uranium mine remains
Lac Cinquante. Kivalliq's first task will be determining whether the
historical estimates at the property are accurate. Carpenter makes no
bones about the risk involved in a play like this. "You've got to be a
big boy with a pretty stiff upper lip to invest in junior exploration
and mining," he says. "I mean, I don't know if those numbers are real or
not, but what we are going to do is re-drill everything ourselves and
find out."

Paul van Eeden, co-editor of the Investment Speculator newsletter,
agrees that winning exploration rights at Lac Cinquante was a coup for
Kaminak. "Having historical drill data is an enormous head start." But
van Eeden also cautions that the site's remoteness will make development
an expensive proposition. At minimum,
Kaminak will need all of the 11.6 million pounds estimated in the
historical data to be viable. "If they come below that, the economics
will be questionable."

And even if the data holds up at Lac Cinquante, Carpenter says a mine is
no slam dunk. NTI continues to consult its membership and reserves the
right to block mine development. "For mining companies up North, the No.
1 external risk is First Nations support," says Carpenter. That being
said, he believes that, by bringing NTI in as a partner, Kaminak has
mitigated the risk. And whether Lac Cinquante proves viable or not,
Carpenter is confident about the mining potential in Nunavut. "We're not
staking moose pasture. There are green triangles on that map."

--------------

17) ARTICLE: STUDENTS SHOW SUPPORT FOR JAILED STUDENT COUNSELLOR

The Peterborough Examiner

March 28, 2008

Benefit raises money for family of man convicted in uranium mine
blockade

By NICOLE RIVA
Examiner Staff Reporter

Fleming College students joined together yesterday to show support for a
staff member behind bars and raise awareness for his cause.

Bob Lovelace, aboriginal student counsellor at Fleming College, is
serving a six-month sentence for contempt of court for protesting
Frontenac Ventures plans to mine uranium near Sharbot Lake on
traditional Ardoch Algonquin First Nations land.

A Day of Action for Bob Lovelace was held at the Sutherland Campus on
Brealey Drive yesterday with events from noon until 9 p.m. that included
a bake sale, silent auction, petition signing and a barbecue and concert
in the evening.

Rachel Paris from the Circle of First Nations Students said the group
wanted to show support for Lovelace and help raise some money for his
family.

"Bob wants it to still be focused on the cause," Paris said, "which is
to stop uranium mining."

Along with the baked treats in the campus foyer were informational
articles about uranium mining.

"We wanted to get the information out there about the damage of uranium
mining," Paris said.

The event was co-organized with the college's aboriginal student
services, which had been working on an information evening prior to
Lovelace's arrest and decided to merge the two causes, said Brent
Stonefish, aboriginal student success assistant at the college.

"We're trying to help out as much as possible," Stonefish said.

The evening events at the Steele Centre was called A Night of Action
Thru Music and featured a variety of performers.

Paula Sherman, a Trent University professor who was arrested along with
Lovelace but paid a $15,000 fine to avoid jail time because she is a
single mother of three children, also addressed the audience about the
Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and the issue of uranium mining.

"It's not just an aboriginal issue," Stonefish said. "It's not just for
us now but for future generations."

Ardoch Algonquin First Nation is a non-status group in the Madawaska
River watershed area not formally recognized by the federal and
provincial governments.

John Paul Hercus
research@netpages.ca

-------------

18) ARTICLE: B.C. RULING SPELLS TROUBLE FOR ONTARIO MINING

http://www.thestar.com/News/article/410479

Apr 05, 2008

By Cameron Smith

The McGuinty government has repeatedly slammed the door on First Nations
people trying to establish their rights to negotiate development in
their territories. This has created a confrontational situation that now
threatens to throw mining and logging in the province into limbo.

It didn't have to be this way, says Doreen Davies, chief of the Shabot
Obaadjiwan First Nation in Eastern Ontario. The Shabot and the
neighbouring Ardoch First Nations have always been ready to negotiate,
she says, and with the province refusing to sit down with them, the only
option left lies in legal action.

An appeal is underway against the jailing of Robert Lovelace, a Queen's
University lecturer and an Ardoch nation member sentenced to six months
in jail and fined $25,000 for refusing to halt attempts to block
drilling for uranium on lands claimed by the two Indian nations.

The appeal lawyer, Michael Swindon, says he will argue that the Ontario
Appeal Court should follow a B.C. Supreme Court decision delivered last
summer that, if followed, would make Ontario's Forestry and Mining Acts
inoperable everywhere an Indian land claim exists.

The B.C. decision, if adopted, says it is no longer necessary for
aboriginal people to prove title to land in order to get control of
their territories.

When the Constitution was patriated in 1982, a section was added
declaring that all aboriginal rights – not just title – were to be
recognized and honoured.

This means, the B.C. court said, that hunting and fishing rights are
enough to give First Nations control over their territories. They don't
have to prove title.

And if they establish such rights, provincial legislation no longer
applies in their territories; only the federal government has
jurisdiction to deal with any issues raised within their lands. In
effect, provincial legislation goes out the window anywhere there is a
land claim.

Swindon says he will argue in the Lovelace appeal that the Ontario
Supreme Court had no constitutional jurisdiction to sentence Lovelace,
because it didn't take the B.C. decision into consideration.

The appeal will also bear on the sentencing three weeks ago of six
natives from the Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninugug (KI) First Nation, also
jailed for six months, for blocking drilling by Platinex Inc., about 600
kilometres north of Thunder Bay.

The jailings follow on obligations and commitments that Queen's Park
failed to honour. During the 2003 election, Premier Dalton McGuinty
promised there would be no industrial development in the northern boreal
until a comprehensive land-use plan was in place. There still is no such
plan . The province is allowing development to push into the northern
boreal without acknowledging that Indians have full rights to negotiate
how development occurs within their territories. Meanwhile, it is
turning a blind eye as Indians are jailed for protesting.

In Eastern Ontario, the Ardoch and Shabot First Nations are protesting
because the province failed to follow a Supreme Court of Canada decision
requiring Ontario to negotiate with First Nations before exploration
proceeded on their territories.

Again, the province is turning a blind eye to the jailing of Lovelace,
who blocked attempts by Frontenac Ventures Corp. to proceed with
drilling in the absence of such negotiations.

In the B.C. case, Justice D. H. Vickers said allowing logging would be
an expropriation of Tsilhqot'in rights, and the province had no
constitutional authority to do this. Accordingly, he said, the
provisions of the B.C. Forest Act did not apply to Tsilhqot'in
territory. Vickers noted his decision could have serious implications
for B.C.'s forestry industry, because so many areas are subject to
Indian land claims.

Nevertheless, he quoted with approval an academic report that said:

"In reality, it appears that the province has been violating aboriginal
title in an unconstitutional and therefore illegal fashion ever since it
joined Canada in 1871. What is truly disturbing is not that the province
can no longer do so, but that it has been able to get away with it for
so many years."

So, Ontario has two choices. It can continue to play hardball, or it can
call a halt to exploration in both territories while it seeks to
reconcile differences. The danger it faces is that if it doesn't opt for
reconciliation, it may lose everything in court.

Cameron Smith can be reached at

camsmith@kingston.net