MCK supports Saugeen Ojibway Nation fight against planned nuclear waste depository

05/14/2015

The Mohawk Council of Kahnaw�:ke (MCK) wishes to advise the community that a letter has been sent to the Saugeen Ojibway Nation in support of their fight against the planned nuclear waste depository site at the nearby Bruce Power facility.

The proposed �Deep Geologic Repository� to store some 200,000 cubic meters of nuclear waste 700 meters underground is located adjacent to Lake Huron. Saugeen Chief Vernon Roote has made clear his community�s concerns regarding this ill-advised plan.

�We�ve been keeping close watch on this situation since the failed plan to ship the nuclear waste through the Seaway was announced a few years ago,� said MCK Environment Portfolio Chief Clinton Phillips. �While the Bruce Power plant is hundreds of kilometers from Kahnaw�:ke, any potential nuclear contamination problem could nonetheless affect not only us but the 40 million-plus people who use the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence River for drinking water.

�On this basis, we have an obligation to remain vigilant and to support our brothers and sisters at Saugeen,� he concluded. �There needs to be a much better and safer plan for the disposal or storage of this dangerous material.�

Letter attached in the PDF.