FIRST NATIONS GO GREEN ON NUCLEAR WASTE
For Immediate Release
WINNIPEG – Two Canadian First Nations are leading the way toward a responsible economy by taking a green stand on nuclear waste, says Alain Landry, interim leader of the Green Party of Manitoba. The Opaskwayak Cree Nation in Manitoba and the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation near Creighton, Saskatchewan, have issued band council resolutions to stop nuclear waste transport through their communities, on route to a proposed waste dump at Creighton.
“The foresight of these First Nations is inspiring,” says Landry. “They are making sound decisions about how today’s actions will affect the lives of our children and grandchildren.”
The Green Party calls for a total ban on all nuclear development. There is no known safe way to store nuclear waste, and it remains toxic for many thousands of years.
“Encasing nuclear waste in cement and dumping it underground is folly,” says Landry. “Cement deteriorates, mine shafts crack and radioactive water moves underground. The nuclear industry refuses to spend the money to find a safe disposal solution.”
The Creighton site has been located to receive waste from across Canada, including from new Tarsands developments. Nuclear energy is proposed as a cheap heat source to extract oil from the Tarsands.
“The nuclear industry plan has always been to simply dump nuclear waste in a remote place where people don’t have a voice,” says Landry. “But this time our First Nations have spoken out to protect future generations. All Manitobans owe the First Nations a debt of gratitude for standing up for what is right.”
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Contact:
Alain Landry, interim Leader of the Manitoba Green Party
leader@greenparty.mb.ca
204-795-6570
Richard Freeman, communications
director@greenparty.ca
204-488-2831