Anti-nuclear Movement in Canada

Nuclear Power generation in Canada has been plagued with safety failures, cost overruns, and, in many cases, an inability to produce the power promised by nuclear companies. Canadian provincial governments are reacting in very different ways to this controversial energy source. While the province of Quebec has declared a moratorium on all nuclear power projects, Ontario is planning to replace all coal-fired energy plants with nuclear plants by 2012. The province of New Brunswick continues to host one nuclear reactor, while the government of Alberta is considering building Western Canada's first nuclear power station.

Canada is also an exporter of uranium, which has led to extensive human rights abuses among those living near mines.

The Ontario Situation

Nuclear power in Ontario has left a legacy of crippling debt for the government and the people to shoulder. All Ontarians pay back part of the province's $38 billion nuclear debt. Dubbed the 'Debt Retirement Charge,' the fee taxes ever kilowatt-hour of electricity used by Ontario households. For each kilowatt-hour used, households must pay an extra 0.7 cents plus taxes, which works out to about $81 per year lost per household in Ontario, to pay the nuclear debt already incurred.

Nuclear power currently makes up about half of Ontario's power generation REF. This is set to increase as the Government of Ontario aims to phase out all coal-fired power plants by 2014, with much of this lost power generation to be taken up by nuclear.

Links to Canadian Anti-Nuclear Organizations

• Sierra Club of Canada: http://sierraclub.ca/
• Greenpeace Canada: http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/
• The Pembina Institute: http://www.pembina.org/
• Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility: http://www.ccnr.org/
• David Suzuki Foundation: http://www.davidsuzuki.org/default.asp
• Campaign for a Nuclear Phaseout: http://www.cnp.ca/
• Nuclear Free Alberta (calgary, AB): http://www.nuclearfreealberta.ca/
• The Tipping Point Project (Whitecourt, AB): http://tippoint.gaia.com/
• Citizens Against Nuclear Development (Grimshaw, AB): http://www.new.facebook.com/group.php?gid=29813231407
• Peace River Environmental Society (Peace River, AB): http://www.peaceriverenvironmentalsociety.org/
• Grand Erie Energy Quest (ON): http://www.energyquest4nanticoke.ca/index.htm
• Inter-Church Uranium Committee Educational Co-operative (SK): http://www.icucec.org/
• Port Hope Community Health Concerns Committee (Port Hope, ON): http://www.porthopehealthconcerns.com/
• Families Against Radiation Exposure (Port Hope, ON): http://www.ph-fare.com/
• Great Lakes United (ON): http://www.glu.org/english/index.htm
• Bruce Centre for Energy Research and Information (ON): http://www.friendsofbruce.ca/index.htm

Indigenous Links

• Indigenous Environmental Network: http://www.ienearth.org/
• Dene Youth Alliance: http: http://www.deneyouthalliance.ca/
• Western Shoshone Defense Project: http://www.wsdp.org/
• Sustainable Nations Development Project: Grassroots Development for Indigenous Sovereignty - http://www.sustainablenations.org/
• Shundahai Network: http://www.shundahai.org/
• Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free: http://www.yellowstonenuclearfree.com/
• Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety: http://www.nuclearactive.org
• Dine Care (Dine Citizens Against Ruining the Environment): http://dinecare.org/